for the sake of argument

[Guest]

i jus wanted to point out that single-nacelle federation ships are very unlikely to be ever constructed, due to the design of the federation's warp drive and the very nature of subspace itself.

[thekryptonian]

For the uninitiated, the single nacelle concept had its genesis in the Star Trek blueprints and manuals created by Franz Joseph back in the '80's. These designs have been criticized as non-canon (not adhering to official design doctrine).

Warp field coils must operate in pairs, or so the writer's guides say. The popular rationalization is that ships with single nacelles have laterally split warp field coils to create the harmonic balance necessary to sustain a warp bubble required for faster-than-light travel.

[peteyg]

Yeah, two warp coils per nacelle is how to explain that away.

Nacelles aren't even strictly required for warp drive!