warp drive n.
a device by which a spaceship is enabled to travel through space by means of a space warp; a faster-than-light drive
SF Encyclopedia
Propulsion
FTL
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[1947
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John Barrett
bibliography
With these modern time-warp drives a small magnetic disturbance is cumulative, and the center is like the center of a cyclonic windstorm.]
Stellar Snowball in Startling Stories Mar. 89/2 -
1948
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Chester S. Geier
bibliography
The atomic engines of ordinary space vessels attained only a small fraction of the inconceivable velocity which Alward claimed for the warp-drive of the Starling.
Flight of the Starling in Amazing Stories Jan. 10/2
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[1948
Fredric Brown
bibliography
An American scientist at Harvard had discovered the spacewarp drive. ]
What Mad Universe in Startling Stories Sept. 34/1
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1950 Amazing Adventures 12
This ship works by warp-drive. It warps space, so that it can travel even faster than light!
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1951
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Let’s see yarns about vampires, ghouls, werewolves, and other assorted spooks, as well as ray guns, six-headed Martians, galactic wars, and warp drives.
Letter in Marvel Science Stories May 128/1
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1961
Robert F. Young
bibliography
Space is warped, just as your own scientists have theorized, and with the new warp drive our Altairian VI scientists have developed it’s no trick at all, even for an amateur to travel to any place he wants to in the galaxy in a matter of just a few days.
Girl Who Made Time Stop in Worlds Robert F. Young (1968) 13
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1961
Harry Harrison
bibliography
One fact—normally of interest only to warpdrive technicians—concerns the curious propagation of radiation in warpspace.
Stainless Steel Rat (1988) 73
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1970
James Blish
Though we are not far by warp drive from the Klingon Empire.
Spock Must Die! i. 1
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1978
Gordon Eklund
Perhaps they never discovered the warp drive.
Starless World vi. 25
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1981
Bob Shaw
By the turn of the century the intricacies of the Toynbee warp drive had been sufficiently mastered to permit the building of large, well-equipped exploration vessels which were safe and reliable in operation.
Galactic Tours 50
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1983
Sondra Marshak
Myrna Culbreath
bibliography
McCoy came through the door as if he had already been under full warp drive.
Triangle xiv. 79
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1985
It’s like trying to work with a warp drive that has no magnetic field to shield you.
Pawns & Symbols xi. 231
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1989
J. M. Dillard
bibliography
Sekar entered the craft and found…that it possessed warp drive and a small transporter.
Star Trek: Lost Years x. 231
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1994
David Brin
bibliography
Suppose we do have remnants of some super-duper, alien warp-drive scout ship from Algerdeberon Eleventeen.
Those Eyes in Otherness 205
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1995
Dean Wesley Smith
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
bibliography
We are short of most parts, the replicators are functioning only on an emergency basis, and the warp drive is down over fifty percent. Is that a fairly accurate assessment?
Star Trek Voyager: Escape i. 10
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1999
Michael Jan Friedman
bibliography
They had only made a stop at Delta Vega to obtain the hardware they required to repair their warp drive.
My Brother’s Keeper i. 2
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2000
Ken MacLeod
bibliography
He’d have been absolutely fucking delighted with one that could be traversed with some kind of warp-drive or jumpgates or wormholes or similar fanciful mechanism.
Cosmonaut Keep (2001) 47
Research requirements
antedating 1948
Research History
Imran Ghory submitted a cite from a 1988 reprint of Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat".Conrad Feinson submitted a cite from a 1968 reprint of Robert F. Young's "The Girl Who Made Time Stop".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1951 cite from a letter by Malcolm Gibbs in the May 1951 Marvel Science Stories.
Katrina Campbell submitted a 1981 cite from Bob Shaw's "Galactic Tours".
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a reprint of Robert Silverberg's "Stepsons of Terra"; Mike Christie verified the cite in the 1958 first edition.
Douglas Winston submitted a cite from a 1990 reprint of Allan Cole and Chris Bunch's 1982 "Sten".
Malcolm Farmer submitted a cite from a 2001 reprint of Ken McLeod's 2000 "Cosmonaut Keep".
Andrew May submitted a 1950 cite from "Exhibit one", a story by an uncredited author in a 1950 comic book, "Amazing Adventures".
Fred Galvin submitted a 1948 cite for "spacewarp drive" from Fredric Brown's "What Mad Universe".
Garson O'Toole submitted a 1948 cite from Amazing.
Last modified 2021-01-02 13:05:18
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