What's Subspace

[CuttingEdge100]

When was the first time it was mentioned, and over the years in ST, what did the term Subspace mean?

I assume multiple definitions were used since the show first aired

 

[TIN_MAN]

I don't think it was ever specifically defined in ST, but my guess is it's the opposite of hyperspace, one has more dimensions the other has less, then the three we're used to?

 

[USS Triumphant]

The disambiguation page for subspace at Wikipedia. I would imagine that something related to the mathematical concepts, which would have already been around when Star Trek was thought up, was what was meant.

It's much more amusing to think that this definition is what is referred to, though. I don't know if I'm going to be able to watch Star Trek without getting the giggles for a little while.

 

[Cary L. Brown]

The "real" answer?

Subspace is a Deus Ex Machina invented in science fiction and first made broadly popular during the initial run of Star Trek. Its purpose is essentially equivalent to every other "alternative space/time" used in Sci-fi... to side-step the (as currently understood) laws of physics in our own reality, or "real space/time."

In-universe?

Subspace is another plane of space/time, but instead of a totally different "universe" (so to speak) it's closely tied to our own plane of existence. The laws of physics inside "subspace" are similar to those in "real space" but not identical. That is... they "look" the same when you're inside of subspace, but there's not a 1:1 relationship between "real space" and "subspace."

A fairly common pun is that it's sort of like a submarine just a few feet below the surface ("subspace"... get it?). It's not in the "surface world" but it's close enough to interact with it, and to see both ways across the interface between the "below the waves" and "above the waves" worlds.

Then again... maybe Triumphant's definition is related, too... ahem... cough cough...

 

[WendellM]

I think that your assumption is correct, CuttingEdge100, and that the definition changed/grew as the various series came out. Searching through the TOS (& TAS) transcripts, I believe that "subspace" is only ever mentioned there in conjunction with radio. Depending on how you define "first," the first mention seems to be either:

"Mudd's Women" (first in production order: episode 4, aired Oct 13, 1966):
Kirk: "They're married. Subspace radio marriage."

or "Charlie X" (first in airdate order: episode 8, aired Sep 15, 1966):
Charlie: "You don't need all that subspace chatter."
later, Uhura: "Captain Kirk, my instruments show we're receiving a message on subspace frequency three, ship-to-ship."

This (exclusively) radio tie-in matches up with the description given on page 23 of the April 17, 1967 version of The Star Trek Guide:

 

[RichMerk]

I remember "deeper layers of subspace" mention in TNG, which would support the submarine analogy.

 

[All Seeing Eye]

I think Subspace is sort of like the ocean.

A ship on the surface is a ship in normal space, going to warp "warps subspace" same way as a ships propellers effects the water of the ocean to create thrust. So the ship moves due to the warping of subspace but the ship isn't actually in it.

Now we've seen however that ships can actually enter subspace itself, so in a sense this would be like a ship dropping into the ocean and moving through the ocean like a submarine.

I think in Trek the idea is that the deeper you go into subspace the greater the warp effect and the faster you can go, which is why when Voyager entered those subspace corridors the ship travelled faster than normal warp.

 

[DiSiLLUSiON]

Subspace is the place where the imaginary partners of some Trekkies reside in.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I think in Trek the idea is that the deeper you go into subspace the greater the warp effect and the faster you can go, which is why when Voyager entered those subspace corridors the ship travelled faster than normal warp.

That's the way I've come to look at it. I think when a ship goes to warp, it's actually moving through subspace, with warp factors being more of a measurement of spatial distortion with normalspace than actual speed. It's just my own little take on it, though...

 

[Anwar]

Subspace is supposed to be a different "layer" of space that allows for faster communications than in normal space since the laws of physics aren't 100% the same in there.

 

[Meredith]

Sub-space is the 30-something offspring of Space and Time who lives in his parent's basement and refuses to get a job.

Since Subspace is considered a basement universe as sorts.

 

[Vance]

Originally, Subspace was just a 'radio' wave that used a warp field effect to allow the messages to go FTL. Period. End of story. (It basically matches the field WITHIN a warp bubble). The idea seemed to be that your subspace transmitter would do a microburst of a warp field to carry a message.

The whole 'pocket dimension', etc, was a result of TNG technobabble and a whole lot of bad mixing examples and metaphors to explain warping in general. (The whole surface of a balloon thing)

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

Another term for the "ansible" plot device in science fiction.

 

[Vance]

That's basically it, yes.

It's the technobabble of TNG and, worse, VOY that made it an insane muddle.

The easiest way to explain what it SHOULD be is that space within a warp field, the part that's distorted, to allow FTL travel. In Trek it's been used for numerous explanations, most of which completely nonsensical.

 

[Anwar]

They should've just called it "Warp Radio" or something then. Easier for the less intelligent writers to not make it something else.