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#REDIRECT [[Shields (Star Trek)]] |
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[[Image:Galaxy class navigational deflector.jpg|thumb|180px|The ''navigational deflector'' of a [[Galaxy class]] starship]] |
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In the [[Star Trek]] [[fictional universe]], the '''navigational deflector''' is a device found on many [[Starfleet]] ships capable of [[warp drive|warp]] travel, generally noticeable by its foremost location on many ships' engineering hulls and its soft [[blue]] glow. The navigational deflector is used while moving at faster-than-[[light]] speeds to prevent damage to ships' hulls from micro[[meteor]]s and [[friction]] from the microscopic objects and extremely thin [[gas]] found in interstellar [[outer space|space]]. Deflectors accomplish the first goal through the use of powerful deflector/tractor beams extending several thousand [[kilometer]]s fore of their ships, aimed automatically through use of the ships' long-range [[sensor]]s. The deflection of smaller objects and stray [[atom]]s is done by largely static low-power [[deflector shield]]s generated by the deflector. |
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The beams and shields created by the deflector are often a source of [[subspace]] distortion and [[EM radiation]], which can interfere with the operation of ships' sensors. Due to this, long-range sensor arrays are often placed circularly around navigational deflectors. This allows the sensors to look along the same axes of the beams and shields to reduce interference and also, because of their proximity to the deflector, allows for the speedy receipt of data from them by the [[computer]] in control of the device. |
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In combat, the navigational deflector forms the first layer of a starship's static defenses. It is almost useless against high-powered beam and missile weapons, but quite potent at blunting the assault of light and medium-powered weapons such as [[lasers]]. |
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The [[hardware]] used in navigational deflectors can be quickly reconfigured to produce a variety of [[particle]] streams and [[energy]] emissions, making them a sort of '[[Swiss army knife]]' for Starfleet vessels and a convenient [[deus ex machina]] device for script writers. Such uses can be seen in ''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]'', where it was used to travel into the past and, later, reconfigured into an interplexing beacon, a long-range communication device; in "[[The Best of Both Worlds (TNG episode)|The Best of Both Worlds]]" (''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation|TNG]]''), as a weapon against a [[Borg starship|Borg cube ship]]; in [[Scorpion (Star Trek)|"Scorpion", Pt. 2]] ([[Star Trek: Voyager|''VOY'']]), for travel between alternate [[universe]]s; and, during the [[Klingon Civil War]], for detecting [[cloaking device|cloaked]] [[Romulan]] ships. |
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Navigational deflectors are not seen on a few Starfleet craft, such as the [[Miranda class starship|Miranda]], [[List of Starfleet ship classes#Soyuz class|Soyuz]], and [[Constellation class starship|Constellation classes]]. These classes perform the same functions by use of bow-mounted tractor emitters and low-power use of the deflector grid. Many alien ships also do not have deflector dishes and presumably operate similarly. |
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In the short online story ''Journey to Centauri''[http://firaxis.com/smac/story.cfm], which provides background to the game [[Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri]], the starship "Unity" has no navigational deflector, and due to a chance collision with a small space object, probably about the size of a fist, at near-lightspeed, the ship is badly damaged. Ostensibly, a functioning (not to mention present) deflector array could have prevented this fiasco. |
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In real life, similar technology would be needed to construct a [[Bussard ramjet]], a promising means to achieve near-lightspeed travel. As well as protecting the ship from high-speed particles, it would funnel them into a reaction chamber to generate thrust. |
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==External link== |
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*[http://www.memory-alpha.org/en/index.php/Navigational_deflector "Navigational Deflector" at Memory Alpha] |
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[[Category:Star Trek devices]] |
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[[ja:デフレクター盤]] |
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Latest revision as of 21:03, 15 December 2007
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