Report cards

One card per fictional drive: its loophole, its coherence and causality marks in plain words, how much of the register it engages and the one-line verdict. Click a card for the dossier. Save the image to share it.

68 cards, ordered by title. Grades are explained in the grading scheme.

Report card: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): the Star Gate2001: A Space Odyssey (1968): the Star GateL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Alien's NostromoAlien's NostromoL6 F1 · C-silent Report card: Andromeda: the slipstreamAndromeda: the slipstreamL4 F3 · C-owns Report card: Asimov's Foundation: the Jump through hyperspace (1942 onward)Asimov's Foundation: the Jump through hyperspace (1942 onward)L4 F3 · C-dodges Report card: Aurora's generation shipAurora's generation shipL6 F4 · C-owns Report card: Avatar's Venture StarAvatar's Venture StarL6 F3 · C-silent Report card: Babylon 5: hyperspace, jump gates and beacons (1993 to 1998)Babylon 5: hyperspace, jump gates and beacons (1993 to 1998)L4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Banks's Culture: the energy grid, infraspace and ultraspace (1987 onward)Banks's Culture: the energy grid, infraspace and ultraspace (1987 onward)L4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Battlestar Galactica: the FTL jump (2004 series)Battlestar Galactica: the FTL jump (2004 series)L3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Campbell's Islands of Space (1931): where the word came fromCampbell's Islands of Space (1931): where the word came fromL4 F3 · C-dodges Report card: Commonwealth: CST wormholes with trains through them (Hamilton 2004)Commonwealth: CST wormholes with trains through them (Hamilton 2004)L3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Contact: the Machine and the tunnel system (Sagan 1985, Zemeckis 1997)Contact: the Machine and the tunnel system (Sagan 1985, Zemeckis 1997)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Cordwainer Smith: planoforming, Space² and Space³Cordwainer Smith: planoforming, Space² and Space³L4 F3 · C-silent Report card: Cowboy Bebop (1998): the astral gatesCowboy Bebop (1998): the astral gatesL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Death's End: curvature propulsion (Liu Cixin, 2010)Death's End: curvature propulsion (Liu Cixin, 2010)L6 F4 · C-owns Report card: Doctor Who: the TARDIS and the time vortexDoctor Who: the TARDIS and the time vortexL4 F1 · C-owns Report card: Dune: the Guild navigators and folding space (Herbert 1965)Dune: the Guild navigators and folding space (Herbert 1965)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Elite Dangerous: the frame shift drive (Frontier Developments, 2014)Elite Dangerous: the frame shift drive (Frontier Developments, 2014)L2 F3 · C-silent Report card: Ender's philotic ansibleEnder's philotic ansibleL5 F3 · C-silent Report card: EVE Online: the warp drive (CCP Games, 2003)EVE Online: the warp drive (CCP Games, 2003)L2 F2 · C-silent Report card: Event Horizon (1997): the gravity driveEvent Horizon (1997): the gravity driveL3 F1 · C-silent Report card: Farscape (1999): wormholes, and starburst as a separate thingFarscape (1999): wormholes, and starburst as a separate thingL3 F4 · C-owns Report card: Firefly's VerseFirefly's VerseL6 F3 · C-silent Report card: Flight of the Navigator (1986)Flight of the Navigator (1986)L1 F3 · C-owns Report card: FTL: Faster Than Light, the jump drive as a game mechanicFTL: Faster Than Light, the jump drive as a game mechanicL4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Futurama: the Planet Express ship's dark matter engines (1999 onward)Futurama: the Planet Express ship's dark matter engines (1999 onward)L2 F0 · C-silent Report card: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): jump pointsGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): jump pointsL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Halo: slipspace and the Shaw-Fujikawa translight engine (2001 onward)Halo: slipspace and the Shaw-Fujikawa translight engine (2001 onward)L4 F3 · C-silent Report card: Homeworld: hyperspace cores and the Far JumpersHomeworld: hyperspace cores and the Far JumpersL4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Hyperion: the farcasters (Simmons 1989)Hyperion: the farcasters (Simmons 1989)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Interstellar: the wormhole near Saturn (2014)Interstellar: the wormhole near Saturn (2014)L3 F4 · C-owns Report card: Le Guin's ansibleLe Guin's ansibleL5 F4 · C-dodges Report card: Mass Effect: element zero and the FTL drive (BioWare, 2007)Mass Effect: element zero and the FTL drive (BioWare, 2007)L1 F3 · C-silent Report card: Mass Effect: the mass relays (BioWare 2007 onward)Mass Effect: the mass relays (BioWare 2007 onward)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Niven's Known Space: the Outsider hyperdrive and the blind spot (1966 onward)Niven's Known Space: the Outsider hyperdrive and the blind spot (1966 onward)L4 F3 · C-silent Report card: No Man's Sky: the hyperdrive, warp cells and rangeNo Man's Sky: the hyperdrive, warp cells and rangeL4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Outer Wilds (2019): Nomai warp coresOuter Wilds (2019): Nomai warp coresL3 F4 · C-owns Report card: Passengers' AvalonPassengers' AvalonL6 F3 · C-silent Report card: Revelation Space lighthuggersRevelation Space lighthuggersL6 F4 · C-owns Report card: Space Battleship Yamato: warp by wave motion engineSpace Battleship Yamato: warp by wave motion engineL4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Spaceballs: ludicrous speed (1987)Spaceballs: ludicrous speed (1987)L1 F0 · C-silent Report card: Star Citizen: quantum drive and jump pointsStar Citizen: quantum drive and jump pointsL3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Star Trek subspace radioStar Trek subspace radioL5 F3 · C-silent Report card: Star Trek: transwarp, quantum slipstream and the other beyond-warp drivesStar Trek: transwarp, quantum slipstream and the other beyond-warp drivesL4 F1 · C-silent Report card: Star Trek: warp drive (1966 onward)Star Trek: warp drive (1966 onward)L2 F3 · C-silent Report card: Star Wars: hyperspace (1977 onward)Star Wars: hyperspace (1977 onward)L4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Starfield (2023): the grav driveStarfield (2023): the grav driveL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Stargate: the gate network (1994 film, SG-1 1997 onward)Stargate: the gate network (1994 film, SG-1 1997 onward)L3 F3 · C-owns Report card: Stargate: the ships' hyperdrivesStargate: the ships' hyperdrivesL4 F2 · C-silent Report card: Starman Jones: the congruencies (Heinlein 1953)Starman Jones: the congruencies (Heinlein 1953)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: Stellaris: warp, hyperlane and wormhole (Paradox Development Studio, 2016)Stellaris: warp, hyperlane and wormhole (Paradox Development Studio, 2016)L2 F2 · C-silent Report card: Super Dimension Fortress Macross (1982): the space foldSuper Dimension Fortress Macross (1982): the space foldL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Tau Zero's ramjetTau Zero's ramjetL6 F4 · C-owns Report card: The Alderson drive (Niven and Pournelle 1974)The Alderson drive (Niven and Pournelle 1974)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: The Expanse: the ring gates and the slow zone (Corey 2013 onward)The Expanse: the ring gates and the slow zone (Corey 2013 onward)L3 F3 · C-silent Report card: The Forever War: collapsar jumps (Haldeman 1974)The Forever War: collapsar jumps (Haldeman 1974)L3 F4 · C-owns Report card: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the Infinite Improbability Drive and bistromathicsThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: the Infinite Improbability Drive and bistromathicsL4 F0 · C-owns Report card: The Lensman inertialess drive (E. E. Smith, 1934 onward)The Lensman inertialess drive (E. E. Smith, 1934 onward)L1 F3 · C-silent Report card: The Orville: quantum drive (2017 onward)The Orville: quantum drive (2017 onward)L2 F2 · C-silent Report card: The Skylark of Space (E. E. Smith, 1928)The Skylark of Space (E. E. Smith, 1928)L1 F1 · C-silent Report card: Thor (2011): the BifrostThor (2011): the BifrostL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Time for the Stars' telepathyTime for the Stars' telepathyL5 F4 · C-dodges Report card: Timescape's tachyon messageTimescape's tachyon messageL5 F4 · C-owns Report card: Vinge's Zones of Thought: FTL only where physics permits it (1992)Vinge's Zones of Thought: FTL only where physics permits it (1992)L4 F4 · C-dodges Report card: Warhammer 40,000: the Warp (1987 onward)Warhammer 40,000: the Warp (1987 onward)L4 F3 · C-owns Report card: Weber's Honorverse: hyper bands and Warshawski sails (1993 onward)Weber's Honorverse: hyper bands and Warshawski sails (1993 onward)L4 F3 · C-silent Report card: Wing Commander (1990) and the 1999 film: jump pointsWing Commander (1990) and the 1999 film: jump pointsL3 F2 · C-silent Report card: Xenocide: travel through the OutsideXenocide: travel through the OutsideL4 F3 · C-silent