Warp Speed

Spaceships are known for their ability to turn on their warp drives to accelerate to speeds beyond the speed of light. Can present-day physics conceptually explain this capability?

Answer

Spaceships with a warp drive to accelerate beyond the local speed of light cannot be ruled out just yet! One example is the expansion of the universe, which carries everything along, and speeds can exceed the speed of light. Distant quasars with recession velocities greater than c are a reality. The analog on Earth may be to have a 100-meter race on a stretchable track that can change length during the race.

However, if the spaceship has the technology to be able to distort spacetime itself in its local vicinity, then there is no need for enormous speeds. Simply contract the space in the front to bring distant points closer, warping space-time directly. That star base that formerly was light-years ahead of you is now close to you, reachable by normal propulsion in minutes!