E. Lee Dickinson wrote on Tue, 08 December 2009 21:33 |
Let's just be totally clear here: Dilithium is a catalyst which regulates the reaction. The power actually comes from the anhialation of Deuturium and Antideuturium,
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It controls the amount of power generated in the reaction chamber, channeling the energy released by mutual annihilation of Deuturium and Antideuturium into a stream of electro-plasma.
Constitution-class starships continued to use crystallized lithium until the mid-2260s, before switching to dilithium. Housed in a dilithium crystal converter assembly,
the crystals were used as a power source as well as a regulator. Dependency on that power meant the starships risked losing the ability to maintain an orbit, let alone use of their warp drive, when a number of dilithium crystals were drained of their power or became fused in their assembly. In some circumstances, crystals could be re-amplified to provide continued service, rather than replaced.