Why specifically is warp travel faster?

[LostAlone]

This might seem like a silly question here, but I'm the kind of writer who can't just deal with a niggle in the back of my head. I asked people to see if I had just missed or forgotten the answer and got three different answers which all seem plausible and have some support to my memory but honestly I have no idea. 

 

So why specifically is warp travel faster?

 

So far the reasons I've been given are:

 

A) Physics works differently in the warp, so you can just keep accelerating past the speed of light and thus cross multi-lightyear distances much faster because you can travel at ten or fifty times the speed of light.

 

B) Distance works differently in the warp, so the distance between objects is substantially shorter and thus you can traverse the galaxy even going pretty slowly. 

 

C) Time passes differently in the warp, so you make the same journey but when you come back out it's been less time. The people travelling don't notice they've travelled for potentially years because the geller field keeps it out and they retain their normal time frame even though they are outside space and time and just have to live with the fact that the real universe doesn't quite match up when they get back.

 

Is it one or these? A mix of all of them? Off the top of my head the lore here isn't very tight, just that traveling through the warp is faster, somehow. A seems plausible because physical things are mirrored in the warp which implies they remain the same distance apart. Certainly astropaths are strongly effected by distance and so is the astronomicon so objects remain a long way apart and it takes ships time to transit between them. But then B seems reasonable as Chaos types can 'step' through warp portals that connect like, well, Portal portals. And C seems to make sense because we know that ships can just vanish off into the past or future, or just arrive a day out of sync and presumably lead to a lot of missed meetings. 

 

So which of these things is it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Teetengee]

Time and space don't exist in the warp beyond what mortal minds impose on it due to the limits of their own understanding.

The warp is an interface for the gestalt sentient consciousness of the universe, one that you happen to be able to drive a ship into.

[Erasus]

Yeah, like Teetengee said, the warp is a place where no physics exist.

 

Keep in mind that although most of the time warp travel is faster (and this is due to the keen skills of the Navigators picking out the best paths) those who fail to properly navigate it or fall afoul of its ever shifting tides can accidentally travel millennia into the future, to completely different locations or even into the past. Some things never leave the warp again. There are apparently examples of all these things happening (according to the Rulebook and sites such as Wikia, Lexicanum and so on)

 

So in short, for humans it's quicker because Navigators can help guide the ship through shortcuts

 

Chaos gets a helping (if capricious) hand from their chosen deity

 

Without these guiding factors then the journey could take much much longer, might get them there tenchinally before they left or may last forever. The randomness that is the warp will decide.

 

Orks (the only other widely documented major warp-faring race) chance it, because why not? And crazy Daemons can be an entertaining distraction on the journeys

 

Hope this helps!

 

EDIT:

Distance plays a factor because the further the journey the more likely an error will occur.

So short jumps tend to be quite accurate and easy to do

Longer jumps require expert skill and can still go horribly wrong

Same goes for Astropath messages, the longer they're out there the more likely the message gets corrupted/lost. So they use relay stations that catch it and resend another relatively short distance, done several times this slows down the message's transit but ensures it actually gets where it's meant to go.

[Tyriks]

Related question: how consistent is time's passing in the warp?  In the HH novels I've noticed they can accurately estimate the time it takes to get places, but it seems way less reliable in 40k (presumably due to the Emperor's incapacitation and therefore the astronomicon being weaker).  But they always just mention going from planet A to planet B without mentioning specifics of how far away they are or anything, so I can't tell if there's any particular system or if specific routes just always take close to the same amount of time.  Are there any specifics on this anywhere?

[Erasus]

Hello!

 

I'm going to have a stab at this, based on my understanding and what I've pieced together. Most of this will probably be uncited guesswork so it's your call whether you agree with me or not.

 

Time in the warp is inconsistent.

 

Most warp travel in 40k relies on reputably chronologically-stable routes.

 

So the more stable the route, the more likely the time it takes will be similar to previous runs.

 

These routes have recorded average times for how long it'll take. So for that specific route there's an estimated time of arrival. Unfortunately this doesn't translate to a different route of similar distance as time flow could be different there so the warp route could take longer or shorter. Ship cogitators can make guesses or they can estimate based on previous experiences of other ships doing the same route.

 

So for example in Anthony Reynolds' Word Bearers trilogy there is the Boros system. This system is part of a special network because there is a super stable warp route there that allows the Astartes Praeses to quickly counter any chaos invasion. Everyone there knows how long it takes to get to any of the exit points.

 

In some novels the danger factor is ramped up when the characters make a journey that's not on an established route, usually as an escape method or to try save time, and things don't usually end up going to plan.

 

 

HH-wise, you have to compare the apparent strengths of the Ruinous powers and the level of conflict going on at the time. After the HH the galaxy is in utter turmoil and by 40k there is "only war" so the warp would be in turmoil too, as it reflects the consciousness of the living. This makes warp travel relatively more difficult. In areas where war is a distant issue then the warp routes are more stable whereas in war zones the warp is less stable. May be why reinforcements to war zones are always such an issue.

 

I imagine this why you don't get a Chaos crusade just warping all the way to Terra. They'd be lost to space and time unless they took specific routes and did it in small jumps, the jump points to these stable routes are heavily protected. Such as the Cadian Gate.

 

So all in all, warp travel duration relies on the stability of the route taken. Stable = easily estimated arrival, unstable = who knows?

Navigators will pick the most stable routes.

Short jumps = less likely to get lost

 

Hope some of this helps! Feel free to ignore/agree at will

[Trevak Dal]

I think it's that physics are different/non-existent in the warp so it enables them to cross vast distances in a much shorter amount of time.

 

Other Universe comparisons to the various races' ftl tech:

 

Humanity (Imperial, Chaos/Renegade/any that utilize STC tech) and Orks: Little bit of Star Wars "hyperspace" little bit of Halo "Slipspace" but needing a biological navigator (Dune).

 

Eldar/Dark Eldar: Jumpgates from Babylon 5 to a T, ships (or people) step through a construct into a not-quite-the-warp, far safer zone and travel a lot safer and as fast, sometimes even more accurately.

 

Necrons: Star Trek's Transwarp from the Borg/expanded universe, when they were scary. Can appear out of nowhere, and start ruining your day with little to no sign. Technology so advanced it's like :cussing magic.

 

Tau: Star Trek's warp drive from Star Trek Enterprise, they skim subspace without fully plowing in, allowing them to take advantage of some of the Non Relativistic metaphysical properties of the warp without the danger-but due to lack of proper psychic navigation cannot utilize full warp travel, and are stuck in a very small part of the galaxy.

[paulJam]

I like the explanation provided here...

 

http://www.philipsibbering.com/wh40k/07-05-tec-physcis.shtml

 

How much it fits with bl fiction i cannot say but it seem as good an explanation as any.

 

My interpretation is the fields emmitters can reduce the effects of regular physics on the materium side.

And warp-side physics provides a repulsive force so dropping into warp near a planet pushes you away from it.

 

Unless im reading it poorly which is certainly possible.

 

It does fit some of the ideas from previous post... so tau field emit themselves without actually committing to the warp.

 

Whoops train stop...

[Wargamer]

A) Physics works differently in the warp, so you can just keep accelerating past the speed of light and thus cross multi-lightyear distances much faster because you can travel at ten or fifty times the speed of light.

Distance works differently in the warp, so the distance between objects is substantially shorter and thus you can traverse the galaxy even going pretty slowly.

C) Time passes differently in the warp, so you make the same journey but when you come back out it's been less time. The people travelling don't notice they've travelled for potentially years because the geller field keeps it out and they retain their normal time frame even though they are outside space and time and just have to live with the fact that the real universe doesn't quite match up when they get back.

It's a mix of all three.

The physical laws of our universe do not apply to the Warp - it is a realm where matter and thought and consciousness are mixed together in ways that defy our understanding. As such, you can break the laws of our universe by entering the Warp and bypassing them. Faster than light travel is, relatively speaking, a pretty tame violation compared to some of the other options.

The temporal aspect is also an important one to remember here; time doesn't work at all like it should in the Warp. In extreme cases, it is possible for you to arrive at your destination before you even set off. Again, physical laws don't work.

Now it is generally agreed that the safest way to travel the Warp was short hops. These are reliable in their accuracy, predictable in their duration, and had relatively little chance of something going catastrophically wrong. The only issue I can find is that I have never seen an actual explanation as to why this is. The answer is likely twofold: the first is that the longer a ship is in the Warp, the greater the strain on the hardware and personnel required to keep it there. The second is that the locals are going to notice you if you stick around. As such, I assume that long jumps result in Navigator fatigue (leading to inaccuracy) and drains on the Gellar field power reserve (leading to all manner of dangers), not to mention the Warp itself becoming increasingly turbulent and aggressive toward the unwelcome ship.

[paulJam]

Now it is generally agreed that the safest way to travel the Warp was short hops. These are reliable in their accuracy, predictable in their duration, and had relatively little chance of something going catastrophically wrong. The only issue I can find is that I have never seen an actual explanation as to why this is. The answer is likely twofold: the first is that the longer a ship is in the Warp, the greater the strain on the hardware and personnel required to keep it there. The second is that the locals are going to notice you if you stick around. As such, I assume that long jumps result in Navigator fatigue (leading to inaccuracy) and drains on the Gellar field power reserve (leading to all manner of dangers), not to mention the Warp itself becoming increasingly turbulent and aggressive toward the unwelcome ship.

disclaimer: in no way cannon but a different perspective...

 

a while back i was reading 'all-guardsman party' which is mainly amusing and in that the author's story kind of implied that the jumping into and out of the warp was taxing on the equipment/hull.

 

longer jump might be hazardous due to i.e. more opportunity for navigation error, warp time loops etc.

conversely smaller jumps in and out might pose greater problems due to greater mechanical fatigue, even if the navigation is easier.

 

perhaps like when you get a flash of power arc/spike when you plug/unplug an electrical device to the socket.

Or perhaps like a puff of debris smoke when you start up the mower after winter. once the mower is running it's fine, just the start is iffy.

 

just thoughts.

[Biscuittzz]

From a physics/ astrophysics perspective, it can be discussed logically if you believe in the new evidence that time is in fact a dimension itself. That, and the hypothesis that all space is circular in shape.

 

So if you take it that the universe/existence is a sphere in shape, and that all destinations are either points on the surface or points within the sphere, it's quicker mathematically to travel 'through' the sphere than on the surface. Think it's the worm-hole theory or something similar in the field of physics. There's quite a lot of research done on it already.

 

That's just way to describe it by using real concepts, before even talking about 'warp', 'immaterium' etc.

 

My 2 cents.