Object

Hathaway Warp Clutch

A compact mechanical coupling implied to sit inside the U.S.S. Hathaway's warp/impulse drivetrain: metallic plates and precision teeth, the kind of serviceable clutch engineers touch during emergency repairs. Characters reference it as the fragile interface whose abrupt engagement or stall would instantly halt ship momentum, drawing anxious glances and quick, clipped commands in engineering.

1 appearances

Purpose

To engage and transmit drive power for short, controlled bursts—allowing the ship to commit a brief, high-energy micro-warp while decoupling or stalling if misapplied.

Significance

Functions as the linchpin of the Two-Second Warp gambit: its potential to stall the Hathaway converts a technical constraint into a tactical gamble, raising the scene's ticking-clock stakes and forcing moral and operational trade-offs among Riker, Geordi, Wesley, and the engineering team.

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

1 moments

S2E21 · Peak Performance

Two‑Second Warp Gambit

The Hathaway's clutch (warp clutch) is invoked as the fragile mechanical interface threatened by an abrupt micro‑warp: the engineers warn that engaging the burst risks 'popping' or stalling the coupling. Functionally it is the imagined weak point whose potential failure raises the stakes of the entire maneuver.

Before: Installed in the Hathaway's drivetrain in a precarious, overloaded condition implied by the ship's crippled state.

After: Left as a looming point of failure — unchanged physically in the scene but established as the probable mechanical failure mode should the jump be attempted.

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