Chapter 20 - Zefram Cockrane (Patreon)

While not always present on starships, warp nacelles were the most common component of warp flight, dating as far back as Zefram Cochrane's original warp ship, the Phoenix, launched in 2063. Which anyone who had seen the movie Star Trek: First Contact would know all about.

Aboard most warp-capable vessels, warp coils were fed by large plasma conduits from the warp core reactor assembly. Venting the plasma from the nacelles made warp drive impossible until the nacelles could be replenished. So, it was not something you did unless you really had to, like in the case of an imminent overload and the ship was about to explode.