Yay, +1 to all. We seem to have a similar perspective.Mistycica wrote:ThymineC wrote: Your idea is very much a single invented principle (H-fields), a 'one big lie' used by Mass Effect (Element Zero) and Firefly (gravity projection) for example (or Singularity or Freefall or...). I'm fond of softer sci-fi, have nothing against it, enjoy it a lot, but it doesn't fit into my brackets of 'realistic' or 'believeable'. Practically applied muon-catalysed fusion is one of the far-fetched things I call plausible.
I suspend disbelief, have a blast, and marvel in the ingenuity of fantasy-science writers, be it LT, SC, or something as outrageous as Star Trek - though my focus is rarely on 'what drives this thing', I don't feel it's the point of sci-fi as a whole. But I'm boring when it comes to 'serious' nerding about, because I just leave so little leeway to fantasy.
ThymineC's Heisenberg drive is a bit ingeniously creative, though, in my opinion.
My k.i.s.s. explanation for the LT flight model is that it all takes place in an alternate universe where the "ether" exists, and stuff has drag in space from it. I.E. stuff has different laws than what we're used to. It's a bit of handwavium, and I don't particularly like it because one handwave invites more to follow, but hey.
My actual explanation (in my head as I play this type of thing) is that ships have automatic reverse thrusters. Maybe it's an intergalactic law. Maybe it's just part of the package. Who knows. Seems to work, for the most part, besides the speed limit - unless you just add on that the ship's computer won't allow it to pass certain speeds. Why? Maybe safety reasons - flying through a cloud of dust might rip away at your ship if you fly too fast, who knows. It's probably not something I would think about every second of a playthrough.