I like when there’s a somewhat detailed explanation of FTL that’s internally consistent with the rest of the technology in the setting, even if the explanation is taking a shortcut through the insanity dimension. It opens up emergent possibilities for storytelling. Star Wars has some of the most handwavey FTL and not much arises from it as a consequence (no, I will not be including EU stuff in my analysis). The BSG FTL was used for some interesting plots, like when they had to keep jumping every 20 minutes to stay ahead of the Cylons, or how there was a refinery ship in the fleet that made all the jump fuel and it was the center of a labour dispute.
this post was submitted on 01 Nov 2025
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Star Wars is kinda hand wavey with all technology, as if it is settled or non-existent. It doesn't want to deal with technology in any way other than the super weapons.
I know Star Wars has broadly garbage worldbuilding and "lore" and also that this is just my anime brainrot speaking, but I loved the FTL kamikaze. Makes no sense at all for it to only happen once, but the spirit of it is great.
Honestly most of the problems in 40k generate from the fact that they have to travel through space hell. It also makes it possible for entire sectors to be nearly completely cut off from the rest of the Imperium except to the most adept Captains and Astropaths. Makes it possible to have space marines in medieval settings which is fun contrast imo.
The Adama manoeuvre remains the GOAT.
Hand waveyness is the jedi way after all.
I like the Infinite Improbability Drive of the starship Heart of Gold in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: it determines the exact probability that the ship will instantly teleport to a specific point in the universe and uses that improbability equation to fulfil the requirements to make the odds 1:1 enabling the ship to travel anywhere in the universe as long as it can figure out exactly how unlikely it is for the ship to actually arrive at that destination.
Which was an upgrade on the previous version, which was powered by the improbable energy created by the fact that for some reason everyone has paid their fair share for lunch but the check still doesn't add up. (If I am remembering my Douglas Adams correctly, it has been years).
It’s the other way around! Bistromath is obviously the more advanced metod of dining/transportation :D
Oooh never heard of it, I love this one!
i like the ones where there's no ftl and now you have to deal with travel times in the thousands of years
check out Freeze Frame Revolution
I read the description. Sounds interesting. I will.
Zones of Thought is a good example in that genre.
Watched an anime movie from the 80s the other day called Lily C.A.T. where it's like that
spoiler
It's like The Thing + Alien in space and part of the plot involves a guy who's on the run for murdering some guys who got his sister addicted to drugs and forced her into prostitution. A detective from earth followed him onto the ship, but like... by the time he arrests him and goes home, 50-60 years will have passed. Everyone who has any interest in seeing the guy arrested has long since died. His warrant for arrest is just a tally in a computer database, and the detective will have given up everything he ever knew and anyone he ever loved to arrest this guy for no real purpose or gain for anyone.
The captain is chronologically 240 years old at this point and he's seen it himself. Every trip he's ever been on, you come home an anachronism, a living fossil, uselessly out of date. So you go back up, you go on another trip, and another, until you die in space as lonely as you would have been on earth
Hyperion by Dan Simmons (I think) is a scifi canterbury tales and it has a fantastic execution of this called "time debt" in the book
Or the Enderverse, where you can travel through space instantly if you meditate hard enough.
You can also email yourself if you're nice to the lady who lives in the internet
I've always been partial to jump drives but I think that's mostly down to my Wing Commander nostalgia