Tropes involved in bypassing Einstein's universal speed limit. See also Teleportation Tropes.
Tropes
- Alcubierre Drive
An FTL drive that works by contracting space ahead of the ship and expanding it behind, moving in a "bubble" of warped space. - Blind Jump
Making an FTL jump without knowing where you're going. This will probably end in disaster. - Casual Interstellar Travel
When travel between the stars is easy, cheap, quick and convenient. - Extradimensional Shortcut
Traveling faster than light by popping into a dimension where the laws of physics are more permissive. - Faster-Than-Light Travel
Any situation where you can cover more distance than a light particle would in the same time. - Hyperspeed Ambush
Using faster-than-light travel to take an enemy by surprise. - Hyperspeed Escape
Using faster-than-light travel to escape from danger. - In-System FTL
A form of faster-than-light travel that only works within a star system. - Interstellar Weapon
You fire it and it hits a target in another solar system. - Lightspeed Leapfrog
A space vessel is beaten to its destination by a more advanced one built and launched later. - No Warping Zone
An area where you can't use FTL drives, typically in the immediate vicinity of a planet. - Portal Network
You can travel long distances by a going through a complex system of linked portals. - Psychic Starship Pilot
You need someone with psychic powers to pilot at faster-than-light speeds. - Shipless Faster-Than-Light Travel
The ability to move faster than light without needing a vessel or outside assistance. - Streaming Stars
Stars are seen streaking by to emphasize how fast a spaceship is going. - Subspace Ansible
A device that can be used to instantly communicate with others of its sort, regardless of distance. - Subspace or Hyperspace
Certain dimensions or forms of space that can do things impossible in regular space, such as having objects go faster than light.- Another Dimension
Another universe, which is what subspace and hyperspace often end up being. - Hyperspace Is a Scary Place
Hyperspace is drastically different from normal space, and is dangerous and terrifying to travel through. - Hyperspace Lanes
Faster-than-light travel is restricted to certain system-to-system jumps or preexisting routes of travel.
- Another Dimension
- Sublight Subterfuge
You can't, or shouldn't, use FTL in a situation in which you normally would.
