Gravity

For the VOY episode of the same name, please see "Gravity".

Kruges death — Kruge is pulled to his death by gravity

Gravity (g) was one of the four main forces within the standard model of particle physics. Gravity had been historically defined as the mass between two objects. (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!") Gravity phenomena had a direct relationship to field density. (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah")

Gravity was defined throughout the universe by a gravitational constant, which set the relative strength of the force. The Q had the ability to change the gravitational constant of the universe, and thereby redefine gravity. (TNG: "Deja Q")

Effects of gravity[]

While often considered an apocryphal story, the "invention" of physics, and a new era in the understanding of gravity was born the day the apple fell on Isaac Newton's head, thanks to the jostling of an apple tree by Quinn. (TNG: "Descent"; VOY: "Death Wish")

Spock once used a reference based on this "discovery" in a statement describing the behavior of James T. Kirk, stating, "If I let go of a hammer on a planet that has a positive gravity, I need not see it fall to know that it has in fact fallen." (TOS: "Court Martial")

While climbing El Capitan, Spock, using levitation boots, advised Kirk that he believed he didn't understand the gravity of the situation. But Kirk replied that "gravity is foremost on my mind." (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)

During a scan of Aldean DNA, Doctor Beverly Crusher was able to confirm that gravitational variations were not responsible for the Aldeans' sterility. (TNG: "When The Bough Breaks")

Earth normal[]

An M class planet was defined, in part, by having a gravity that was approximately equal to Earth's sea level. (ENT: "Fallen Hero") Gravity found to be similar to Earth was often described as "Earth-normal." (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star", "The Eye of the Beholder")

Other planets, such as Talos IV, had a gravity of 0.9 g, which was ten percent "lighter" than the gravity found on Earth. (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I") Contrarily, Exo III had a gravity of 1.1 g, which was ten percent "heavier" than Earth's. (TOS: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?")

The gravity aboard the hulk of an abandoned insectoid starship was within two points of Earth-normal. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star")

In the first draft script of ENT: "Fortunate Son", an ultimately unused section of dialogue established that the gravity generated onboard the NX-class starship Enterprise NX-01 was Earth standard.

Adaptations to gravity[]

Typically, the effects of gravity fluctuations on humanoids that are adapted to an "Earth-normal" gravity could cause them to get symptoms of nausea. (DS9: "Treachery, Faith and the Great River")

The manipulation of gravity, via means of artificial gravity, had been a scientific breakthrough for many species, dating back billions of years. (TAS: "Beyond the Farthest Star", "The Slaver Weapon") Earth began employing artificial gravity technology as early as the 22nd century. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

On more than one occasion, the gravity aboard the USS Enterprise fell to 0.8 g. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "Tomorrow is Yesterday") While this was not typical aboard Earth or Federation starships, in the early days of space travel, freighter captains enjoyed manipulating gravity to make their crews light on their feet. (ENT: "Fortunate Son") Captain Mayweather of the ECS Horizon kept the ship's gravity at a level of 0.8 g. (ENT: "Broken Bow")

While training a crew of former Maquis, Tuvok increased the gravity on certain decks aboard the USS Voyager by ten percent during their exercise run. (VOY: "Learning Curve")

Some lifeforms could manipulate gravity by their own will, such as the dikironium cloud creature, which was capable of using gravity as a propulsive force. (TOS: "Obsession")

Other species were capable of living in a variable-gravity environment, such as Bevvox, a bioplasmic lifeform. (VOY: "Think Tank")

The Elaysians were a humanoid species whose planet had a gravity much lower than that of Earth, and were unable to function fully in Earth-normal gravity. (DS9: "Melora")

When Jonathan Archer battled Slar aboard the USS Defiant, he ordered T'Pol to enhance the grav-plating to twenty gs to incapacitate the Gorn. (ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II")

Experiments with gravity[]

During the mid-23rd century, a means was devised, called the slingshot effect, that made use of a star or planet's gravity as a mode of time travel. (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)

The Manheim Effect was created by Paul Manheim, based on a theory regarding the manipulation of both time and gravity. (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris")

Nathaniel Teros was a scientist who did extensive work with low gravity species, namely through neuromuscular adaptation. (DS9: "Melora")

Technology[]

External link[]

Gravity at Wikipedia