Dilithium (Star Trek)
In the Star Trek fictional universe, dilithium is an invented chemical element which serves as a controlling agent in the faster-than-light warp drive. In the original series, dilithium crystals were rare and could not be replicated, making the search for them a recurring plot element. According to a periodic table shown during a Next Generation episode, it has the chemical symbol Dt and the atomic number 87, which in reality belongs to francium.[1]
In the real world, dilithium (Li2) is a molecule composed of two covalently bonded lithium atoms.
Description and usage
Dilithium is depicted as an extremely hard crystalline mineral that occurs naturally on some planets. When placed in a high-frequency electromagnetic field, eddy currents are induced in its structure which keep charged particles away from the crystal lattice. This prevents it from reacting with antimatter when so energized, because the antimatter particles never actually touch it. Therefore, it is used to contain and regulate the annihilation reaction of matter and antimatter in a starship's warp core, which otherwise would explode from the uncontrolled annihilation reaction. Though low-quality artificial crystals can be grown or replicated, they are limited in the power of the reaction they can regulate without fragmenting, and are therefore largely unsuitable for warp drive applications. Due to the need for natural dilithium crystals for interstellar travel, deposits of this material are, much like real-world equivalents such as oil, a highly contested resource, and as such, dilithium crystals have led to more interstellar conflict than all other reasons combined.
In the original series, dilithium crystals were rare and could not be replicated. In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home Spock revealed that decaying dilithium could be re-crystallized through exposure to high-energy photons as generated by 20th century fission reactors.
As shown on the series, the streams of matter and antimatter directed into crystallized dilithium are unbalanced: there is usually much more matter in the stream than antimatter. The energy generated in the annihilation reaction heats up the excess deuterium gas, producing a plasma that is used to power the warp drives that allow starships to travel faster than light. In addition, most starships use this plasma as a power source for the ship's systems; in the series Star Trek: Enterprise (2001-2005), this was referred to as an electro-plasma system, (a backronym of the term "EPS", which was used in all other series except the original (1966-1969) series) to refer to a ship's or station's power system. The specific details of this reaction were officially established in the Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) series and technical manual; in earlier works it is not clearly defined.
Dilithium is a member of the fictional hypersonic series of elements, according to a periodic table graphic seen in episodes of The Next Generation[2] and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999). The dilithium crystal structure is 2(5)6 dilithium 2(:)l diallosilicate 1:9:1 heptoferranide, according to the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual (1991).
Cultural references
Other fictional works have borrowed the concept of dilithium crystals as a power source, including the science-fiction comedy series Tripping the Rift and the DuckTales episode "Duck to the Future". In 2014, Loowit Brewing of Vancouver, Washington, brewed an India Pale Ale using fresh additions of a variety of hops called Crystal, and named the beer Dilithium Crystal Fresh Hop.