Date: Wed, 1 Nov 1995 13:01:57 -0800
From: Christopher_Griffen@dmcwave.com (Christopher Griffen)
Subject: Jump flashes

Responding to Charles Collin:

>>Hi there.  Someone said jump flashes are non-canonical.  But aren't they 
mentioned in the Starship Owner's Manual (I'm not sure I got that title 
right)?  I think they mention how the lanthanum grid on the exterior of the 
ship glows bright blue while preparing for jump.  I think they also mention 
that it will be there when the ship exits, at least for a fraction of a 
second.  Could someone with that product check it out?<<

Though an excellent resource, some of the information in the Starship Ops 
Manual is now "non-canonical."  In fact, the existence of the lanthanum 
grid has been revoked.  Jump energy is now accumulated in the lanthanum 
coils in the drive room.  The ship effectively tears a hole in jump space 
with energy generated in the coils (much like a homopolar generator) and 
hurtles itself into the breach, like a stargate or something.  

Because the lanthanum grid is no longer canonical, ships can now attach 
other craft or freight to the outside of their hulls and enter jumpspace.  
The astrogator must recalculate the ship's volume for jump entry.  The 
ship's jump capacity may be affected by the size of any additional mass 
attached to the ship.

Whether or not there's a jump flash, therefore, is still debatable, but I 
would say the increased amount of energy generated by your ship's jump 
drive would create a fair-sized EMP.  I'm not sure the blue flash is 
supposed to be generated with the "new canon" or not.


Responding to William Hostman:

>>Starship Operator's Manual was such a product, and was approved by
GDW. The section on Jump drives is cannonical, as are all the subsections.
Sorry to shatter your imperium.<<

Not according to our friend, Dave Nilsen.  He and his co-authors, quite 
rightly I think, have changed the rules as listed above.  The coils are now 
the focus, not the grid (which doesn't exist anymore).  Therefore a slight 
change of "canon" has been enacted.

--Chris