How to Build an Interstellar Warship, Part One: The Basics
Author: Derran Tyler

III. Vital Warship Systems

Let's face it, a warship isn't just a floating gun platform, it's a self-contained military unit. Not only must a warship be able to fight, it must be able to support and protect its crew from the dark void of space with armor and deflector shields. It must also be able to communicate with bases and/or other warships surrounding it and detect its surroundings with advanced sensors. Most importantly, a warship needs propulsion systems in order to even move and power its weapons systems. All of these systems must work in tandem in order for the warship to be an effective and worthwhile combat unit.

Since we are talking about interstellar warships here, let us start with the most obvious, propulsion systems.

Propulsion systems are perhaps the most vital element of any warship. Why? Propulsion systems not only move the ship, but they power the warship's other systems. So in essence, we could really call this Propulsion/Power. The bigger the ship, the more engines you are going to need to power the weapons, the life-support systems, the sensors, and everything else. An enemy knows out your power, and that ship is essentially dead in the water.

There are two types of drives: sub-light and faster-than-light (FTL). Sub-light drives propel a ship at sub-light speeds, and they are designed for fast travel when inside a star system. These are the drives that allow the ship to maneuver during combat. FTL drives are the 'hyperspace' or 'fold' drives of a warship that makes interstellar travel possible. Use whatever FTL drive theories that you wish.

Computer systems are the lifeblood of the warships. They coordinate the massive influx of raw data and transform it into a form that the crew can process easily. All of the sophisticated sensor systems are considered computer systems, as is the navigational computer (so you can know where you're going), and the main computer, or battle computer, the computer system that coordinates all other computer systems.

Force Field systems are another development that exists purely for defense not only against enemy weapons, but against space debris that exists in space as the warship moves. Think about it, little micro fragments of rock or whatever striking the armor of your ship as you're traveling at thousands of miles per hour through space. Propel anything fast enough and it'll go through anything. Small particle-based shields are therefore necessary to maintain the integrity of a ship's armor while moving. The more recognized shields are designed to defeat enemy weapons such as lasers, particle beams, or whatever they can throw against you. These shields basically absorb damage from enemy attacks so the armor isn't struck. Such shields aren't infallible, but they greatly prolong the life expectancy of a craft during combat.

Weapons systems are probably the most notable of any warship, because the weapons make it possible for a warship to fight against its enemies. Missiles, lasers, particle beams, huge death rays, or whatever else you want to use are fair game. Just remember to take into account the size of the warship you're mounting this weapon on.

Life-support systems are no-brainers. They process and recycle air so that your crew can live inside of the ship. These systems keep temperatures at comfortable levels; generate artificial gravity so the crew's muscles don't atrophy. Basically, anything you can envision that is absolutely necessary to the survival of the crew is included in this class.