Parallel universe

A parallel universe (or an alternate universe) was a self-contained universe existing separate and parallel to the primary universe.

There were different types of parallel universes. Some were separate dimensional planes. Some of these planes were governed by completely different physical laws, while some duplicated the primary universe closely. Some parallel universes existed within subspace, while others existed as completely different quantum realities.

Trans-dimensional realms

A multitude of universes exist in the same physical space but have a different dimensional structure from one another. For this reason they do not normally interact. (TOS: "The Tholian Web") By 2272 the existence of these other dimensions could still not be proven logically, even though many of them were known to exist. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture) There were several methods of entering parallel dimensional planes, one of them was a portal created by the Guardian of Forever. (TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")

• The most frequent contact between the primary universe and a parallel universe on a different dimensional plane involves the so-called mirror universe, with the first reported crossover occurring in 2267. Passage between the universes has been accomplished using a Tholian artificial interphasic rift, the transporter boosted by a power surge from a magnetic storm or the warp engines, a plasma injector leak during the passage through the Bajoran wormhole and the multidimensional transporter device, that reconfigures transporters to allow passage without the need for a power boost. In the mirror universe it was believed by the Terran Empire that parallel dimensional planes do not exist, until the Tholians opened the rift in 2155 to the future of the primary universe. (TOS: "Mirror, Mirror", "The Tholian Web", ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly", DS9: "Crossover", et.al.)

• Interphasic rifts also contained a parallel universe completely empty and devoid of life between dimensional planes. The rift itself allowed interaction between the dimensional planes of at least the primary and the mirror universe by overlapping them for periods of time. (TOS: "The Tholian Web", ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly")

• The Edo God existed between dimensions. It was neither inside nor outside the space-time continuum. (TNG: "Justice")

• The two known antimatter universes had the difference between matter and antimatter reversed in comparison to the primary universe. The Minus universe could be reached through a negative magnetic corridor. The Reverse universe could be reached by flying into a supernova at high warp. (TOS: "The Alternative Factor", TAS: "The Counter-Clock Incident")

• A trans-dimensional realm existed where all known life is photonic by nature. Photonic lifeforms had the technology to create trans-dimensional portals to travel between the primary universe and their realm inside subspace sandbars. (VOY: "Bride of Chaotica!")

• In the Megan universe, magic was part of the natural laws. Megans who travel out of their universe still maintained the ability to use thoughts to control reality, while humans entering the Megan universe could use their thoughts to alter reality there, but would not maintain the power after returning. Matter in the primary universe originated from the Megan universe through creation points. Creation points were the active portals between the two dimensions. (TAS: "The Magicks of Megas-Tu")

• The Sphere Builders were native to a trans-dimensional realm that had its matter composed in such a way that it cannot maintain cohesion in the primary universe. Interspatial parasites from this realm could however maintain existence in the primary universe as they exist in a state of interphase and temporal flux. (ENT: "Harbinger", "Twilight")

• The Prophets, even though native to the planet Bajor, were an extra-dimensional race that resided in the realm known as the Celestial Temple. The Prophets had the ability to foresee all the consequences of their actions and did not conceive their existence in terms of linear time. The portal to the primary universe was the artificial wormhole. Humans in this dimension had the ability to relive any past event of their lives in the form of subjective or shared visions. (DS9: "Emissary")

• The Traveler's race, even though native to the distant planet Tau Alpha C, was also a species native to a different reality and time. Empaths, such as Deanna Troi, could not sense their presence in the prime reality. The Travelers used the energy of thoughts to alter warp fields; this allowed their thoughts to become reality. (TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before", "Remember Me")

It has not been specifically stated what the type of realm their home parallel reality was.

• Nucleogenic lifeforms were native to a different dimensional plane and could exist in the normal universe for only short periods of time. Nucleonic lifeforms had the ability to generate interspatial fissures to pass between the realms. (VOY: "Equinox")

• Fluidic space was a dimensional plane where instead of space, the whole dimension was filled with solid matter in fluid form. Passage between the planes could be accomplished through artificial quantum singularities created using resonant graviton beams. There was also a border between the two realms located somewhere in the Alpha Quadrant. (VOY: "Scorpion", "Unimatrix Zero, Part II")

• Chaotic space was a parallel dimensional realm that randomly intersected regions of space on the eighteenth dimensional gradient through trimetric fractures in space. This created overlapping zones where the laws of physics were in a state of flux. (VOY: "The Fight")

• The Nexus was a dimensional realm where reality shaped itself to accommodate the desires of anyone who entered it. Entry to the Nexus could be gained through proximity to a temporal flux energy ribbon in the primary universe. The Nexus could be exited by an act of will into any desired time and place in the universe. (Star Trek Generations)

• Galactic Cluster 3 was the Borg designation for a transmaterial energy plane. According to Seven of Nine it was beyond human comprehension. (VOY: "The Gift")

• In 2267, Spock speculated the neural parasites might be native to a place where the physical laws of the known universe did not apply when they were discovered to be a collection of macroscopic brain cells without any apparent connection to one another yet still capable of acting as a single brain. (TOS: "Operation -- Annihilate!")

• The Q Continuum was the realm in which the limitless dimensions of the Milky Way Galaxy are combined. (TNG: "Hide and Q") The Continuum can be only understood by the Q. However the Continuum could be allowed by a Q to manifest itself in any number of ways for other lifeforms to interact in it and perceive it in terms they could comprehend. (VOY: "Death Wish"). The Q Continuum could be entered by non-Q when spatial disruptions originating from the Q Continuum cause matter from the primary universe to be sucked inside. (VOY: "The Q and the Grey")

• Dr. Paul Manheim also believed in the existence of infinite dimensions. To prove the theory, he created a method of opening a window to another dimensional plane by creating a temporal disruption in our dimension. In the other dimension the native life had a completely different existence to the primary universe. Until the window was closed Manheim's mind existed in both dimensions at the same time. The sight of the other plane was so alien, the words to describe it did not exist in the Human language. (TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris")

• First contact was made in 2376, with entities, speculated to be composed of dark matter. They resided in a dark airless parallel dimension filled with lifeforms. They had the ability to transport between the realms. It was stated that the creatures realm did not exist in either space or subspace from the prime universe point of view. (VOY: "Good Shepherd")

Subspace domains

There were also an infinite number of parallel universes within subspace. (TNG: "Schisms")

• The matter stream of a transporter beam is sent across a subspace domain. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

• New universes formed into subspace naturally inside subspace interphase pockets. (DS9: "Playing God")

• One known inhabited parallel universe in subspace was a tertiary subspace manifold domain. It was home to the solanogen-based lifeforms, who were capable of generating spatial ruptures to the prime universe using inverted tetryon particles. (TNG: "Schisms")

• Exosia was a subspace realm containing only pure thought and energy. The home galaxy of the Nacenes Caretaker and Suspiria was located in this subspace layer. The Nacene were capable of generating subspace ruptures to allow passage between the universes. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Cold Fire")

• Transwarp space was the realm of subspace through which Borg transwarp conduits were formed. (TNG: "Descent"; VOY: "Dark Frontier")

• The Borg neural interlink frequencies, the interactive signals that form the basis of the Borg collective consciousness, are sent across a subspace domain. (TNG: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II")

• New parallel universes could be also be created into subspace artificially by generating stable warp bubbles. The universe formed according to the thoughts of an individual trapped inside the bubble. The nature of these universes was a spheroid region surrounded by a mass energy field. A stable threshold between the universes manifested itself as a dynamic atmospheric disturbance of great intensity. Recreating the bubble in the prime universe generated a phase link with the warp bubble-universe. (TNG: "Remember Me")

• The warp bubble-process was similar to using a static warp shell to seal its contents out of the universe by surrounding them with an artificial subspace barrier. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

• Subspace sinkholes sucked matter into a subspace pocket. These subspace zones could contain entire star systems. (VOY: "Gravity")

• Interfold layers were unstable realms located in some regions of space. These realms were not contained within normal space or subspace, but in the confluence of the two. (VOY: "Real Life")

Quantum realities

There are an infinite number of alternate quantum realities, one for every possible outcome of any event that occurs. Each reality has its matter resonating on a unique constant quantum signature. Quantum universes were separated by barriers from one another. Quantum realities have the same exact past until the particular diverging event occurs. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In the prime quantum reality Worf won the 2370 bat'leth tournament on Forcas III, and was subsequently wished happy birthday by Deanna Troi alone. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Worf won, and was given a surprise birthday party by the senior staff except Picard. The Argus Array had stopped transmitting data for an unknown reason. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Worf won, and was given a surprise birthday party by the senior staff including Picard. The Argus Array had stopped transmitting data due to Cardassian take over. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Worf came in as ninth in the tournament, after a concussion. He was given a surprise birthday party by the senior staff. The Argus Array had stopped transmitting data due to a simple mechanical failure. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Worf was given a surprise birthday party by the senior staff. He was given a completely different painting as a gift from Data. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Worf was married to Deanna Troi. He didn't attend the tournament due to a malfunction in the ship's main deflector. Kurn attended the tournament in his place. He was given a birthday party by the senior staff and the new painting as a gift from Data. The Argus Array was destroyed by the more aggressive Cardassians; Geordi La Forge was killed during the battle. Data had blue eyes and Ogawa was the Chief Medical Officer. Computer consoles had new configurations and the new warp core installed earlier in 2370 was never replaced. (TNG: "Phantasms", "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality Starfleet used different communicators, Riker was the captain of the Enterprise-D, after Picard was killed by the Borg. Worf was the first officer, married to Deanna Troi with 2 children. Alexander Rozhenko was never born. Data had given Worf a painting as a birthday present and still had yellow eyes. Wesley Crusher was serving on board the Enterprise at tactical. The Argus Array was destroyed by aggressive Bajorans who had overtaken the Cardassian Empire. La Forge was killed in a recent battle. Cardassians were serving onboard the Enterprise as Starfleet officers. (TNG: "Parallels")

• In one alternate quantum reality the Federation was completely wiped out by the Borg; the Enterprise-D was one of the last ships remaining under the command of Captain Riker. (TNG: "Parallels")

Alternate realities

Alternate timelines are different versions of a single universe. However different versions also sometimes coexist as parallel universes. Most active temporal anomalies allow interaction between different timelines for a moment, making them parallel realities in relation to one another.

• Harry Kim considered an alternate reality as one possible cause for his sense of déjá vu and familiarity to a region of space in the Delta Quadrant, until the Taresian retrovirus was discovered to be the actual cause. (VOY: "Favorite Son")

• A brief experience with a parallel reality was a theorized to be one possibile cause for Tuvok's breakdown in 2373 over memories of events Tuvok had not experienced. The cause was later on discovered to be a memory virus unknowingly transmitted to him from Lieutenant Commander Dmitri Valtane, in 2293. (VOY: "Flashback")

• Temporal causality loops create parallel realms inside which time of the entire universe repeats itself. From outside the loop, it appears as if the things inside had simply vanished from the space-time continuum. For people inside to loop the memories from previous loops begin to assert themselves as a sense of déjá vu, and eventually clearer memories. (TNG: "Cause and Effect")

• In 2370, Q allowed Picard to shift his consciousness between three parallel timelines, one in the past, one in the present and one in the future from Picard's point of view, in order for him to create an anti-time eruption. The eruption was linking these universes together. When it was sealed into subspace, the coexisting timelines also collapsed. (TNG: "All Good Things...")

• In 2371, radiation poisoning and the temporal energy emissions of an artificial quantum singularity of a Romulan Warbird allowed Miles O'Brien to jump between the prime and an alternative timeline in which Deep Space 9 was destroyed. At least during some of the jumps the two timelines coexisted. (DS9: "Visionary")

• The quantum singularity lifeforms were native to a parallel space time-continuum. They utilized temporal apertures to travel between continuums and deliver their embryos to mature in nests inside the gravity wells of quantum singularities of our universe. The adult beings of the species were capable of taking humanoid form and existing unaffected by temporal fractures. (TNG: "Timescape")

• The race of the alien, who took the shape of Cosimo, existed in temporal inversion folds of the space-time matrix. The folds were parallel time streams visible as temporal anomalies intersecting the prime reality. Inside the folds, reality remained unaffected by changes in the timeline. It was possible to utilize a fold in a similar way to a quantum fissure and to exchange one's consciousness with an alternate possible timeline version of oneself. (VOY: "Non Sequitur")

• It was also possible to create pockets, where a previous timeline continued, while the timeline of the rest of the universe was changed. Such technology as a subspace bubble, a subspace isolation field, temporal shielding and the wake of a temporal vortex kept any enveloped object in a pocket with its own timeline. The Guardian of Forever was also capable of maintaining the time vortex planet in its original timeline. (TNG: "Timescape", DS9: "Past Tense, Part I"; VOY: "Year of Hell"; Star Trek: First Contact; TOS: "The City on the Edge of Forever")

The writers of Star Trek, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, were asked about the implications of the new alternate reality that was introduced in the film in an interview. They explained the new reality runs parallel to the prime reality as a new quantum reality, as the concept was explained by Data in the episode "Parallels".[1]

It was stated in ENT: "Azati Prime" that the Sphere Builders have technology that allows them to examine alternate timelines. The time vortex was called a focal point of all timelines in TAS: "Yesteryear". These statements suggest that all alternative timelines co-exist.

Related topics

• Alternate reality
• Alternate timeline

External link

• Template:NCwiki