Dilithium (Star Trek)

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In the Star Trek fictional universe, dilithium is an invented chemical element which serves as an 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[edit]


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[edit]

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".[citation needed]

See also[edit]


External links[edit]