Subspace Drive

The Subspace Drive is an FTL propulsion system that uses dilithium crystals to control the annihilation of matter and antimatter. This controlled explosion generates a tremendous power capable of warping subspace and makes it possible to seemingly travel faster than light. The drive forms a subspace "bubble" around the ship; this bubble of normal spatial dimensions appears to move faster than light, while in reality the conversion to tachyonic matter never takes place.

The Subspace Drive is considered old-fashioned nowadays and has been largely replaced by dimensional drives such as the Jump Drive in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants.