Binary Star System
Over half the star systems in the galaxy are composed of more than one star. A binary star system consists of two stars, gravitationally bound to one another and in orbit about their common centre of mass. Planets may orbit the double systems but, unless they are distant, the gravitational pulls will prevent them from existing in stable ellipses.

Dark Matter Proto-Comet
The removal of a section of the Delta Flyer's hull by an unknown phenomenon which also neutralised ninety percent of the craft's antimatter brought to light Harren's theory regarding the existence of Dark Matter Proto-Comets. Harren had theorised that a tertiary product of stellar consolidation would be a comet-like assemblage of dark matter which would be attracted to any source of antimatter an neutralise it upon contact. Although the damage to the Delta Flyer was not caused by one of Harren's hypothesised proto-comets, the theory still remains to be proven or satisfactorily discredited.

Intersteller Nebulae
Interstellar nebulae are the largest single structures within the galaxy. They are compassed of a variety of gaseous atoms and molecules. Originally, nebulae constituents caused starship sensors to malfunction but 24th Century technology has overcome this handicap. It is within some nebulae that new stars are formed.

Macrocosmic Organisms
Around stardate 4307, Spock was forced to destroy a gigantic single celled organism surrounded by energy absorbing field and thought to have originated from beyond our galaxy. Thousands of kilometres long, it had consumed the Gamma 7A system and the U.S.S. Intrepid before threatening to cripple the Enterprise . The virus later encountered by Voyager absorbs humanoid growth hormone into its own protein structure, thereby increasing its size by a factor of billions. I can then leave the microscopic world and join the macroscopic one.

Omega
Name: Omega Directive
File: Secure Data File Omega 1
Clearance Level: 10
Briefing: Starship Captains and Federation Flag Officers only
Omega is the most powerful substance known to exist. Federation scientists have proved that a single Omega molecule contains the same energy as a warp core, and it has been theorised that a chain of molecules could provide power for an entire civilisation. The Federation first synthesised Omega over 100 years before Voyager encountered the Omega Directive, when the scientist Cataract created a single molecule of the Lantaro sector. Unfortunately, the molecule only existed for a fraction of a second before destabilising in an explosion which destroyed the research centre, killing Cataract and 126 leading Federation scientists. A recent planet-based attempt to create an Omega molecule resulted in an explosion which devastated over 300,000 square kilometres of the planet's surface and disrupted subspace around the planet, rendering warp travel in that region impossible.

Protostars
A protostar is a star in the process of formation. It is still undergoing the stage of gravitational collapse and has yet to start nuclear fusion in its care. Protostars are usually found deeply embedded in interstellar nebulae. Millions of these objects are thought to exist across the galaxy.

Qatai's Monster
Although Qatai describes the entity which devoured his family as a "monster", scientifically it can be classified as a bioplasmic organism. Initial scans of the creature suggest that it has been in existence for some time, being around 200,000 years old. Endowed with powers of psychogenic manipulation which allow it to ensnare less telepathically adept lifeforms, it is believed that the creature is not sentient or intelligent, but instead operates using a highly evolved level of instinct. The creature's power is so great that, once its prey has passed within a certain distance, the prey is overcome by the strength of the neurogenic field and is rendered unconscious. The overall effect is akin to that of a giant space-dwelling "pitcher plant" which capture starships as if they were insects.

Solar Flares
Solar flares are one of the most powerful events which can take place upon the surface of a star. Vast quantities of incandescent plasma are flung outwards into space with velocities in excess of four hundred miles per hour. Flares are caused by the sudden release of energy which has been stored in the star's magnetic field. They occur above complex active regions on the solar regions on the solar surface which are usually characterised by cooler areas known as starspots. They can last for anything between a few minutes to a few hours.

Spaceborne Life Forms
Starfleet exploration has revealed that interstellar space is populated by various types of life forms. Apart from purely energy beings, there are also many corporeal life forms whose natural environment is the vacuum of space. By necessity, they all respire and inetabolise in very different ways from air breathing humanoids.

Spatial Distortion
As Starfleet have pushed into space, starships have frequently encountered spatial distortions. On stardate 44356.9, the Enterprise D came upon a cosmic string fragment, no wider than a proton but with a mass great than one hundred stars. A year later, the same vessel ran headlong into a quantum filament, almost destroying the ship. A quantum singularity is a particular type of spatial disturbance caused by the collapse of a star. Surrounded by a powerful energy field, an event horizon, it presents a great hazard to shipping.

Subspace
A universal continuum which permits the passage of electromagnetic radiation at velocities great than that allowed by Einsteinian spacetime. The superluminal nature of subspace defies a straightforward translation between it and the normal spacetime continuum.

Subspace Distortions
Warp drives exploit the subspace continuum in order to propel starships at superluminal velocities. Distortions in subspace can prove very dangerous for nearby starships, especially the sudden appearance of vacuoles which link this universe with others.

Temporal Distortions
Although spatial disturbances often involve some element of time distortion, actual travel through time is also possible. Temporal mechanics is taught by the Science Faculty at Starfleet Academy and Starfleet temporal policy sets out guidelines which officers much follow if they themselves are displaced through time.