Turbolift
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A turbolift (also called a "turbo-elevator") is a high-speed human transport device in the fictional Star Trek universe. Each lift, which is similar to an elevator car, travels through "turboshaft" tubes to reach its destination. Turboshafts run throughout starships both horizontally and vertically, and allow lifts to reach almost any area within.
In each Galaxy class starship commissioned by the United Federation of Planets, the ship's computer adjusts the number of lifts in service based on demand. In older ships, such as those of the Constitution class, there were exactly the same number of lifts as stations, and each departing lift was replaced with the lift at its destination.
Turbolifts are airtight, watertight, and vacuum resistant. They are are considered a non-vital system on a starship, because all decks can also be accessed via Jefferies tubes if the turbolifts are inoperative. An emergency braking system holds lifts stationary in the event of a system failure. Escape hatches in the ceiling lead directly into the turboshaft. In vertical turboshafts, an emergency ladder runs along the side near the doors, and manual releases in the shaft allow escape from a shaft in case of emergency. Captain Picard uses a turboshaft in "Disaster", and Captain Janeway does the same in "Macrocosm". In The Final Frontier, Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and Doctor McCoy travel inside a turboshaft closed for repairs to avoid capture by Sybok's forces.
Turbolifts were originally operated via a tactile interface, in which a crewperson was required to squeeze a handle protruding from the wall before announcing their destination. The handle was eliminated in the 2270s, and the lifts now operate on voice recognition alone.
Turbolifts also exist in the fictional Star Wars Universe.
[edit] External links
- Turbolift article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
- Article in the Wookiepedia
