Target Their Engines

[StarfleetCommand74656]

How come the Feds always say 'target their engines' as if they're being merciful? Surely the engines are the worst place to hit- warp core breaches???

[Defiant]

With a well skilled shot, one could avoid the core completely, and simply disable them. I suppose overloading the power to their engines or the like.

Then again, it seems that they say that often while shooting at alien or unknown vessels. That's gotta be in a Nitpicker's guide someplace.

[lionhead]

Targeting the engines mean the Impulse engines, not the Warp nacells.

[Voyager2004]

Even if they target the nacelles, they're still not directly targeting the Warp Core. Now, yes, by damaging the nacelles too greatly, I'm sure there would be some reprecussions on the Warp Core...

The Warp Core is just the source of power for ship's systems and for Warp Drive. It's not really an "engine" itself...

But ya, they're targeting impulse engines...

[Sevensquare]

I guess it's a combination of being able to back off and to hit the right spot.
In the ep 'Initiations' Chakotay did target the engine of one of the Kazon Nistrum ships. After he disabled the ship(transporting the Kazon just in time) it exploded but didn't damage anything. Chakotay went through many manipulations to hit just the right spot to avoid a breach.
It would take some skill(Tuvoks job) in hitting the right spot to avoid a breach.

[luit14]

It always seems like it works when they say target their weapons... so why don't they just start there and then take the engines out.

[Hitchhiker]

[PrankishSmart]

Disabling the enemies engines in a battle may be a major advantage to you in a battle if your fighting against a ship which is generally designed for offensive attack. Take the Klingon Vorcha for example, with almost all of it's weapons foreward facing. Such ships if you can render their impulse engines less effective or even disabled you are obviously at a major advantage to keep out of their weapon direction.

Usually federation ships have very well coverage of phaser fire and fairly well balanced (perhaps defiant class excluded), and lacking in single weaknesses that an enemy may take advantage off in the explained case.

[StarfleetCommand74656]

Targeting the impulse would be useless if they were chasing something and it went to warp, especially if it was faster than the ship they were chasing

[Voyager2004]

That's why you take out their imulse engines as quickly as possible! Duh...

And if they are about to get away...guess what? There's a tractor beam...YAY!

Even at which point, it's okay to target the Warp Drive...unless you want to blow up the ship, at which point you Target the Warp CORE...there is a DIFFERENCE! LOL...

And if they get away, you follow them into warp, because all warp factors are one speed, so if they can reach a higher warp factor than you, then you're screwed and have to answer to Starfleet Command...Probably face a board of Admirals...

[~Voyager Fanatic~]

When you destroy their impulse engines, they cannot move, making them easier to destroy or making it easier for us to escape.

[SebRT]

The answer to the question of this thread is simple: Rules of Engagement. The rules specify if ship does not respond to hails, or a warning shot across their bow it is then prudent to target the rudder of the ship. The reason that "target their engines" is used on Star Trek a lot is nothing more then the writers interpretation of the rules of engagement. Nothing more than modern day rules of war applied to the Star Trek stories...-Sebastian.

[lionhead]

[brianbrane]

[lionhead]

[Pyro114]

[Susanne Aldaniel]

and how can they track the ships engines, if they encounter brand new species? It can be pretty tricky.