Whether you’re running down the street to pick up some groceries or planning a European vacation, all trips require travel. And while the journey can certainly be more rewarding than the destination, more often than not getting there is not half the fun. So, for those who dare to imagine a world where an international flight was as quick as retrieving your mail, here are three fictional forms of travel that are even faster than an airplane.
FTL Drives (Battlestar Galactica)
In the 2004 remake of the iconic 1970s show Battlestar Galactica, interstellar travel is achieved by using a FTL or Faster-Than-Light engine. This super science-fiction engine allows for instantaneous travel between two points in space. While there are limitations to how far someone can travel, a ship outfitted with an FTL Drive can handle a trip from Ooltewah to the Bahamas, no problem. Be sure to double check your navigational calculations, though. One number out of place and you might transport yourself into the side of a mountain.
Teleportation Pods (The Fly)
In the 1986 film The Fly, a brilliant scientist invents instantaneous travel by teleporting from one sci-fi pod to another. There is the pesky potential side effect of turning into a giant hybrid of an insect that happened to make its way inside of the pod with you, but isn’t that a small price to pay to avoid taking off your shoes in the airport?
Transporters (Star Trek)
If the possibility of merging with a house fly isn’t your cup of tea, this final entry may be for you. The spiritual successor to the teleporting pods from The Fly, Star Trek transporters had a few centuries to perfect the conversion and reassembly of matter from one place to another. And while there’ve been a few transporter mishaps in television episodes, books, comics, and movies, it still seems safer than any current form of travel. Definitely better than those pods. Seriously, don’t use the pods.
For more fun articles on a variety of subjects, be sure to check out our other Legends at White Oak blog posts.