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Warning! This page contains information regarding Star Trek: Lower Decks, and thus may contain spoilers.
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The Enterprise-D uses a subspace differential pulse to scan the fissure
A quantum fissure, also referred to as an interdimensional rift, is a spacetime anomaly which acts as a fixed point across the spacetime continuum, described by Lieutenant Commander Data as a "keyhole" which intersects many quantum realities. In a sealed state an anomaly of this type remains undetected and presents no threat to the continuum.
History[]
A fissure was encountered by Lieutenant Worf while returning to the USS Enterprise-D from a bat'leth competition on Forcas III. When Worf's shuttlecraft Curie came into contact with the fissure, its warp engines caused a small break in the barriers between quantum realities. Worf was thrown into a state of quantum flux, shifting him into other realities. The quantum flux in Worf's cellular RNA was intensified by the subspace field pulse of Commander La Forge's VISOR, pushing Worf into a new reality every time he was in close proximity to La Forge. The shift caused him a momentary feeling of dizziness, similar to the side effects of a concussion.
Although the fissure could not be seen, Data was able to enhance it with a warp field to make it visible. Using a subspace differential pulse, Data was able to scan over ten million different quantum states within the fissure, but was unable to locate the one which shared Worf's quantum signature. Later, due to an energy surge in the subspace pulse, the fissure destabilized and the barriers between quantum realities began to break down, causing approximately 285,000 quantum incursions by the Enterprise-D to appear from other quantum realities. Eventually the quantum barriers of all the realities intersected by the anomaly would have collapsed and filled the sector where the anomaly was located.
By identifying the Enterprise which shared Worf's quantum signature, they were able to appropriate the same shuttle which Worf had used to traverse the fissure in the first place. By piloting the shuttle into the fissure and initiating a broad-spectrum warp field, Worf was able to seal the fissure before it completely broke down. This also had the effect of transporting Worf and the shuttlecraft back in time to a point before Worf encountered the fissure. Due to the uncertainty principle, Worf could have emerged back into his reality several days before or after the event. (TNG: "Parallels")
In 2382, the USS Cerritos was tasked with sealing up these, Captain Carol Freeman referring to them as "space-time potholes". They had sealed up two within a month when they discovered a third. The fissure reacted and pulled the Cerritos inside, where they were greeted by that universe's Cerritos captained by Beckett Mariner. This universe was divergent by .327 percent to the main universe. A plan was devised to reopen the fissure via a gathered energy pulse from the two Cerritos's nacelles, which needed to be hurried as the fissure would be sealed in ten hours.
Problems arose due to the heated tensions between the two crews fueled by superiority complex along with Captain Mariner's tight-fisted rule on the ship. Furthermore, Captain Mariner attempted to switch places with her lower-ranked counterpart as she had gotten tired of being a captain and nearly escaped into the prime universe before the change was made. (LD: "Dos Cerritos")
On the Cosmic Duchess, the Cerritos crew encountered the USS Endeavour, an Intrepid-class starship from another universe that had been pulled through a quantum fissure and gotten stranded in the prime universe for a month. Admiral Milius was assigned to help the Endeavour find a way back to its own universe. (LD: "The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel")
After studying a new quantum fissure in Klingon space with the help of Captain Ma'ah, Mariner discovered that someone had been deliberately creating the recent fissures rather than the fissures being a natural occurrence as it had first appeared. (LD: "A Farewell To Farms")
The Cerritos continued to be sent to close the fissures, at one point being sent to close three in one week. On one occasion, the USS Enterprise-D of a reality where everything was purple briefly crossed through a fissure near Dilmer III "while battling evil clones of Tasha Yar, or something" and left behind Lieutenant Commander Data whose shuttle crashed on the planet. The Cerritos recovered Data's head and launched it back through the fissure in a torpedo casing to be recovered by Enterprise before closing the fissure. (LD: "Fully Dilated")