After posting a video on Starfleet’s history of cloaking devices, some of you asked for
one exploring how they worked and what constitutes various methods of stealth and even invisibility
in Star Trek, so here we go! The most commonly thought of cloaking device
is the type employed by the Romulans and the Klingons. This is a combination of several
systems to mask all sorts of emissions, but what defines it as a cloak rather than simple
stealth technology, is the literal invisibility factor to both the eye and Starship sensors.
So the biggest factor involves the generation of a cloaking field, which actually bends
light and active sensor emissions around its surface, before allowing them to continue
on their way, uninterrupted. As the light (or sensor scan) never bounces back to the
receiver, no reading is perceived. Emissions approaching the cloaked object from the rear
(from this diagram) are likewise distorted around the cloak field before being allowed
to continue on their way. Sometimes, a slight distortion can be seen
if the cloaking device is not functioning optimally, which is naturally a huge giveaway,
even if the sensors register no detection. Physical matter is likewise not deflected
by the cloaking field, so if a vessel flies through particularly clingy substance, say
a nebula made from wet flour… yeah… wet flour, the “invisible” vessel be partially
revealed. So it would be a really dumb idea to cloak a vessel, then hide it in a lake
for example. Because the water would reveal the silhouette of the ship. Why do that when
you could just park it in the air above the lake?
These sorts of cloaking device however do have several drawbacks. They demand a great
deal of power to maintain and such fields can produce all sorts of emissions, regardless
of everything they do mask. This is why the cloaking device is being constantly refined
and tinkered with and various models of ship are better suited for a cloak then others.
Exploits are constantly being uncovered at about the same rate they are addressed, so
no cloak remains perfect for long. One of the more common issues with a cloaking
device is that weapons and shields are generally inoperative when the cloak is active. This
can be because of the power requirements needed to maintain the invisibility screen, or a
form of reflection or diffraction in some instances where energy weapons might bounce
back or angle away from the cloak field and strike the firing vessel. The Klingons briefly
created a cloaking device in 2293 that allowed for torpedoes to be launched through it, however
was destroyed because it did emit plasma exhaust that was still traceable.
Other common limiting factors of the cloaking device includes the emissions of tachyons,
which are often produced by space-time distortions, transporters and many other devices. These
were often still difficult to detect, but the presence of them could indicate a nearby
cloaked vessel. Additionally, a cloaking device would be hard pressed mask space-time warping,
such as that produced by a vessel at warp, high impulse or even the relatively small
distortions from the singularity core of a Romulan warbird.
By 2379, The Romulan Star Empire had managed to create a cloaking device that masked tachyon
emissions too and employed it on the Scimitar-class prototype of the same name. This vessel also
utilised a Thalaron-based power grid that supplied impressive levels of energy, giving
it, frankly lunatic levels of power, thus overcoming many of the original cloaking limitations.
It could travel at warp 9.7 while cloaked, maintain shielding and continue to fire energy
weapons. Limitations of this are unknown, maybe it could only maintain this state for
minutes, hours, or there may have been signs of detection that the Enterprise never managed
to uncover. The vessel was obliterated by Lt. Commander Data, so any first hand examination
of the tech went up with the Scimitar, but as of th 24th century, it remains the most
advanced cloaking system observed (and unobserved) by Starfleet.
There is a second common way of cloaking too, the interphasic cloak and another related
method of phase shifting. Interphasic cloak fields generate a matter altering state using
a phase inverter which generates a field, much like a cloaking screen or a deflector
shield. Within the area of this field, matter is shifted to become out of phase with the
current space-time continuum , basically moving it slightly into a parallel plane of existence.
The strength of the interphasic cloak defines some of its capabilities. For example, the
Voth used interphasic cloaks at a very light level to shift themselves slightly away from
the visible light spectrum and most sensor scans, but not far enough to evade the impressive
array of sensors common for Starfleet ships. Seriously, the UFP make some of the best sensor
systems around. Shifting further allows matter shrouded by
interphasic cloaking to even pass through matter that is not under this realm-shifting
effect. When this interaction occurs, chroniton particles are produced which may act as a
key to detection of such a phasing cloaking device in operation, but like I said, only
when it passes through matter in regular reality. Because matter and energy pass through interphase
cloaks without only a small chroniton reading, it means sensors scans cannot interact with
the phased object at all simply passing through the cloaked matter, revealing nothing.
Anyon particle bombardment returns such “interphased” matter to a coherent space-time state, revealing
the cloaked object. This sort of cloak was attempted by the Romulans in 2368, however
their other systems prove to be incompatible with the cloak, and the Federation indulged
in the Pegasus incident which I’ve already touched on several times before. This cloak
has even more application than a regular light-bending screen, not the least of which is in espionage,
so even though it is a different technology than a regular cloaking device, it is still
in the same vein; an invisibility field produced with clear tactical applications for spying.
In a similar vein to this, we have simple observations by beings such as the Devidians,
who exist in our prime universe, but are naturally in this phase shifted state, meaning their
effectively observing from a plane of existence beyond our own. On top of this is the scary
notion that a being observing from a dimension higher than our is unperceivable to us, just
as a 2D lifeform could not see a 3D one in any form other than a familiar 2D plane. Such
“out-of-phase” observations are in a similar line of thought, but have a much wider array
of causes and frankly weird things behind them. Like, right now, you could be being
observed by a creature in the 5th dimension that you will never see because our senses
only extend to the 3rd dimension world around us. In fact, that’s one basis for Lovecrafttian
cosmic horror stories. so, enjoy that. In Star Trek Insurrection, we get to see a
variation of Starfleet observation technology that is remarkably like cloaking, however
thanks to some technicalities, it is exempt from the treaty of Algeron. The Prime directive
demands that the Federation not interfere with the development of other societies and
cultures, especially those that have yet to achieve faster-than-light travel. For this
reason, Starfleet has a variety of observational techniques for undercover officers and crews
to continue to research species of interest, without being observed. The most common method
is simply the application of disguises through either surface level makeup, or the modification
of an undercover officer’s physiology to resemble a planet’s natives.
Sometimes that’s not feasible however, such as when a populous being observed is too small
to accommodate the appearance of outsiders. In these cases, a different kind of subterfuge
is needed, such as the isolation suits combined with an on-site hidden base. This base is
often created in an outcropping of rock, probably using a transporter, and then a holographic
overlay is projected over it, disguising it as the outcrop it replaced. This is a relatively
safe method of observation, so long as the power is maintained, although I do imagine
that more advanced cultures would have the equipment needed to detect and active holo-grid.
These posts were employed to observe the Ba’ku and the Mintakans, but both are notable only
because they were uncovered. Alongside the observation post, personnel
in the field can don Isolation suits, which are all encompassing overalls, constructed
of a lightweight fabric. These suits work in tandem with the hidden observation post
to create a holographic shroud around the wearer. Holo emitters equipped to the observation
post project an image around an isolation suit, this image reflects the land behind
the suit when viewed from any angle, masking the field operative. This does nothing to
hide signs of the wearer’s passing, so field agents using this method of covert observation
have to be careful to leave no trace of their passing. If the isolation suit is damaged
or removed, the holographic overlay loses its target and the wearer is revealed.
These suits require an entire system of holo-projectors, which themselves are easily detectable with
the right know-how and therefore only suitable for the observation of primitive cultures
and have little benefit for actual espionage. This is probably why they do not violate the
treaty of Algeron. So that covers the three cloaking types that
I wanted to talk about today. I think the treaty of Algeron must have some very specific
wording, banning cloaking devices for military or espionage uses, rather than simply saying,
“don’t copy the Romulan style cloaking screen.” Because if this was the case, the
interphasic cloak would have been exempt as it falls into the category of mild-dimensional
travel or at the very least, space-time manipulation as opposed to the manipulation of sensor readings.
But then holographic camouflage is completely fine, probably because of its low level of
application when it comes to evading detection by technologically savvy species. There are
a myriad of other ways to evade detection too, from stealth ships to emitting scattering
fields, or good ol’fashioned camouflage. One that springs to mind is the biological
ability of the Shroud that Jem’Hadar have. Cloaking devices just seem to be the most
sought after because its more mobile and practical. Thanks for watching this video, I’ve been
Ric and I’ll see you again from an interphasic cloak for another lore video. Goodbye!