Inertial dampening field

The inertial dampening field (IDF) is a system of variable-symmetry forcefields used to counter the inertials forces of spaceflight. Without it, rapid acceleration and decelaration would kill a ship's crew. These low-level forcefields are found throughout the habitable spaces of a ship and sometimes over the entire ship. They are produced by a series of flux field generators, often referred to as interial dampers. Whenever the forces of acceleration are anticipated, the system's computers automatically adjust the IDF to nullify its effects. On average this takes between 275 to 294 milliseconds, so the force is rarely felt by the crew. However, if the power to the dampers is weakened or a sudden, violent manuever occurs, the system may not have the ability to respond as fast.

The more massive the ship, the more dampers are required for proper coverage. Cruising on impulse power requires far less from the IDF than moving at warp. When extreme manuevering is expected, however, the IDF is normally set at full-power no matter what the speed. Most vessels are equipped with auxiliary IDF dampers, as well. Although the IDF and the structural integrity field are generated seperately, they operate on a parallel series of waveguides so they can work in tandem.

During Red Alert situations, all IDF generators are placed on hot standby for immediate activation.