How did the Phoenix Warp With No Dilithium?

So the last few videos covering warp and dilithium raised some interesting questions, chief among these was something that I hadn't noticed before...
How did Zefram Chochrane's NX Phoenix achieve warp 1 in 2063 with no Dilithium crystals?

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This Video is for critical purposes with commentary.

[thanqualthehighseer]

You don't need dilithium to go to warp.
You don't even need antimatter.

You just need ENERGY for the warp coils.

[brettcooper]

I just have always assumed that The Phoenix was nuclear and produced the necessary 1.21 jigawatts.

[MedalionDS]

Dilithium is NOT required to achieve warp but it is the most efficient material to do so...and to achieve faster warp speeds

[gerrymichaud]

I was reading a Star Trek TOS novel and when Dilithium was discovered, museums went through their quartz samples to see if any were Dilithium.

[soniclore]

As the saying goes, “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”.
The SS Valiant was equipped with something called “atomic matter piles” and managed to reach the edge of the galaxy. Ion drive made Scotty jealous in one of the old series episodes. Heck, the Romulans don’t even use matter/antimatter reactors - they just create little black holes!

[nickthane]

Got to confess, the idea that the Vulcans controlled the supply of dilithium in Enterprise fits so perfectly with what we’re shown I honestly thought it was explicit cannon from the show

[falcardeckion]

They used Folger's Crystals. Mrs Olsen hand picked only the best crystals, delivered by Juan Valdez.

[colormedubious]

Dilithium: A compound mineral formed by the high temperature and extreme pressure of a writer's need to create a challenge to be overcome by the story's protagonists.

[jacksonheathen]

Yes, I read that Prime Directive novel about 20 years ago. If I remember correctly, they said 1 or 2 percent of the quartz crystals on Earth were actually Dilithium (part of the lattice structure extended into the 4th dimension). We just didn't realize the difference.

[larsagain]

Years ago i read a book on early star trek ships (i forget the name) that many of the early ships didn't use Dilithium crystals but couldn't get past a certain speed and it was discovered by accident.

[TheBillzilla]

I didn't mind that warp scene, what bothered me more was how did they make a safe landing on Earth after that?

[vovacat]

I prefer the idea that you can power a warp drive with any kind of energy, it just so happens that matter/antimatter reactions (which need dilithium, probably more to create the high-energy plasma than to regulate the flow) are the best way to get the power you need. Otherwise of course you can use a fusion reactor to power a small warp 1 drive.

[thefirstprimariscatosicari]

Because dilithium is only a vital component of the antimatter reactor design known as Warp Core. It isn't even necessary for an ordinary antimatter reactor, only in the high-efficiency Federation and Klingon design.

And to power a Warp Drive, all that's needed is high energy plasma. The Warp Core generates that plasma, but so do Romulan artificial singularities, and fusion powered impulse engines. Since we know the latter can be used to achieve low Warp speeds, it's possible the Phoenix was powered by a fusion generator.

[colinhare]

Another possibility is the DS9 time travel episode "Little Green Men". Remember the crashed Ferengi shuttle had a warpdrive and was in the hands of the U.S. Military for some time off screen during the episode. There is a possibility that the military took some while trying to figure out what powered the ship and had it stored. Chochrane may have gotten his hands on it during his early subspace studies.

[jaredharris]

The way Picard touched the warp reactor made me think imagine going back in time to witness the Wright brothers first successful flight and not being able to tell them anything about how their work changed the world

[SchneeflockeMonsoon]

I’d guess it has to do with the fact that warp drive and warp cores are unrelated, as atomic reactors can supply enough power for a warp 1 engine, if only barely.

[tungstentaco]

I like the idea of the Vulcans being the suppliers of dilithium early on. It would explain how they were able to slow down Earth's warp program despite being just passive advisors. It's a good solution to a lingering plot hole with Enterprise.

[bituser]

It warped the same way the Romulans did in “Balance of Terror” on pure simple impulse power. Not to be confused with Impulse only engines. To get high warp you need more energy than simple impulse which I believe is powered by fusion reactors.

[lafortya]

I love the description of dilithium from the book How Much for Just the Planet.
I don't remember the exact quote, but it's something like...
"To cut dilithium it's not just that you have to hit it hard. You have to hit it hard now, last Tuesday, and a week from Thursday, all at the same time!
"Acording to my calendar, it's time to strike this crystal now.
"Wow! That was something wasn't it.
"That man will be okay because he got prompt medical attention. But don't try this at home kids."

[MartinDeHill]

I really like the idea that the first warp jump was just completely unregulated. I mean, most real-world machines that need to be regulated will work for a short time on a low setting without that regulator. Just don't push them too hard and don't run them for too long or they'll explode.

Also really fits First Contact's Cochrane's character.