Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Warp Drive
8. How Does It Actually Work?
Warp Drive is powered by Antimatter and Matter, combined with Dilithium Crystals. These crystals were nonreactive with antimatter when exposed to high-frequency electromagnetic fields. This process would then create plasma, or warp plasma, which is then channelled through the electro-plasma system. These EPS conduits would bring this combustive energy to the rest of the ship as well.
To create a warp field (the space around the ship which allows it to move faster than light), the plasma was sent to the nacelles, usually located at the ends of pylons to separate them from the main body of the ship, into the warp field coils.
At this point, it was a relatively simple process of moving the ship forward. While the above relates to most powers in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, the Romulans used a forced Quantum Singularity that could never be powered down. This had its drawbacks, such as the time an interdimensional race mistook one of their Warbirds for a naturally occurring black hole, leading to disruptions in the flow of space-time around the ship and surrounding space.