Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Warp Drive
7. Don't Mess With The Antimatter Containment Pods
Warp Drive, at least aboard a Federation Starship, was achieved by the controlled release of matter and antimatter, via the Warp Core. However, if the two substances were ever to meet, they would destroy each other, releasing a wave of pure energy - most often referred to as a Warp Core Breach. A breach invariably resulted in the destruction of whatever ship it occurred on.
The USS Yamato fell victim to an Iconian probe that drained power from the antimatter containment pods. Once energy levels fell below 15%, they failed, resulting in the antimatter escaping containment and destroying the ship. The USS Enterprise-D almost succumbed to the same fate, though Captain Picard and Commander Data were able to prevent it in time.
They only bought the ship a few years though. Battle with a Klingon Bird of Prey, commanded by the Duras Sisters, resulted in catastrophic damage to the antimatter containment units and the coolant systems. Though the crew managed to escape to the Saucer Section, which separated, the Drive Section was consumed by the breach, with the resulting shockwave crashing the saucer into the surface of Veridian III.