Star Trek: 10 Devices That Every Starfleet Ship Has

The forward end of all ship's warp nacelles have devices attached known as Bussard collectors. Their purpose is to collect interstellar particles that the ship passes through as it travels across space. They are particularly effective while inside nebulae, as the density of atoms is higher than most places.

The atoms (mostly hydrogen) are stored inside the ship and used to replenish fuel. One device they help to power is the replicators. All of those atoms used to generate your cheesecake had to come from somewhere! A single nebula has enough particles to power a fleet of ships for eternity, the only limit is how much matter you are capable of storing at a time.

The Bussard collectors are also capable of expelling specific elements to create huge gas clouds or beams of charged plasma. While collecting matter they can even be fine-tuned to search for whatever element you desire.

They usually appear as red domes, but many ships will use more unique designs.