Hull The term hull refers to the body or frame of a ship or starship . Warp - worthy vessels must have a hull able to withstand extreme accelerations . The hull of a Starfleet vessel was usually separated into two parts : the primary and secondary hull s . The primary and secondary hulls of a starship further consisted of an " outer " and " inner " hull . ( ) Borg cube s utilized technology that automatically regenerated their hull when damaged . ( ) Structural integrity . Structural integrity was an engineering term used to refer to the strength of the hull . While standard architecture uses supports and bulkhead s to make constructs stronger or more durable , the fantastic stresses presented by combat , warp field s and spatial phenomena have caused engineer s in the Federation and other spacefaring cultures to use force field s to hold the shape of a construction together . This is referred to as a structural integrity field . In 2063 , Data informed Captain Jean - Luc Picard that the structural integrity of the " Phoenix " was intact , even after the attack by the Borg sphere . Later , Geordi La Forge informed Zefram Cochrane that the structural integrity of the " Phoenix " was holding as the ship prepared to go to warp speed . ( ) In 2151 , Malcolm Reed and repolarised the gravity plating of to absorb the plasma recoil , caused by the newly integrated phase cannon s , and shunt the energy to structural integrity . ( ) In 2152 , Travis Mayweather polarized the hull plating of " Enterprise " to strengthen the structural integrity before entering a neutronic wavefront . ( ) The stress of a Romulan tractor beam caused sub - microscopic deformations in the structural integrity , especially the nose section and aft thruster s of the Type 15 shuttlepod " Onizuka " . ( ) In 2369 , Geordi La Forge planned to run a structural integrity scan of a conduit located in cargo bay 4 aboard the , but had to report to sickbay due to an issue with his VISOR . Data stated that he would run the scan instead , and had just started it when La Forge returned from sickbay , having been abducted without his knowledge by the solanagen - based lifeform s . ( ) The same year the tractor beam of Deep Space 9 was able to stabilize the structural integrity of Tosk ' s ship . ( ) In 2372 , the ' s structural integrity began to weaken after the shuttlecraft " " went to transwarp and " Voyager " was unable to sustain warp 9 . 97 to capture it . ( ) In 2374 , during an encounter with a group of Omega molecules , Captain Kathryn Janeway ordered Chakotay to increase the structural integrity of a shuttlecraft in order to properly dispose of the molecules . ( ) Hull stress . Hull stress was a condition where , on a starship , space station or other installation , the hull encounters a form of stress . This could be caused from a form of pressure pulling against the ship , such as an object pulling against another . Hull stress , if critical enough , can lead to a hull breach . When the was caught in a quantum singularity in 2371 , they found what they thought to be another ship caught further in the singularity . When " Voyager " attempted to lock on the ship with a tractor beam , the singularity started to pull the ship in . The ship was put into full reverse impulse , but with the tractor beam still on , this caused hull stress . ( ) Microfractures . Microfractures were microscopic cracks in the hull of a starship that , while invisible in the naked eye , could widen over time if something aggravated it and cause more drastic problems . The term also has a medical context . The structural integrity of a material was diminished when microfractures were present . This could have dangerous , even deadly , consequences when the deterioration occurred in a ship ' s hull or other structure which provided containment , shelter , or life support , or in a living tissue . However , under certain conditions , a limited amount of microfracturing could be tolerable . ( ) Some microfractures could be sealed by an engineering team , yielding a temporary or permanent repair . Other microfractures required the rebuilding or replacement of the structure . ( ; ) Prevention . A vessel ' s structural integrity field could provide enough reinforcement to prevent microfractures or to preserve integrity when microfractures were already present . ( ) Twenty - second century hull plating was some protection against hull stresses which could cause microfractures , as was trellium . ( ) Compensation for a microfractured dilithium matrix was possible , in order to avoid warp engine problems . ( ) A metallurgical scan was one way to discover microfractures . ( ) Causes . While approaching a second Sphere in the Expanse , " Enterprise " suffered microfractures on it ' s hull due to gravitational anomalies ( ) Microfractures could result from torsional stress damage or from weakening of stress - bearing material by some environmental condition . ( ) The Caretaker ' s displacement wave which transported the from the Badlands to the Delta Quadrant caused several microfractures to the ship ' s warp core . ( ) Duranium alloy s could be vulnerable to certain silicon - based parasite s , which consumed the material . The weakened duranium could microfracture under stresses that normally would be within tolerances . ( ) Theta radiation could degrade hull materials , yielding microfractures when stress levels were normal . ( ) Gravimetric distortion s created violent stresses that caused damage beginning with microfractures and ultimately yielding total structural failure s , if not mitigated by escaping the distortion . ( ; ) Proton bursts caused great stress on a ship ' s hull , leading to over 630 microfractures . ( ) High warp core pressure , near critical levels , could microfracture the dilithium matrix . ( ) Microfractures could occur in warp nacelles , accumulating over time until maintenance became necessary . ( ) A physical injury to a living being could damage the skeleton with microfractures . ( ) Effects . Microfractures left un - repaired could widen to become full hull breaches . ( ) EPS conduits could experience power drains if microfractures were present as the energy escaped from damaged conduits . ( ) In 2369 , the shuttlecraft " Fermi " was destroyed when an energy anomaly caused molecular deterioration and microfractures in the bulkhead . A plasma conduit at the Tyrus VIIa Particle Fountain Project exploded , due to an undetected microfracture . ( ) In 2375 , Varro saboteur s aboard the generational ship destabilized the warp reaction when their synthetic parasites caused microfractures . ( ) Hull breach . The term hull breach or hull rupture refers to the failure of structural integrity where the shell surrounding said pressurized environment breaks , stresses or develops a gap for any reason . In space - faring vessels , this is usually catastrophic . The pressure of a contained atmosphere forcing its way outward in an explosive decompression can cause further damage to the area , and also have the added effect of endangering or killing any lifeform present . Since the pressure is internally generated , Lieutenant Commander Data stated to Commander William T . Riker in 2364 that being " blown out " was probably a more accurate term than being " sucked out . " ( ; ) Most hull breach dangers are from pressurized material contained within a vacuum , or lower pressure , environment . However , it is just as possible that the pressurized vessel could be surrounded by high pressure gas es or even liquid , causing an implosion , forcing the surrounding environment into a vessel . The experienced such breaches in 2372 when trapped in the atmosphere of a gas giant . ( ) Vessels of spacefaring civilizations and cultures , such as the Federation Starfleet , protect themselves against the extreme stresses of both pressure and vacuum , as well as the added dangers of impacts , warp drive stress , weapon damage , energy phenomena and anomalies , by implementing a structural integrity field . This force field is designed to occupy the same space as the ship ' s hull , effectively giving them hundreds of times the ability to hold its shape . Force fields are also used to automatically contain the atmosphere , and repel external forces , should the hull be breached . ( ; ; ) Prior to the development of these technologies , emergency bulkhead s and polarized hull plating were used to contain and avoid breaches ( ) Background information . The basics of these incidents have been referenced in several episodes . More detailed explanations given by the writing and technical staff when creating the show are contained in the " " and the " " .