A unit originally developed on Earth to measure speed at sea in nautical miles per hour. In Orbit, Egrorian said that the shuttle would hit the ground in a marshy area at a calculated impact speed of 'three hundred and ninety knots'.
Ernst Mach (1838-1916), an Austrian physicist and philosopher, came up with the concept of Mach's number: the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound. An object travelling at the speed of sound, therefore, has a Mach number of 1, Mach 1 for short. Two Mach numbers were mentioned in the series:
In Orbit, as the shuttle left the planet Malodar behind, Vila said that its speed was 'Mach six and rising'.
In the same episode, Orac later said that the escape velocity of the shuttle was now confirmed at an unattainable 'Mach fifteen'.
Two scales of faster than light speed were mentioned in the series, though they were also used when manoeuvring around planets. Most ships, including Federation ones, were referred to as travelling at a speed on a 'time distort' scale; the Liberator used a scale of multiples of an unspecified 'standard'.
Whether these scales were in more general use, and in particular whether the 'standard' scale was restricted to just the System, was not specified. (In terms of how they might have related to each other, see the entry on SPEED.)
There were 87 references to this scale:
| Episode | Reference |
|---|---|
| Cygnus Alpha | Zen was commanded to take the Liberator to Cygnus Alpha at 'Standard speed'. |
| when the Liberator stopped, Blake repeated his 'standard speed' command. In Time Squad, Blake ordered Zen to set a course for Saurian Major, 'speed Standard by Two'. | |
| Blake ordered Zen to resume course for Saurian Major, 'speed Standard by Two'. At the end of the same episode, Blake ordered Zen to set course for Centero, 'speed standard by Two'. | |
| The Web | Jenna said, 'Speed standard by three and building'. |
| Jenna said, 'Speed standard by four and building'. | |
| Jenna said, 'Speed standard by five and building'. | |
| Jenna said, 'Speed standard by six and rising'. | |
| in answer to a request by Blake, Zen said that the Liberator's speed was 'Standard by eight point six five'. | |
| Jenna said that the ship's speed was up to 'standard by ten'. | |
| Blake ordered a reduction to 'standard by point five'. | |
| Jenna said 'Speed now standard by point five'. | |
| Jenna said that the speed of the Liberator was 'Standard by one half'. After the auxiliaries were cut in, Jenna said that the Liberator was now up to 'standard by one and one half and building but slowly'. | |
| Seek-Locate-Destroy | Blake ordered a direct route to Centero 'speed standard by six'. |
| Gan ordered Zen to take them out 'Speed standard by six'. | |
| Zen confirmed Gan's instructions, saying, 'Speed is now standard by six'. | |
| Mission to Destiny | Blake suggested a speed of 'Standard by Four?' |
| Blake ordered a course for Destiny at 'speed standard by six'. | |
| Blake ordered Zen to set a course for Destiny, 'speed standard by six'. | |
| Duel | Jenna said that because their power banks were exhausted, if they had to make a run for it, they couldn't do better than 'Standard by Two'. |
| after Travis's ambush was discovered, Jenna said that the Liberator's maximum speed was 'Standard by four'. | |
| when Blake asked about what speed should be given to the Liberator, Jenna suggested, 'Standard by Six'. | |
| Project Avalon | Zen reported that the interceptors were at 'Speed standard by two'. |
| Breakdown | Blake ordered Zen to set a direct course for XK 72, 'Speed Standard by Six'. |
| Blake ordered Jenna to reduce speed to 'Standard by three'. | |
| Jenna repeated Blake's order of 'Standard by Three'. | |
| Blake said that if they got up past 'Standard by Twenty', they would be out of control. | |
| Jenna ordered Zen to reverse thrust as 'Standard point zero one'. | |
| Blake ordered, 'Standard by Eight'. | |
| Avon ordered Zen to increase speed to 'Standard by Eight'. | |
| Deliverance | Blake ordered Jenna, 'Speed Standard by six'. |
| Jenna repeated, 'Standard by six'. | |
| Redemption | Blake ordered Zen to increase speed to 'Standard by Eight'. |
| Vila said that the 2 unidentified ships were travelling at 'almost Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Zen said that there was a space vehicle in pursuit, at a speed of 'Standard by Fourteen'. | |
| Blake ordered a speed of 'Standard by Three'. | |
| Weapon | Jenna announced 'Standard by two and building'. |
| Blake ordered, 'Speed Standard by Eight'. | |
| Horizon | Zen said that 'Standard by one half' was the speed to avoid the freighter. |
| Jenna repeated, 'Standard by one half'. | |
| Jenna said that they were still at 'Standard by two'. | |
| Blake ordered Jenna, 'Speed standard by half'. | |
| Pressure Point | Blake ordered a speed of 'Standard by Ten'. |
| Trial | Jenna said that the Liberator's speed was 'Standard by Eight'. |
| Blake ordered Jenna to increase speed to 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Jenna echoed, 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Blake told Jenna to get them out of there, speed 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Jenna repeated, 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Killer | Blake ordered a speed of 'Standard by ten'. |
| Hostage | Blake ordered Zen to increase speed to 'Standard by Ten'. |
| Zen repeated Blake's order, 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Blake commended Zen to increase speed to 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Blake commended Zen to increase speed to 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Blake ordered a speed of 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Zen repeated Blake's comment of 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| The Keeper | Zen said that the Liberator could intercept the pursuit ship at a speed of 'Standard by Four'. |
| Cally ordered Zen to give a speed of 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Zen said that the speed for evasion was 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Jenna repeated Zen's 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Star One | Blake ordered Jenna, 'Standard by Six'. |
| Jenna repeated Blake's command of 'Standard by Six'. | |
| Blake ordered speed increased to 'Standard by Twelve'. | |
| Volcano | Zen said that the speed necessary to execute an evasion course was 'Standard by Six'. |
| Dawn of the Gods | Avon said that Liberator's speed was 'Standard by five' and increasing. |
| Avon said that the speed was 'Standard by Seven'. | |
| Zen said that the ship's speed was now 'Standard by Eight'. | |
| Zen said that speed had increased to 'Standard by Nine'. | |
| Zen said that speed was now 'Standard by Ten'. | |
| Tarrant ordered a speed of 'Standard by Eight'. | |
| The Harvest of Kairos | Tarrant ordered a speed of 'standard by eight'. |
| Tarrant ordered a speed of 'Standard by six'. | |
| Dayna ordered a speed of 'Standard by Three'. | |
| Zen reported that the craft had a speed of 'Standard by twelve point two zero three'. | |
| Children of Auron | Tarrant ordered a speed of 'Standard by Six'. |
| Moloch | Vila said that they had been travelling at 'Standard by three'. |
| Avon ordered a speed of 'Standard by Four'. | |
| Avon ordered a speed of 'Standard by six'. | |
| Death-Watch | Tarrant ordered a speed of 'Standard by Four'. |
| Terminal | Avon asked what the transition time to Disentastra was at a speed of 'Standard by Eight'. |
| Zen spoke of 'Standard by Five' while dying. | |
| Stardrive | Tarrant said that their converging velocity towards the asteroid was 'Standard by One'. |
| the space chopper was estimated to have gone at a speed of 'About Standard by twelve at a guess' in real time, according to Tarrant. | |
| Orac said that the space choppers speed was precisely 'Standard by twelve decimal six'. | |
| Vila said that at 'Standard by Twelve' the Federation ships didn't know who hit them. | |
| Dayna remarked about the chopper being able to do 'Standard by twelve'. |
There were 26 references to this scale:
| Episode | Reference |
|---|---|
| Space Fall | Leylan ordered Raiker to set the hyperdrive speed for 'Time Distort Five'. |
| Raiker repeated Leylan's order for the hyperdrive speed to be Time Distort Five. | |
| Raiker then confirmed that the hyperdrive was at '[Time Distort] Five and running'. | |
| Duel | the mutoid estimated Liberator's approach speed as 'Time Distort Six'. |
| the mutoid said that the Liberator's speed was 'Time Distort Three and rising'. | |
| Horizon | Zen said that the Federation freighter's speed was 'Time Distort Six'. |
| Zen said that the Federation pursuit ships were closing at 'Time Distort Six'. | |
| Hostage | the Commander told the lead flotilla to attack at 'Time Distort Ten'. |
| the mutoid told the Commander that their speed was 'Time Distort Twenty'. | |
| the Commander exclaimed in reply, '[Time distort] Twenty!' | |
| the mutoid told Servalan that they were travelling at 'Time Distort Nine'. | |
| Servalan asked that she thought that the ship was capable of travelling at 'Time Distort Ten'. | |
| Servalan ordered a speed of 'Time Distort Ten'. | |
| the mutoid repeated Servalan's order of 'Time Distort Ten'. | |
| Volcano | Zen said that the eight Federation cruisers had an approach speed of 'Time distort eight'. |
| Servalan ordered that her ship go to Space Command HQ at 'Time Distort Ten'. | |
| the mutoid repeated Servalan's command of 'Time Distort Ten'. | |
| The Harvest of Kairos | Zen reported that the modified fins on the pursuit ships indicated a 'primitive Time Distort facility'. |
| Zen reported that the craft had an 'advanced Time Distort facility'. | |
| Stardrive | the Mark Two prototype, tested at seventy five percent, gave a simulated speed of Time Distort 'Fifteen' in real time. |
| Altan exclaimed, 'Fifteen!' | |
| Altan exclaimed for a second time, 'Fifteen!' | |
| Altan exclaimed, 'TD fifteen in real time!'. | |
| Dr. Plaxton asked Altan what was wrong with the Mark One, as it gave his space choppers 'TD Twelve'. | |
| Alsan replied that it was not as good as '[TD] fifteen'. | |
| Animals | Servalan was told that the unidentified planet hopper (Scorpio) had an estimated initial acceleration of 'Time Distort Twelve'. |