A force field was a type of energy barrier that had multiple applications.
Containment field[]
A containment field is a force field created to contain an object and prevent its escape.
Shuttlebays used containment fields when their bay doors were open to prevent the depressurisation of the bay. Shuttlecraft were able to penetrate these fields without compromising the atmospheric integrity of the bay.
The brig on Starfleet vessels used containment fields to hold prisoners in cells.
Structural integrity and emergency force fields[]
The structural integrity of a starship or space station can be supplemented with force fields.
When the hull is breached emergency forces fields are activated to prevent the continual lose of atmosphere to the vacuum of space.
Other uses[]
Holodecks use of force fields to create objects which can then be interacted or manipulated by real people. This allows holograms to appear to be solid and allow them to manipulate other items.
External link[]
- Force field article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.