What is a deuterium-antimatter reaction regulated by a dilithium matrix — or in the case of Romulans, a quantum singularity; or quantum slipstream which utilizes benamite crystals, though whether it is a fuel source is ambiguous and the subject of much speculation…?
@GoodAaron "what are self-sealing stem bolts?"
@kboyd No, like, really. What are self-dealing stem bolts? @GoodAaron
@jacobrealo not even the writers know 
Story-wise, stem bolts were quintessential MacGuffins, with a name that was pure technobabble. Peter Allan Fields, who "invented" them, admitted that he didn't have "the foggiest idea" what they were used for. According to Ira Steven Behr, the writing staff used them long after Fields' departure from the series as a tribute to the former producer. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion, p. 52)
A prop self-sealing stem bolt was sold at the 40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction. It was Lot #418 and sold for US$2,040, after being estimated to go for only 200 to 300 US dollars.
https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Self-sealing_stem_bolt
@jacobrealo @kboyd @GoodAaron Stem bolts that either seal themselves, or cut the Ferengi out of any negotiations.
@GoodAaron it's not a good question, but I think the quotes indicate that they mean the original series specifically, So I would respond "What are dilithium crystals?"
@GoodAaron I was gonna just assume Federation starship (which is bad writing on the part of Jeopardy) and say dilithium. I’m sure that would be sufficient if they’re talking about Federation starships.
@GoodAaron narrative imperative
@GoodAaron According to Memory Alpha, it seems to imply that it be a fuel source.
@GoodAaron “What is diesel?” 
CowMan @benjamincox @GoodAaron ...space diesel...
@GoodAaron Even then, there were a few oddball ships like the Bajoran lightship. I guess "Powered" is a little vague too, since it could refer to propulsion or EPS/electrical energy used to run other accessories.
Pretty badly written question
@GoodAaron I fear they have watched Discovery, so: 
@GoodAaron What is coffee and philosophy Alex?
Oh we're talking about the ships, not the writers, gotcha. 
@GoodAaron What is a lot of hand waving and some randomly chosen scientific words?
@GoodAaron Hey! @Moltz would've gotten this perfect...and probably added a few more energy types! 
@GoodAaron What is a mycelium network?
@GoodAaron Reminds me of how I feel about people thinking there are five editions of D&D, all in a linear progression, each obviously an unambiguous improvement over the last...
@pteryx I have never heard anyone in my lifetime say 4th edition was their favorite, haha.
@GoodAaron I have, actually. A couple of friends of mine like it best. (I prefer the 3.0/3.5/PF1 cluster.) To be entirely fair, 4e is arguably the best *wargame* of the D&D editions, so if that's what you're looking for...
(And to people saying it's an "MMO": no, it isn't. It was meant to appeal to the MMO crowd, and uses a lot of MMO terminology, but on balance it's more of a Tactical RPG. I've heard it proposed that if it were repackaged as a Disgaea tabletop game it would sell well.)