| abstract | - An antimatter containment field was a type of force field that prevented antimatter from coming into contact with matter. As such, they were a critical part of warp drive systems as antimatter provided their fuel. These fields were used in antimatter pods to store antimatter. (TNG: "Disaster" ) In 2152, after Kuroda Lor-ehn seized control of the prison transport on which Jonathan Archer and Trip Tucker found themselves, the Starfleet captain warned Kuroda that those unfamiliar with warp ships could easily push the wrong button – such as the one operating either the plasma manifolds or the antimatter containment field. If that happened, the ship could turn into "a cloud of ionized gas". (ENT: "Canamar") The USS Enterprise-D was exposed to a quantum filament in 2368. This caused a polarity shift in the antimatter containment fields of its antimatter pods, decreasing their strength. The bridge crew estimated that a strength of 15% would result in sufficient breakdown to allow the antimatter to escape, destroying the ship. (TNG: "Disaster" ) Antimatter containment fields could be deliberately breached, inducing destruction of the vessel. The USS Europa carried out this action at the Battle of the Binary Stars in 2256, in order to destroy a Klingon vessel. (DIS: "Battle at the Binary Stars")
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