Inspired by
a YouTube video...
PNQ: What does it mean to "prepare" to go to warp?
Sometimes the command is given, sometimes not. What does this entail?
It stands to reason that there are some systems that need to be switched on to activate warp drive, but how many need ten seconds to "warm up"?
Do the warp engines have a proverbial clutch? Does warp plasma not enter the nacelles until you actually go to warp?
If the warp core wasn't actually needed for anything except warp drive you could imagine "prepare to go to warp" meaning "activate the warp core using the slower and safer matter/antimatter injection process rather than the faster and more damaging one". And while I could see that in TOS, I'm pretty sure that in the TNG era you need an active warp core for most systems like the main deflector dish.
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