ReactorsCreate power for the rest of the ship.SHIPS · COMPONENTS
Components
Components are the ship's machinery: the systems that create propulsion, power, cooling, sensing, defense, extraction, recovery, science, automation, and other operational capability.
Better is contextual.A stronger component may draw more power, create more heat, demand more expertise, increase maintenance, or solve a problem your current ship does not actually have.
ReactorsCreate power for the rest of the ship.
DrivesTurn power and hull mass into practical travel capability.
CoolingKeep heat-producing systems inside a sustainable envelope.
SensorsSupport scanning, surveying, targeting, and information-heavy careers.
ShieldsAdd recoverable defensive capacity.
Profession equipmentCreate mining, ice-harvesting, gas-harvesting, salvage, science, repair, medical, and other specialist capability.PHYSICAL INSTANCES
The design and the item in your ship are not always identical.
A physical component can carry persistent craftsmanship variation, a reconstructible treatment/tuning package, maker and facility provenance, condition and durability history, and one compatible Science-enhancement property. Those layers belong to the individual item instance rather than rewriting the base design.
REAL PERFORMANCE
The component does not operate alone.
Its realized physical characteristics combine with hull doctrine, activity-dependent power demand, cooling, condition, Captain and Crew capability, operational Expertise, and local environment before they become real ship performance.
Physical component+Hull+Power & cooling+People+Condition & environment→Realized capability