The warp sound comes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, the television series that ran from 1987 to 1994 and followed the crew of the USS Enterprise-D. Warp departures were a recurring visual and audio motif whenever the ship traveled between star systems. As clips and soundboards spread online, the warp out effect became a standalone shorthand for leaving at impossible speed. Its association with the Enterprise and Captain Picard era keeps it popular with fans editing tributes, parodies and science fiction videos.