[jaksajak]

Great point, Horatio! I will mention that next time this discussion comes up elsewhere, thanks!

[horatio]

Distances are always handled pretty vague in Trek, Glacial has already mentioned the other memorable super-quick travels in WNMHGB and TFF. In DS9 quick travels are also frequently occuring: the trip from DS9 to some place in the Gamma Quadrant, back to Earth or somewhere into the Demilitarized Zone never takes more than a few days, which makes the Alpha Quadrant smaller than it is and contradicts the concept of long-run exploration missions, enduring months or years, into the unknown.

Reasonable storytelling is simply more important than a detailed and realistic portrayal of space travel.