In the words of Captain Spock, it has always been easier to destroy than to create.
I never considered weaponizing the jump planet tech like that!!! Eat Gas Giant, Planetary System!!! That is beautiful!!!
Best part is that you give the system's inhabitants enough time to let knowledge of certain death sink in. Wide spread panic when everyone discovers that it is all but impossible to evac an entire planet without jump tech.
You could jump the Gas Giant in to a system far enough away from other object so as to not have immediate gravitational effects on the system, but where given, say a week, the system would be very badly effected (insert on an oblong counter-orbit maybe?)
I think I have a possible work around for moving planet's via satellite based jump array.
The key is that it seems like the jump drive travels in-line with the jump field's velocity. So far in the books, this has always been the same as the object to be jumped. However, it doesn't have to be. If those satellites had rather powerful engines attached to them, then they could add their own velocity vector to the planet's velocity vector. Effectively changing the velocity vector of the planet as far as the jump drive is concerned to some degree. Not sure how much change could be done, but if the satellites can reach a speed greater than the orbital velocity of the planet before they must jump (as eventually the jump field will intersect the planet or a satellite will impact the planet), then the planet can be jumped in any direction (at least once...).
This becomes more practical as the allowable distance between satellites for the jump drive to work increases.
This could also mean that using a jump drive to cut a ship in half or forcefully jump it by having those drones (satellites) fly by it and jump while the ship is in range. Could also be done with a planet, but the size makes it less likely that a proper jump formation (the drones are close enough for long enough to successfully activate the jump drive) can be made before all drones pass the planet.
Assuming for a moment that you could apply deltaV to a planet using an array of jump satellites, it might be easier to just jump it from it's current orbit out into deep space where the gravity of its parent star is no longer an issue. It's still gonna take a lot of deltaV to change it's path, but at least you wouldn't have to deal with that gravity well.
Still, jumping a planet is a doomsday scenario anyway, as someone pointed out up thread.
I don't think that you could change the deltaV of a planet long term with this, but it does seem likily you could change the direction the jump takes you, which adds interesting options.
You could jump a planet out of system then jump it right back to where it was, same speed, orbit, everything. but a day back from where it should be in its orbit.
How does that effect navigation in system? you are now lost. warp/jumping to the planet becomes much more problematic.
I agree with you four island, if the satellites have sufficient acceleration.
Although it should be noted that the method I suggested only "effectively" applies deltaV, much like jump drive only makes the Aurora effectively faster-than-light. It's also the same idea as people walking around inside of a ship when it jumps. They keep going in the direction they are going inside of the ship.
On an interesting side-note, such technology could also be used to allow ships greater control over their jumps as well. The downside being a need for an external drones, each probably using a mini-ZPED to maximize acceleration. Kind of like the ZPED comm-drones, but designed purely for acceleration. Though they would probably also have their jump drive as well if practical. Another benefit to a ship carrying such drones if that if it also a jump drive, then it can cover distance faster. This is especially true if there is heavy redundancy in the number of drones (a good think as their likely to get shot at).
I'm reminded of a series (can't recall the name), where the ship traveled in-system by making many (thousands a second) small jumps. A satellite array, especially if it could prevent the jump flash, could allow for rather good in-system speeds or relatively short jumps. While the ship's actual jump drive would focus on making the really long range jumps. So a jump ship might eventually be able to make say 100 light year max jumps in a specific direction with a long recharge time, while being able to make fairly rapid 1 light year max jumps in any direction via satellite jumps if the ship is going slow enough. Otherwise the light year jumps would be limited to a cone of some angular offset in the direction of travel (perhaps relative to the destination), which is much better than the current system with allows for no offset.
Though it makes me wonder what happens when a jump drive within a jump-field. Though perhaps that's a case of the instant of a jump being too small for them to overlap.
One issue with displacing planets within their orbit, is that you might run into higher risk of asteroids hitting that planet in the future.
Also It is easy to move backward around the orbit, difficult to move forward.
clusters of jump drones would be able to distance transport non jump capable ships too. no need to retrofit possibly hostile fleets of newly liberated / Jung indoctrinated people with tech they could then give to Jung/Pirates
