The thread on warp drives got killed so I'm replying here (sorry for out of context folks) "Would it explode or just punch a hole" depends on the energies of t

The thread on warp drives got killed so I'm replying here (sorry for out of context folks) "Would it explode or just punch a hole" depends on the energies of the impact involved. If there is only enough energy to break chemical bonds, it would punch a hole. As energy of the impact gets higher the hole gets deeper. Probably punching all the way through the ship. Once the impact energy gets strong enough to break nuclear bonds, the story changes. Now we have an e=mc^2 event at the impact site. It isn't just the impact energy anymore. At minimum, the punched hole just got wider and potentially radioactive as byproducts go on adventures. Once the hole is wider than the ship, I think that counts as "exploded".