The transporter was a device capable of almost instantaneously moving an object from one location to another. The first Human-made transporter was invented by Emory Erickson sometime prior to 2121. By the 29th century, Starfleet had developed temporal transporter technology that allowed travel through time.

A typical transport sequence, initiated by the request to "energize", began with a lock to coordinates, during which the destination was verified and programmed, via the targeting scanners. Next, the lifeform or object was broken down into a stream of subatomic particles, also called the matter stream. This process was called dematerialization.

The matter stream was briefly stored in a pattern buffer and the annular confinement beam acted to maintain the integrity of the information contained in the energy beam. Biofilters were used to decontaminate the transported object if needed. Finally the object or individual was reassembled or rematerialized at the destination. The whole transporter process was called beaming.