Polarized hull plating
Polarized hull plating was a defensive armored hull technology used on shuttles and starships. Before the development of deflector shielding, hull polarization was the primary defensive measure for starships against enemy weaponry. 

Unlike with deflector shields, transporters could be used by a starship when its hull plating was polarized. ()

History 
In the 22nd century, this technology was used by Earth starships such as the ,  ,  and on smaller auxiliary vessels such as the . During the months Enterprise was in the Delphic Expanse, polarization technology on Earth had been improved by 12%. (; , )

Enterprise NX-01 polarized its hull plating twice in August of 2151. First during the attack of the  and later during the confrontation with Nausicaan pirates. ()

Travis Mayweather polarized the hull of Enterprise before entering the neutronic wavefront in 2152 to strengthen its structural integrity. ()

In the 24th century, starships still occasionally polarized their hull plating, though not typically as a defensive countermeasure. One example was disrupting a tractor beam lock by rotating the frequency of the hull plating's electromagnetic field. Ships also sometimes polarized their hull plating to help mask their sensory signature, which worked by interfering with enemy sensor scans. Polarizing the hull was also done by downed vessels to help their mothership locate them. (; )

In 2372, Chakotay used a magnetic field to cushion the impact of proton bursts on the 's hull, but it was not long before the hull began to depolarize. ()

In 2373, Garak suggested that Worf repolarize their runabout's hull to free them from a Jem'Hadar fighter's tractor beam. ()

In 2375, Tuvok and Tom Paris attempted to polarize the s hull after it had crash landed in order to make it easier for Voyagers sensors to locate them. ()

In 2376, Voyagers hull was polarized in order to mask their approach towards the errant . ()

In 2383, the  was equipped with polarized hull plating. ()

See also 
 Ablative armor
 Hull plating relay
 Polaric discharge
 Polarization cloak
 Structural integrity field

cs:Polarizovaný pancíř
de:Hüllenpolarisation
Spacecraft components