Of all methods of FTL travel (or as close as one can get to it), what would be the most feasible to have been invented in the next 100 years?

It's the late 2020's, and humanity has expressed an unprecedented and powerful renewal in the interest of space exploration. Sometime between then and the turn of the next century, a practical form of space travel was invented, allowing the distance between worlds to be traveled in a reasonable time. Bygone are the clunky early ships relying on pulsed nuclear detonations and lasers beamed up from the ground, all replaced by... what, exactly?

I'd prefer at least semi-hard answers (anything that has a base in real or proposed theories) as a baseline, but in reality I'm trying to find a solution/method that strikes the best balance between hardness/feasibility of science and practicality of usage in a narrative, so it's just whatever works in the end.

As for what defines "practicality of usage in a narrative"... Well, it'd be really nice for manned missions to nearby solar systems and back to not be a commitment of a large chunk of one's mortal lifespan and time back on Earth. I think 5 years to Alpha Centauri (4.37 ly away) would be the upper cusp of what is considered acceptable in this instance.

Thanks in advance!

Edit. If it helps, assume feasible nuclear fusion power was invented early on in the period of time specified by the question.

posted over 4 years ago

ZarHakkar‭

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