Hand phaser
A hand phaser is essentially a phaser pistol. Various models have appeared in Star Trek through the years.
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TOS Hand Phasers
In the original Star Trek, the Federation has two types of hand phaser. "Phaser 1" is a small oblong device with an emitter on one end and fire controls on one of its largest surfaces. These controls include a firing button, a dial to change the setting, and a crystal meter, presumably for reading either the setting or the charge status or both. While such a weapon would not be easy to aim at any significant range, it is readily concealable.
"Phaser 2" is actually an attachment for Phaser 1. The device consists of a conventional handle and trigger arrangement (although shamefully lacking a trigger guard) with a larger beam emitter at the end and a niche on top into which a Phaser 1 fits. Presumably the Phaser 1's firing button is disabled when it is attached to a Phaser 2 handgrip, while the meter and adjustment dial function normally for the combined weapon. The Phaser 2 attachment also has a dial at the back which presumably allows the user to adjust the spread of the beam, a feature not seen on Phaser 1. Phaser 2 increases the power output of the weapon, and the combined device probably has greater energy reserves.
TNG Hand Phasers
The TNG-era Phaser 1 is not substantially different from its 23rd-century ancestor. It has a firing button, two buttons for adjusting the setting, and an LED meter for reading the current setting. It is even smaller and more concealable than the earlier version.
The 24th-century Phaser 2 is not a Phaser 1 attachment like the earlier model but an entirely independent weapon. For handling and aiming purposes, this weapon is an ergonomic nightmare: it's handle is angled oddly, and it has neither sights nor a guard for its trigger button. It is, however, something of a Swiss army knife, having sixteen power settings and a variety of beam adjustments that can be used to disrupt force fields[1] or repel "firestorms"[2], among other exotic applications.
Limitations
Hand phasers are oddly sensitive to local environmental conditions. Radiation, in particular, seems to negatively affect them. A TOS-era hand phaser once failed after being close to a 20th-century nuclear reactor for a short time[3], and TNG-era hand phasers are known to be non-functional in the presence of "hyperonic radiation", whatever that is[4]. "Energy dampening fields" also make conventional phasers useless,[5] presumably by design. "Regenerative phasers" were eventually developed to mitigate some of the problems with using phasers in adverse environments.[6]
Hand phasers are widely considered ergonomic disasters, since they lack trigger guards or proper sights. Many TNG-era phaser designs are actually worse than their TOS ancestors in this regard.
Gallery
Phaser 1 from TOS
Phaser 2 from TOS
Phaser 1 from TNG
Phaser 2 from TNG
