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Imperial Wiki - User contributions [en]
2024-03-28T20:21:23Z
User contributions
MediaWiki 1.36.2
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=StarfleetJedi_Forums&diff=20534
StarfleetJedi Forums
2011-12-09T16:38:00Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Active Warsie posters */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''StarfleetJedi Forums''' are the private user forums hosted by [[JMSpock]] as a haven for the biggest [[Trekkie]]s of the internet, where they can reinforce and reassure themselves that everything [[Darkstar]] says is right and the [[Federation]] is invincible. The stated purpose is "providing a polite and reasonable discussion for the Star Trek versus Star Wars debate", but in practice, insults are hurled just as frequently, but concealed with a veil of political correctness.<br />
<br />
It replaced the now defunct strek-v-swars board which served the exact same purpose. Every idiotic [[Darkstar]] idea and distortion is thoroughly embraced and repeated until they have come to accept those distortions as canon itself. The forums are the source material of many entries for [[The English-to-Trektard Dictionary]]<br />
<br />
== Active [[Trekkie]] posters ==<br />
===[[JMSpock]]===<br />
Owner and admin<br />
<br />
===[[GStone]]===<br />
A gratuitous boaster. One of the few people in the known universe who argues for the possibility of the [[Federation]] winning a conflict with Ian Bank's [[Culture]].<br />
<br />
===BigHarryMountainMan===<br />
Aka [[tjhairball]]. Believed by some to be JMSpock.<br />
<br />
===2046===<br />
One of the many screen names of [[Robert Scott Anderson|Darkstar]]<br />
<br />
===Mike DiCenso===<br />
A long time versus debater. Known for proposing an alternative scaling methodology and conclusions for turbolaser firepower that is at odds with [[Brian Young]]'s:<br />
<br />
''So how big are the asteroids? On both the Strek-v-Swars.Net forum, as well as Matt Carpenter's forum, a variety of scalings were done, often using the approximate width of the TL bolts, as opposed to Young's method, which involved comparing the asteroids to the TL's length. The use of the TL width produced a more accurate scaling, simply due to the fact that height (when impacting or just a frame from impact an asteroid) is less effected than using the length since the the length measurements require correcting for the 3/4 view perspective we are seeing them at. The height of the TL was determined based on comparisons of TL bolts passing close to objects like the X-wing fighters in ANH, and the '''Falcon''' in TESB. After that was done, an average was made, and the ratio of the height of the TLs to the long axis of the asteroids was determined. When all was said and done the asteroids in the TESB ISD scene were averaged out between 1.5 to 8 meters. On the extreme outside 14 meters was the maximum size (as scaled by [[Kane Starkiller]]). Nowhere near the 20-40 meter size. So about 16 TJ, assuming a perfectly spherical asteroid of 8 meters. The wattage would be around 48 TW, since it takes 8 full frames out of 24 to vaporize the asteroid. However, because the asteroids are lumpy, not perfect spheres, the energy and power required to vaporize them will likely be somewhat less than this.''<br />
<br />
'''Greatest Hits:'''<br /><br />
*''Basically light and medium TLs appear to be in the low single and double-digit kiloton range based on older TL-to-asteroid scalings done on the Strek forum several years ago that put the TESB asteroid at no larger than 14 meters wide, and no smaller than 1 meter. The rough average being 6-8 meters.'' ... ''I still went with a rather generous 8 meter asteroid'' (All the educated participants in the debate scale the asteroids in question to 20-40 meters, even up to 70 meters yet Mr DiCenso insists they're no bigger than 14 meters and calls eight meters 'generous')<br />
*''It also generously assumed that the asteroids were solid spheres of iron that were being vaporized, rather than loose collections of oblong or lumpy shaped rock. novelization.'' (Copying [[Stewart at SDI]] idiotic claim that the asteroids in TESB were soft and easily pulverized even though they survived collisions with metalic TIE fighters. {citation needed]<br />
*''I would have to assume that a TL does not really vaporize anything using DET, but rather uses a [[technobabble]] mechanism to shunt matter into hyperspace.'' (Trektards on StarfleetJedi love to assume a passage in a Star Wars novel describing the [[superlaser]] giving planetary matter a "superluminal "boost"...into hyperspace" somehow lowers the energy requirements of the [[Death Star]]. They like to play these little word substitution games, replacing "boost" with "shunt" and pretend their reworded version is the canon. [citation needed]<br />
<br />
===Who is like God arbour===<br />
AKA Wilga or WILGA. Believed by some to be [[AVOGARDO]]<br />
<br />
===Mr. Oragahn===<br />
An unremarkable idiot inhabiting the StarfleetJedi forums. He insists he isn't a trekkie in spite of his mindless copying many of the idiotic ideas spouted by Darkstar, JMSpock, Mike DiCenso and tjhairball. In all fairness, he does appear to be more of a Stargate wanker rather than a true trektard.<br />
<br />
===Picard===<br />
AKA Picard578 on some other places.<br />
<br />
== Active [[Warsie]] posters ==<br />
<br />
===Cock_Knocker===<br />
[[Wayne Poe]]<br />
<br />
===Kane Starkiller===<br />
Probably the most active and staunch defender of Star Wars on SFJN.<br />
<br />
===[[Cpl. Kendall]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
===ILikeDeathNote===<br />
Unidentified from other sites<br />
<br />
===[[Ted C]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
===StarWarsStarTrek===<br />
Currently only active Warsie poster as of autumn of 2011.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
*[http://www.starfleetjedi.net/forum/ StarfleetJedi Forum]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Sites]]<br />
[[Category: Trolls]]<br />
[[Category:Mindless Scooter Cockgoblins]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Robert_Scott_Anderson&diff=20533
Robert Scott Anderson
2011-12-09T16:30:03Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>'''Robert Scott Anderson''' -- otherwise known as '''RSA''', '''DarkStar''', '''Guardian2K''', '''Guardian2000''', '''DSG2k''', "DorkStar," and "Scooter" -- is considered one of SDN's most obsessed ex-members. One of the most stubborn Trek debaters in the ST VS SW debate, he's considered a classic example of [[Wall of Ignorance|broken record debating]] and sheer dishonesty, as exemplified by the [[The Alderaan Argument|bands of brightness debate]] or the "SW humans have [[metal spines]]" claim. He has been dubbed by many to be a [[Timothy Jones]] clone and is mocked by both sides of the debate.<br />
<br />
He also runs a [http://www.st-v-sw.net/weblog/ blog] that spends a portion of its time attacking Stardestroyer.net and some of its more notable members such as [[Wayne Poe]] and [[Mike Wong]]. What's unfortunate is that his website is the one of the first results for a Google search of "Star Trek vs. Star Wars", making newcomers to the debate vulnerable to his arguments.<br />
<br />
==Quotes==<br />
*"He's really good at appearing reasonable while making the most ridiculous claims. I caught myself about to fall for one earlier. Won't happen again, but it's unnerving."<br />
:-- Rogue 9 (forum user)<br />
<br />
*"Dear God, this man is clearly insane." [http://www.somethingawful.com/d/awful-links/awful-link-1227.php 1]<br />
:-- SomethingAwful.Com on DarkStar<br />
<br />
*"But as the saying goes, 'if the facts are against you, argue the law ... if the law is against you, argue the facts ... if the facts and the law are against you, yell like hell.' Highwind, et al., that's your cue. I've made my point."<br />
:-- DarkStar accusing Star Trek writer Mike Sussman of dishonesty for disagreeing with him about the [[ENT]] episode "The Augments", an episode that Mike Sussman '''wrote'''. DarkStar would subsequently demand that his words be deleted from memory-alpha.org.<br />
<br />
*"If I had to use two words to describe this site, I would choose 'nuts' and 'fucking,' although not in that order. In addition, I would repeat the word 'fucking' approximately 15,000 times for emphasis, as this is simply the most ridiculous and ungodly site I have ever gazed my eyes upon."<br />
:-- SomethingAwful.Com on DarkStar's website<br />
<br />
==Debates==<br />
*A copy of the debate he held with [[Mike Wong]] is available [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/HateMail/RSA/ on Mike's Hate Mail page] while debates with him are also available on the SDN forums.<br />
<br />
*A [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/HateMail/RSA/MoO/index.html Treatment] of most of his more common arguments by "Master of Ossus".<br />
<br />
*DarkStar's Entry in the [[FUQ]] http://www.daltonator.net/fuq/trolls/g2k.html <br />
<br />
*The [http://foobar.homelinux.net/rsa/ Robert Scott Anderson Archive] contains a mostly complete history of his debates on [[alt.startrek.vs.starwars]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Trolls]]<br />
[[Category:SDN Trolls]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=StarfleetJedi_Forums&diff=20512
StarfleetJedi Forums
2011-12-07T07:47:07Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Picard */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''StarfleetJedi Forums''' are the private user forums hosted by [[JMSpock]] as a haven for the biggest [[Trekkie]]s of the internet, where they can reinforce and reassure themselves that everything [[Darkstar]] says is right and the [[Federation]] is invincible. The stated purpose is "providing a polite and reasonable discussion for the Star Trek versus Star Wars debate", but in practice, insults are hurled just as frequently, but concealed with a veil of political correctness.<br />
<br />
It replaced the now defunct strek-v-swars board which served the exact same purpose. Every idiotic [[Darkstar]] idea and distortion is thoroughly embraced and repeated until they have come to accept those distortions as canon itself. The forums are the source material of many entries for [[The English-to-Trektard Dictionary]]<br />
<br />
== Active [[Trekkie]] posters ==<br />
===[[JMSpock]]===<br />
Owner and admin<br />
<br />
===[[GStone]]===<br />
A gratuitous boaster. One of the few people in the known universe who argues for the possibility of the [[Federation]] winning a conflict with Ian Bank's [[Culture]].<br />
<br />
===BigHarryMountainMan===<br />
Aka [[tjhairball]]. Believed by some to be JMSpock.<br />
<br />
===2046===<br />
One of the many screen names of [[Robert Scott Anderson|Darkstar]]<br />
<br />
===Mike DiCenso===<br />
A long time versus debater. Known for proposing an alternative scaling methodology and conclusions for turbolaser firepower that is at odds with [[Brian Young]]'s:<br />
<br />
''So how big are the asteroids? On both the Strek-v-Swars.Net forum, as well as Matt Carpenter's forum, a variety of scalings were done, often using the approximate width of the TL bolts, as opposed to Young's method, which involved comparing the asteroids to the TL's length. The use of the TL width produced a more accurate scaling, simply due to the fact that height (when impacting or just a frame from impact an asteroid) is less effected than using the length since the the length measurements require correcting for the 3/4 view perspective we are seeing them at. The height of the TL was determined based on comparisons of TL bolts passing close to objects like the X-wing fighters in ANH, and the '''Falcon''' in TESB. After that was done, an average was made, and the ratio of the height of the TLs to the long axis of the asteroids was determined. When all was said and done the asteroids in the TESB ISD scene were averaged out between 1.5 to 8 meters. On the extreme outside 14 meters was the maximum size (as scaled by [[Kane Starkiller]]). Nowhere near the 20-40 meter size. So about 16 TJ, assuming a perfectly spherical asteroid of 8 meters. The wattage would be around 48 TW, since it takes 8 full frames out of 24 to vaporize the asteroid. However, because the asteroids are lumpy, not perfect spheres, the energy and power required to vaporize them will likely be somewhat less than this.''<br />
<br />
'''Greatest Hits:'''<br /><br />
*''Basically light and medium TLs appear to be in the low single and double-digit kiloton range based on older TL-to-asteroid scalings done on the Strek forum several years ago that put the TESB asteroid at no larger than 14 meters wide, and no smaller than 1 meter. The rough average being 6-8 meters.'' ... ''I still went with a rather generous 8 meter asteroid'' (All the educated participants in the debate scale the asteroids in question to 20-40 meters, even up to 70 meters yet Mr DiCenso insists they're no bigger than 14 meters and calls eight meters 'generous')<br />
*''It also generously assumed that the asteroids were solid spheres of iron that were being vaporized, rather than loose collections of oblong or lumpy shaped rock. novelization.'' (Copying [[Stewart at SDI]] idiotic claim that the asteroids in TESB were soft and easily pulverized even though they survived collisions with metalic TIE fighters. {citation needed]<br />
*''I would have to assume that a TL does not really vaporize anything using DET, but rather uses a [[technobabble]] mechanism to shunt matter into hyperspace.'' (Trektards on StarfleetJedi love to assume a passage in a Star Wars novel describing the [[superlaser]] giving planetary matter a "superluminal "boost"...into hyperspace" somehow lowers the energy requirements of the [[Death Star]]. They like to play these little word substitution games, replacing "boost" with "shunt" and pretend their reworded version is the canon. [citation needed]<br />
<br />
===Who is like God arbour===<br />
AKA Wilga or WILGA. Believed by some to be [[AVOGARDO]]<br />
<br />
===Mr. Oragahn===<br />
An unremarkable idiot inhabiting the StarfleetJedi forums. He insists he isn't a trekkie in spite of his mindless copying many of the idiotic ideas spouted by Darkstar, JMSpock, Mike DiCenso and tjhairball. In all fairness, he does appear to be more of a Stargate wanker rather than a true trektard.<br />
<br />
===Picard===<br />
AKA Picard578 on some other places.<br />
<br />
== Active [[Warsie]] posters ==<br />
<br />
===Cock_Knocker===<br />
[[Wayne Poe]]<br />
<br />
===Kane Starkiller===<br />
Probably the most active and staunch defender of Star Wars on SFJN.<br />
<br />
===[[Cpl. Kendall]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
===ILikeDeathNote===<br />
Unidentified from other sites<br />
<br />
===[[Ted C]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
*[http://www.starfleetjedi.net/forum/ StarfleetJedi Forum]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Sites]]<br />
[[Category: Trolls]]<br />
[[Category:Mindless Scooter Cockgoblins]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=StarfleetJedi_Forums&diff=20511
StarfleetJedi Forums
2011-12-07T07:46:43Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Active Trekkie posters */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''StarfleetJedi Forums''' are the private user forums hosted by [[JMSpock]] as a haven for the biggest [[Trekkie]]s of the internet, where they can reinforce and reassure themselves that everything [[Darkstar]] says is right and the [[Federation]] is invincible. The stated purpose is "providing a polite and reasonable discussion for the Star Trek versus Star Wars debate", but in practice, insults are hurled just as frequently, but concealed with a veil of political correctness.<br />
<br />
It replaced the now defunct strek-v-swars board which served the exact same purpose. Every idiotic [[Darkstar]] idea and distortion is thoroughly embraced and repeated until they have come to accept those distortions as canon itself. The forums are the source material of many entries for [[The English-to-Trektard Dictionary]]<br />
<br />
== Active [[Trekkie]] posters ==<br />
===[[JMSpock]]===<br />
Owner and admin<br />
<br />
===[[GStone]]===<br />
A gratuitous boaster. One of the few people in the known universe who argues for the possibility of the [[Federation]] winning a conflict with Ian Bank's [[Culture]].<br />
<br />
===BigHarryMountainMan===<br />
Aka [[tjhairball]]. Believed by some to be JMSpock.<br />
<br />
===2046===<br />
One of the many screen names of [[Robert Scott Anderson|Darkstar]]<br />
<br />
===Mike DiCenso===<br />
A long time versus debater. Known for proposing an alternative scaling methodology and conclusions for turbolaser firepower that is at odds with [[Brian Young]]'s:<br />
<br />
''So how big are the asteroids? On both the Strek-v-Swars.Net forum, as well as Matt Carpenter's forum, a variety of scalings were done, often using the approximate width of the TL bolts, as opposed to Young's method, which involved comparing the asteroids to the TL's length. The use of the TL width produced a more accurate scaling, simply due to the fact that height (when impacting or just a frame from impact an asteroid) is less effected than using the length since the the length measurements require correcting for the 3/4 view perspective we are seeing them at. The height of the TL was determined based on comparisons of TL bolts passing close to objects like the X-wing fighters in ANH, and the '''Falcon''' in TESB. After that was done, an average was made, and the ratio of the height of the TLs to the long axis of the asteroids was determined. When all was said and done the asteroids in the TESB ISD scene were averaged out between 1.5 to 8 meters. On the extreme outside 14 meters was the maximum size (as scaled by [[Kane Starkiller]]). Nowhere near the 20-40 meter size. So about 16 TJ, assuming a perfectly spherical asteroid of 8 meters. The wattage would be around 48 TW, since it takes 8 full frames out of 24 to vaporize the asteroid. However, because the asteroids are lumpy, not perfect spheres, the energy and power required to vaporize them will likely be somewhat less than this.''<br />
<br />
'''Greatest Hits:'''<br /><br />
*''Basically light and medium TLs appear to be in the low single and double-digit kiloton range based on older TL-to-asteroid scalings done on the Strek forum several years ago that put the TESB asteroid at no larger than 14 meters wide, and no smaller than 1 meter. The rough average being 6-8 meters.'' ... ''I still went with a rather generous 8 meter asteroid'' (All the educated participants in the debate scale the asteroids in question to 20-40 meters, even up to 70 meters yet Mr DiCenso insists they're no bigger than 14 meters and calls eight meters 'generous')<br />
*''It also generously assumed that the asteroids were solid spheres of iron that were being vaporized, rather than loose collections of oblong or lumpy shaped rock. novelization.'' (Copying [[Stewart at SDI]] idiotic claim that the asteroids in TESB were soft and easily pulverized even though they survived collisions with metalic TIE fighters. {citation needed]<br />
*''I would have to assume that a TL does not really vaporize anything using DET, but rather uses a [[technobabble]] mechanism to shunt matter into hyperspace.'' (Trektards on StarfleetJedi love to assume a passage in a Star Wars novel describing the [[superlaser]] giving planetary matter a "superluminal "boost"...into hyperspace" somehow lowers the energy requirements of the [[Death Star]]. They like to play these little word substitution games, replacing "boost" with "shunt" and pretend their reworded version is the canon. [citation needed]<br />
<br />
===Who is like God arbour===<br />
AKA Wilga or WILGA. Believed by some to be [[AVOGARDO]]<br />
<br />
===Mr. Oragahn===<br />
An unremarkable idiot inhabiting the StarfleetJedi forums. He insists he isn't a trekkie in spite of his mindless copying many of the idiotic ideas spouted by Darkstar, JMSpock, Mike DiCenso and tjhairball. In all fairness, he does appear to be more of a Stargate wanker rather than a true trektard.<br />
<br />
===Picard===<br />
AKA Picard578.<br />
<br />
== Active [[Warsie]] posters ==<br />
<br />
===Cock_Knocker===<br />
[[Wayne Poe]]<br />
<br />
===Kane Starkiller===<br />
Probably the most active and staunch defender of Star Wars on SFJN.<br />
<br />
===[[Cpl. Kendall]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
===ILikeDeathNote===<br />
Unidentified from other sites<br />
<br />
===[[Ted C]]===<br />
Poster from SDN<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
*[http://www.starfleetjedi.net/forum/ StarfleetJedi Forum]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Sites]]<br />
[[Category: Trolls]]<br />
[[Category:Mindless Scooter Cockgoblins]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Photon_torpedo&diff=19159
Photon torpedo
2011-02-24T09:03:08Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok torpedo launch.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo launching from a [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] Federation starship]]'''Photon torpedoes''' are secondary missile weapons used by the starships of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They do damage via the release of gamma rays from a matter-[[antimatter]] reaction.<br />
<br />
Various alien powers use weapons that are visually similar to, or identified as, photon torpedoes. Whether they use the same operating principle is unknown; many of these weapons were local developments not based on the [[Federation]] design.<br />
<br />
== Variable Yields ==<br />
Photon torpedoes have been observed to have vastly different yields. Many of them can be explained through deliberate "dialing down" of the yields to avoid friendly fire, such as in ''The Final Frontier''. However, a popular theory is the antimatter injection theory. Since the release of the High Definition version of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', torpedoes have been confirmed to have their antimatter inserted in "real-time." As well, torpedo casings are noted in numerous episodes without their warhead.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the differences between the tactical yield and maximum yield is a logarithmic function of time, with more time required to ready the torpedo for a greater yield. In ''The Wrath of Khan'' special measures are taken to preload torpedoes in anticipation of battle.<br />
<br />
Based on the [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Database/Query-ST.php?Series=&Category=Naval+Weapons&EpName=Pegasus&Keywords=&Quotes=&Analysis=&Submit=Submit energy required to destroy an asteroid], TNG-era photon torpedoes have a maximum yield of hundreds of kilotons.<ref>TNG "The Pegasus"</ref><br />
<br />
===Trekkie Yield Claims===<br />
Trekkies have argued that the episode "Skin of Evil", in which a photon torpedo detonation on a planet is viewed from orbit, indicates a yield of as much as 9.83 gigatons (air blast) to 144 gigatons (fireball), but the effect seen appears and disappears far too quickly to be either phenomenon. Their "low end estimate", assuming the effect seen was result of thermal radiation, is 500 megatons.<br />
<br />
===Data from TNG and DS9 Technical Manuals===<br />
According to the [[canon|non-canon]] ''TNG Technical Manual'', a photon torpedo can carry up to 1.5 kg of antimatter, giving it a theoretical maximum yield of 64 megatons. Based on a 74% efficiency estimate found in the ''DS9 Technical Manual'', the actual energy release would be closer to 48 megatons for a maximum-yield torpedo. These yield estimates are incompatible with evidence from canon events.<br />
<br />
== Warp Propulsion ==<br />
Photon torpedoes do not have a [[warp drive]], but they do have something called a "sustainer engine" that allows them to keep travelling at warp speed if launched from a starship that is already traveling at warp.<ref>TNG "Half a Life"</ref><br />
<br />
== Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot ==<br />
[[Image:Twok torpedo bay.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo bay of the [[Enterprise (TOS)|''USS Enterprise'']]]]As witnessed in ''The Wrath of Khan'', torpedoes are stored and ferried to their launchers by a complex system of pulleys and conveyor belts on [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] starships. Such a system would be highly prone to failure under battle stress, and it is common for enemies to target specific weapons systems and disable them. Due to the "leaky" nature of [[ST Shields|Star Trek's shields]], a pinpoint strike against a ship even with its shields up could knock out the conveyor system. <br />
<br />
Recent incarnations of [[Starfleet]] ships such as the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'' have more torpedo launchers. These additional torpedo launchers are nowhere near the size of the torpedo bays on [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]], [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]], or other Starfleet vessels. Rather than assume greater firepower due to increased number of torpedo launchers, another more elegant explanation is the Federation attempting to do away with this conveyor system, if it is still in use.<br />
<br />
One example is the single-shot launcher on top of the observation lounge on the ''Enterprise-E''. Either the launcher is single shot, because there is no room for the complex machinery required for the conveyor system, or there is a hard line and the torpedoes are transported to the launcher. Another possibility is a site-to-site transport. All of these approaches present serious problems of their own, such as greater power usage and complexity for no gain.<br />
<br />
The most satisfying solution would be to not use antimatter torpedoes at all, but the Federation apparently deems the additional firepower worth the risk.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Quantum torpedo]]<br />
* [[Transphasic torpedo]]<br />
* [[Photonic torpedo]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Torpedoes/Torpedo1.html Stardestroyer.net article on photon torpedoes]<br />
* Picard578's trekkie [http://picard578.hostoi.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/starship_tactical_systems/photon_torpedoes.html calculations].<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /></div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range&diff=19016
ST weapon accuracy and range
2011-01-26T12:20:32Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* TNG "The Wounded" */</p>
<hr />
<div>This article deals with demonstrated '''accuracy and range''' of various weapons used by major [[Star Trek]] civilizations like the [[Federation]], [[Borg]], [[Dominion]], and [[Klingon Empire]].<br />
<br />
As the examples provided below demonstrate, engagement range for Star Trek vessels is extremely inconsistent. In combats shown on screen, engagements occur at ranges of a few hundred meters up to several kilometers. Dialogue, on the other hand, often describes ranges of tens of thousands of kilometers. Furthermore, ranges in 23rd century engagements (TOS) are often greater than ranges in 24th century engagements (TNG).<br />
<br />
There is no clear explanation for the discrepancies, but there is plenty of speculation:<br />
* [[Electronic countermeasures]] may prevent accurate targeting from extended range, forcing ships to close to ensure hits. This would be particularly likely in large fleet engagements.<br />
* Star Trek ships often target specific systems on enemy vessels, especially in the 24th century. Such precision targeting might require closing the distance, especially where ECM is in use.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
== Examples ==<br />
===TOS "The Changeling"===<br />
The ''Enterprise'', under attack from the one-meter-tall probe [[Nomad]], returns fire with photon torpedoes. While the precise range is uncertain (the ship was using evasive maneuvers), the last stated range was 90,000 kilometers. A direct hit was reported, although it had no effect.<br />
<br />
===TOS "Journey to Babel"===<br />
Under attack by an Orion vessel, the ''Enterprise'' plays dead. The attacker halts it's [[warp strafing]] attack, dropping to sublight and closing on the ''Enterprise''. At a range 75,000 kilometers, Kirk orders the helmsman to fire phasers, scoring a direct hit.<br />
<br />
===TOS"The Deadly Years"===<br />
Having taken command of the ''Enterprise'', Commodore Stocker attempts to reach a starbase by taking the ship on a shortcut through the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]] to get urgent medical care to the rapidly aging Kirk, Spock, MoCoy, and Scott. The ship is consequently attacked by several [[Romulan Bird of Prey|Romulan Birds of Prey]]. When Kirk resumes command, Sulu informs him that the range of the Romulan vessels is "fifty to one-hundred thousand kilometers".<br />
<br />
===DS9 "The Search, Pt. I"===<br />
The Defiant is travelling at warp and under cloak within Dominion space. Long-range sensors detect two Jem'Hadar warships cruising at warp five on a course that will bring them within 100,000 kilometers. Kira says that's well within their weapon range.<br />
<br />
===DS9 "The Die is Cast"===<br />
[[Benjamin Sisko|Commander Sisko]] orders [[Jadzia Dax|Dax]] to bring the [[USS Defiant (NX-74205)|''Defiant'']] to within 500 meters of a group of [[Attack ship|Jem'Hadar fighters]] before firing on them. The advantage he sought by closing to such short range isn't clear. The Jem'Hadar attack ships opened fire from a reported 50 kilometers range, a brief glimpse of the Defiant's viewscreen supports this. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi7G2n7KEHA</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 dominion fleet1.PNG|thumb|right|[[Dominion]] fleet approaching Deep Space 9 as seen in episode "Call to arms"]]<br />
<br />
===DS9 "Call to Arms"===<br />
In this episode, a Dominion fleet attacks Deep Space 9. Even when engaging a completely immobile target, the Dominion ships close to within several kilometers before opening fire.<br />
<br />
The screenshot on the right shows the Dominion/[[Cardassian]] fleet approaching Deep Space 9 to the point of it taking up a significant fraction of the field of view. Yet in the following scene, [[Damar]] reports that they will not be in weapons range for another minute<ref>[http://www.st-minutiae.com/academy/literature329/524.txt Star Trek Minutiae]</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 5x26 cardassian shuttle.JPG|thumb|left|Cardassian attack ship about to ram Deep Space 9]]After the battle is joined, the attacking fleet continues to fight at extremely close ranges; however, even ranges of several hundred meters appear to be too great for Deep Space 9 targeting sensors to achieve a reasonable accuracy. On the left we can see a Cardassian Hideki-class attack ship flying straight towards Deep Space 9 central assembly. The Hideki doesn't change course or attempt to evade the incoming fire, yet Deep Space 9 only scores two grazing shots on it, thus failing to stop the craft.<br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 5x26 Defiant BoP miss.JPG|thumb|A sequence showing Dominion fleet firing on Defiant and a Bird of Prey]]<br />
Further evidence of limited accuracy comes from the end of the episode. As the ''[[Defiant]]'' and a [[Klingon Bird of Prey|Bird of Prey]] flee DS9, the Dominion fleet opens fire, and we see 11 shots fired without a single one hitting the fleeing ships. The shots can be seen at right, and -- as is immediately apparent -- the ships are flying in a tight formation without making any attempts to evade enemy fire. As before, the range is on the order of several hundred meters or several kilometers at most.<br />
<br />
===TNG "Conundrum"===<br />
Riker says they are still 55 seconds from "optimal firing range" for the [[Lysian Central Command]], even though they appear to be practically on top of a stationary target that is both very large and very poorly defended (by Federation standards). Although the crew up to that point had been deceived by a [[Satarran]] agent into thinking of the [[Lysians]] as dangerous opponents, their sensors clearly showed the inferior quality of the Lysian defenses. <br />
<br />
At any rate, "optimal firing range" is not necessarily the full range capability of the ship.<br />
<br />
===TNG "Yesterday's Enterprise"===<br />
Three un-cloaked Klingon Birds of Prey close to within a few kilometers before firing on the [[Enterprise-D|''Enterprise'']]. Likewise, the ''Enterprise'', knowing they will be attacked by the Klingons, doesn't fire until the enemy is at close range (there is no political reason to delay firing, since the Federation is in a state of war with the Klingons in this alternate-timeline episode).<br />
<br />
[[Image:Weapon_ranges_overlay.jpg |thumb|right|Weapon ranges of the ''USS Phoenix'' and a Cardassian warship]]<br />
===TNG "The Wounded"===<br />
This episode is often cited as evidence for long-range combat by major ST civilizations:<br />
<br />
:''DATA: The warship is three hundred thousand kilometers from the Phoenix. It is opening fire. The Phoenix has taken a direct hit ... the Phoenix is beginning evasive maneuvers ... it has positioned itself outside the weapons range of the opposing ship ... the Phoenix has powered up with both phasers and photon torpedoes ... the Phoenix is firing photon torpedoes.'' <br />
<br />
As [[Data]] is speaking, the viewscreen shows a two-dimensional display of the battle. If this display is oriented to provide the most useful view of the battle (placing all three of the vessels being tracked in the same plane), then it shows the relative weapon ranges of the ships and the distance between the them. The display casts doubt on Data's description of the battle, since the viewscreen shows that the [[USS Phoenix|''Phoenix'']] is still well within weapons range of the Cardassian ship, which actually has greater range than the ''Phoenix'' if the display is accurate.<br />
<br />
[[Image:TNG 4x12 enterprise galor.JPG|thumb|left|''Trager'' fires on ''Enterprise'']]It should also be noted that the ships involved in the battle are travelling at [[warp drive|warp speeds]], so a gap of 300,000 km could easily drop to zero in less than a second. It may also be worth noting that the ''Phoenix'' engaged with [[photon torpedo|torpedoes]], and the Cardassian ship was pursuing the ''Phoenix'': the ''Phoenix'' would therefore have been running away from any torpedoes fired by the Cardassian ship, while the Cardassian ship was running toward the torpedoes fired by the ''Phoenix'', possibly explaining the "out of range" statement (assuming torpedoes have greater range than phasers). On the other hand, manouvering and relative speeds argue that battle is happening at impulse.<br />
<br />
The battle between the ''Enterprise'' and the Cardassian warship, ''Trager'', earlier in the episode, further disproves any optimistic interpretation of Data's range description. As the screenshot to the left shows, the ships engage at a range of several hundred meters. Presumably, the Cardassians closed optimum range to maximize the effect of catching the Federation starship off-guard. Even so, the Trager's ambush caused only minor damage.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Point_blank_miss.jpg|thumb|right|Str-r-r-r-rike two!]]<br />
<br />
===TNG "Q Who"===<br />
When the ''[[Enterprise-D|Enterprise]]'' is attacked by a [[Borg]] [[Borg Cube|Cube]], [[Picard]] orders [[Worf]] to target the source of the [[tractor beam]] and fire. Shockingly, it takes Worf '''four tries''' to hit the beam emitter from point-blank range; the first three shots aren't even close!<br />
<br />
<br />
=== "Basics, Part I" ===<br />
<br />
''Voyager'' comes under attack from several [[Kazon]] [[Predator-class]] ships, which fire photon torpedoes starting from an unspecificed range greater than 10,000 kilometers. Janeway withholds firing until almost at point-blank range.<br />
<br />
Relevant dialog:<br />
<br />
:''PARIS: Here we go.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: They are randomly detonating torpedoes in our flight path.''<br />
:''KIM: Shields are holding. No damage.''<br />
:''JANEWAY: Hold your fire, Mister Tuvok. They may have torpedoes to waste. We don't.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Thirty seconds to intercept.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Take us out of warp.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Engaging impulse engines.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Power to all weapon systems. Stand by phasers.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Kazon vessel ten thousand kilometres off our starboard bow.''<br />
:''JANEWAY: Not yet.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Six thousand kilometres.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Not yet.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Five thousand, three, two thousand.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Now.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Initiating evasive manoeuvres, beta sequence.''<br />
:''TUVOK: Two more Kazon ships approaching.'' <br />
:''KIM: Shields at ninety percent.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Janeway to Torres. Initiate holo-programs.''<br />
<br />
It is clear that Voyager could at the very least have fired photon torpedoes at any time, but Janeway clearly wants to conserve them.<br />
<br />
===VOY "Non Sequitur" ===<br />
Ensign Harry Kim is thrust into an alternate timeline where he never served on ''Voyager''. In order to get back to his proper timeline, he convinces the alternate timeline Paris to help him steal a runabout and return to the temporal phenomena that brought him from his timeline to this one. Consequently they are pursued and fired on from several thousand kilometers by a Nebula-class starship.<br />
<br />
The relevant dialog:<br />
<br />
:''KIM: We've got a starship on our tail. Nebula-class''. <br />
:''PARIS: I'll try to lose 'em Harry, but they're a lot faster than we are.'' <br />
:''Voice: Attention runabout Yellowstone. Power down your engines or we will open fire.'' <br />
:''KIM: They're going to try to do everything they can to stop us. They think we're trying to steal this prototype.'' <br />
:''PARIS: They're closing to five thousand kilometres.'' <br />
:''KIM: Shields down to 70 percent. 50 percent. 29 percent.''<br />
<br />
Remarkably, in a cut scene between when Paris calls out the range and when Kim calls out shield damage, the visuals show the ''Yellowstone'' being hit by the Nebula's phaser beam which appears from far behind it, then the runabout passes out of view and the Nebula immediately appears as a small point, grows larger as it nears the camera, and then passes offscreen as the runabout did.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhCRp3j2JeE&feature=related</ref><br />
<br />
===VOY "Equinox"===<br />
''[[USS Voyager|Voyager]]'' reportedly attacks the ''[[USS Equinox|Equinox]]'' with phasers from 30,000 km away. Upon closer inspection of the episode, however, we find that no evidence of such range exists. On the contrary, the episode implies far shorter maximum ranges of Federation ships.<br />
<br />
The relevant dialog:<br/><br />
:''[Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''PARIS: Thirty thousand kilometres and closing.''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Target their power core.''<br/><br />
:''[Equinox Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''GILMORE: Direct hit. Minor damage.''<br/><br />
:''RANSOM: Return fire.''[http://www.chakoteya.net/Voyager/525.htm]<br/><br />
[[Image:Equinoxp range 1.jpg|thumb|right|According to Trektards, this is supposed to be 30,000 km.<br/>Tee-hee-hee]]Since Janeway only instructed the crew to start targeting Equinox's power core at 30,000km and since there is a scene cut between the order and the first seen hit there is no way to determine how far away Voyager actually was when it started firing upon Equinox.<br />
Further events in the episode suggest much lower ranges:<br/><br />
:''RANSOM: Lay in a course through the planet's atmosphere. Sixty degree vector.''<br/><br />
:''[Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: What the hell is he doing. Follow him!''<br/><br />
:''PARIS: Crossing the upper thermosphere.''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Phasers. ''<br/><br />
:''TUVOK: Shields are weakening. Thirty one percent, twenty nine.''<br/><br />
:''KIM: Inertial dampers are offline.''<br/><br />
:''CHAKOTAY: Captain, if we loose our shields well be attacked by the aliens. Captain!''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Break off pursuit. ''<br/><br />
If Voyager were capable of scoring hits from anywhere near 30,000km, there would be no need to follow the ''Equinox'' into the atmosphere and risk damage due to atmospheric friction.<br />
<br />
===TNG "The Arsenal of Freedom"===<br />
Left in command of the ''Enterprise'', [[Geordi Laforge|Geordi]] takes the drive section of the ship into the atmosphere of the planet to lure a [[cloaking device|cloaked]] alien drone into following them. The drone pursues them into the atmosphere, where they are able to detect its wake and target it. If the drone were capable of attacking from a range of thousands of kilometers, it would not have needed to follow the ''Enterprise'' into the planet's atmosphere. Geordi's tactic is presumably based on the assumption that the Minosian drone's targeting limitations are similar to their own. <br />
<br />
Earlier in the episode the drone is shown firing from a much longer range at the ''Enterprise''. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L22iX1WlbSc&feature=related </ref><br />
<br />
===TNG "A Matter of Honor"===<br />
A [[Klingon Bird of Prey]] is preparing to attack the ''Enterprise-D''. Riker, serving aboard as an exchange officer, advises to the Klingon captain to close to within 40,000 km before firing.<br />
<br />
:''RIKER: You'll get only one shot.'' <br />
:''KARGAN: We'll only need one. Stand by on phasers and torpedoes. Prepare to fire them simultaneously.'' <br />
:''RIKER: I recommend you don't fire until you're within forty thousand kilometers''. <br />
:''KLAG: Why?'' <br />
:''RIKER: It will cut down their response time.'' <br />
<br />
The dialogue suggest that the ships could have engaged from a range of more than 40,000 km.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser&diff=19010
Phaser
2011-01-26T11:57:32Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* External Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok handphaser.jpg|thumb|400px|right|And the extra gets disintegrated.]]'''Phasers''' are the primary [[energy weapon]]s used in [[Star Trek]]. They can scale from concealable hand weapons to starship weapons.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
Phasers are particle beams<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> that usually heat materials they strike. They often start chain reactions of an unknown nature that continue well after the beam stops striking the target. Phasers at full power have been known to make their targets completely disappear, an effect often described as "vaporization", although it is never accompanied by the violent explosion and superheated cloud of vapor one would expect from vaporizing a target such as a human in less than a second.<br />
<br />
The operating principle of phasers -- whatever it may be -- makes them more effective against some materials than others. While they can make human tissue disappear in a moment, they are far less effective against denser materials like metals and completely ineffective against some materials, such as "toranium inlay"<ref>DS9 "The Forsaken"</ref>.<br />
<br />
===Power Settings===<br />
From their first appearance in continuity<ref>ENT "Broken Bow"</ref>, [[hand phaser]]s have had variable power settings. A "stun" setting can incapacitate targets for capture without causing serious harm; one incident<ref>TOS "Piece of the Action"</ref> has shown that even [[starship]] phasers have this capability, enabling them to stun large numbers of people from orbit. When fired at point-blank range continuously, the stun setting can still be lethal. <ref>"The Undiscovered Country"</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:Phaser rock heating.jpg|thumb|right|Sulu heats up some rocks]]Phasers also have a "kill" setting which ranges in effect from causing serious injury to making targets disappear entirely<ref>TNG "The Vengeance Factor"</ref>. Phasers set to kill have also been used to cut through tree trunks<ref>ENT "Terra Nova"</ref>, heat rocks to serve as make-shift campfires<ref>TOS "The Enemy Within"</ref>, and blast through rock<ref>TNG "Chain of Command</ref><ref>''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Trekkie]]s have claimed that a single shot from a hand phaser can rearrange the landscape by bringing down buildings or mountains. Despite one supporting claim from a deranged character<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref>, hand-phasers have never demonstrated firepower of this magnitude, and characters routinely protect themselves from phaser fire by hiding behind ordinary rock formations<ref>TNG "Gambit"</ref> or even packing crates<ref>TNG "Too Short a Season"</ref>. Phasers certainly can blast through stone, but Star Trek combatants almost never use such settings in combat, indicating that doing so would have disadvantages, such as rapid depletion of the weapon's power supply.<br />
<br />
As noted, phasers on high power settings can make living targets disappear. Trekkies have argued that such targets are "vaporized" and used such incidents to calculate phaser firepower based on the energy required to boil 50-100 kg of water into steam, but phaser "vaporization" incidents never produce the large cloud of super-heated '''vapor''' that would inevitably result from actually vaporizing a human being. Consequently, some other effect must be occurring in such incidents, making it impossible to calculate hand-phaser firepower from "vaporization".<br />
<br />
===Beam Adjustment===<br />
Phasers typically produce a narrow beam, but they can be adjusted to produce a cone- or fan-shaped "spray" of energy. These "wide-beam" shots have been shown to be capable of simultaneously stunning multiple people in the affected area at a range of several meters<ref>VOY "Cathexis"</ref>.<br />
<br />
Despite the potential to affect many targets and suppress areas of a battlefield with wide-beam phaser fire, Federation troops invariably use only narrow beams in battle. This behavior indicates that wide beams have extremely limited utility in combat situations. One obvious reason is that the power intensity of spreading beams will drop rapidly with increasing range, making them ineffective at typical combat ranges.<br />
<br />
==Phaser types==<br />
<br />
Phasers are classified by "type", a designation system that seems to take into account the size, power consumption and intended use of the phaser. While only five phaser types are explicitly mentioned (1-4 and 8), the remainder of the scale is represented in various secondary materials.<br />
<br />
===[[Hand phaser]]s===<br />
<br />
* Type 1: The smallest phaser type, these weapons can be concealed in the palm of the user's hand.<br />
<br />
* Type 2: Originally consisting of a Type 1 fitted with a pistol grip and additional power pack<ref>TOS: the Devil In the Dark</ref>, the Type 2 evolved into a standalone weapon, and is the standard [[Starfleet]] sidearm.<br />
<br />
===[[Phaser rifle]]===<br />
<br />
* Type 3: This type comprises the various incarnations of the phaser rifle, a larger, two-handed version of the phaser pistol.<br />
<br />
===[[Starship phasers]]===<br />
<br />
* Types 4-7: Low-power, non-portable phaser banks mounted on [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]]<ref>TNG: The Outcast</ref> and [[Danube-class|runabouts]].<br />
<br />
* Types 8-10: High-power phaser banks and arrays mounted on [[starship]]s<ref>[[Star Trek: Generations]]</ref> and [[starbase]]s.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Disruptor]]s<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
* [[Phase cannon]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam1.html Stardestroyer.net Phaser analysis]<br />
* [http://picard578.hostoi.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html Trekkie analysis] that estimates 170 to 670 MW of firepower for hand phasers.<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Photon_torpedo&diff=19009
Photon torpedo
2011-01-26T11:56:00Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* External Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok torpedo launch.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo launching from a [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] Federation starship]]'''Photon torpedoes''' are secondary missile weapons used by the starships of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They do damage via the release of gamma rays from a matter-[[antimatter]] reaction.<br />
<br />
Various alien powers use weapons that are visually similar to, or identified as, photon torpedoes. Whether they use the same operating principle is unknown; many of these weapons were local developments not based on the [[Federation]] design.<br />
<br />
== Variable Yields ==<br />
Photon torpedoes have been observed to have vastly different yields. Many of them can be explained through deliberate "dialing down" of the yields to avoid friendly fire, such as in ''The Final Frontier''. However, a popular theory is the antimatter injection theory. Since the release of the High Definition version of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', torpedoes have been confirmed to have their antimatter inserted in "real-time." As well, torpedo casings are noted in numerous episodes without their warhead.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the differences between the tactical yield and maximum yield is a logarithmic function of time, with more time required to ready the torpedo for a greater yield. In ''The Wrath of Khan'' special measures are taken to preload torpedoes in anticipation of battle.<br />
<br />
Based on the [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Database/Query-ST.php?Series=&Category=Naval+Weapons&EpName=Pegasus&Keywords=&Quotes=&Analysis=&Submit=Submit energy required to destroy an asteroid], TNG-era photon torpedoes have a maximum yield of hundreds of kilotons.<ref>TNG "The Pegasus"</ref><br />
<br />
===Trekkie Yield Claims===<br />
Trekkies have argued that the episode "Skin of Evil", in which a photon torpedo detonation on a planet is viewed from orbit, indicates a yield of as much as 9.83 gigatons (air blast) to 144 gigatons (fireball), but the effect seen appears and disappears far too quickly to be either phenomenon. Their "low end estimate", assuming the effect seen was result of thermal radiation, is 500 megatons.<br />
<br />
===Data from TNG and DS9 Technical Manuals===<br />
According to the [[canon|non-canon]] ''TNG Technical Manual'', a photon torpedo can carry up to 1.5 kg of antimatter, giving it a theoretical maximum yield of 64 megatons. Based on a 74% efficiency estimate found in the ''DS9 Technical Manual'', the actual energy release would be closer to 48 megatons for a maximum-yield torpedo. These yield estimates are incompatible with evidence from canon events.<br />
<br />
== Warp Propulsion ==<br />
Photon torpedoes do not have a [[warp drive]], but they do have something called a "sustainer engine" that allows them to keep travelling at warp speed if launched from a starship that is already traveling at warp.<ref>TNG "Half a Life"</ref><br />
<br />
== Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot ==<br />
[[Image:Twok torpedo bay.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo bay of the [[Enterprise (TOS)|''USS Enterprise'']]]]As witnessed in ''The Wrath of Khan'', torpedoes are stored and ferried to their launchers by a complex system of pulleys and conveyor belts on [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] starships. Such a system would be highly prone to failure under battle stress, and it is common for enemies to target specific weapons systems and disable them. Due to the "leaky" nature of [[ST Shields|Star Trek's shields]], a pinpoint strike against a ship even with its shields up could knock out the conveyor system. <br />
<br />
Recent incarnations of [[Starfleet]] ships such as the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'' have more torpedo launchers. These additional torpedo launchers are nowhere near the size of the torpedo bays on [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]], [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]], or other Starfleet vessels. Rather than assume greater firepower due to increased number of torpedo launchers, another more elegant explanation is the Federation attempting to do away with this conveyor system.<br />
<br />
One example is the single-shot launcher on top of the observation lounge on the ''Enterprise-E''. Either the launcher is single shot, because there is no room for the complex machinery required for the conveyor system, or there is a hard line and the torpedoes are transported to the launcher. Another possibility is a site-to-site transport. All of these approaches present serious problems of their own, such as greater power usage and complexity for no gain.<br />
<br />
The most satisfying solution would be to not use antimatter torpedoes at all, but the Federation apparently deems the additional firepower worth the risk.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Quantum torpedo]]<br />
* [[Transphasic torpedo]]<br />
* [[Photonic torpedo]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Torpedoes/Torpedo1.html Stardestroyer.net article on photon torpedoes]<br />
* Picard578's trekkie [http://picard578.hostoi.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/starship_tactical_systems/photon_torpedoes.html calculations].<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /></div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Turbolaser&diff=18936
Turbolaser
2011-01-15T17:05:22Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Power */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Turbolaser-dt1.jpg|thumb|300px|Heavy anti-starship turbolaser turret.]]<br />
<br />
'''Turbolasers''' are the primary [[energy weapons]] mounted on ships in ''[[Star Wars]]''. These weapons are usually placed on starships, space stations, and sometimes, as ground defense turrets. Normally, they consist of an invisible lightspeed beam with visible bolt that travels along the beam.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
<br />
For years, the nature of turbolasers had been a mystery to technical debaters, as the behavior of the bolts does not coincide with any real-life phenomena.<br />
<br />
=== Old Ideas ===<br />
<br />
A naive interpretation of the name "turbolaser" led many to believe they were simply pulses of photons. In technical circles, this idea was derided due to the obviously slower-than-light propagation of the visible bolt.<br />
<br />
Attempts to explain the behavior typically included the idea of a plasma bolt somehow contained by a magnetic jacket. There was no explanation for how the supposed magnetic containment field was maintained, nor could the supporters explain the purpose of the plasma given the energy requirements of the containment field itself. Nor could it explain instances of the target receiving damage before the bolt impacted.<br />
<br />
Various printed sources attempted to explain the nature of turbolasers and [[Blaster|blasters]], but the various descriptions conflicted with each other.<br />
<br />
In the end, everyone had to simply agree that the nature of the bolts was unknown.<br />
<br />
=== Current Understanding ===<br />
<br />
The release of ''[[Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections|Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections]]'' spurred more research into the nature of turbolasers. Dr. [[Curtis Saxton]] asserts that turbolasers consist of an invisible lightspeed beam that is the primary damaging component and that the visible, slower-than-light bolt traveled along the beam as waste glow.<br />
<br />
Some initially considered the description silly and dismissed it. Obviously, they thought, the delay between the activation of the weapon and the destructive output (which usually coincides with the arrival of the bolt) means that the weapon's output did not travel at lightspeed.<br />
<br />
Others proposed that a turbolaser cannon fired a weak beam that ramps up in power, and that the visible bolt's apparent velocity is timed by the targeting computer to arrive at the target when the cannon's beam had finally ramped up to a damaging output level. The Ramp-Up Theory was born.<br />
<br />
The Ramp-Up Theory explains several peculiar instances of turbolaser behavior:<br />
*Bolt vector redirection from an ISD firing on an asteroid (if the beam is redirected, the bolt must travel along the changing path of the beam)<br />
*A turbolaser bolt fired by the ''Executor'' harmlessly travels through an [[A-wing]]<ref>[[:Image:Tl_through_awing.jpg|Picture of turbolaser bolt passing through an A-wing]]</ref> (the beam was still ramping up) <br />
*Damage before impact on an asteroid (mistimed bolt meant the beam ramped up enough to be destructive before the bolt arrived)<br />
*Relatively consistent timing between firing and impact (typically 3 or 4 frames), regardless of range<br />
*Bolts remaining in front of Wedge's [[X-wing]] in ''Return of the Jedi'' despite the X-wing pulling up<ref>[[:Image:Wedge_offaxis.gif|Animation of Wedge attacking TIE Interceptor]]</ref> (another instance of bolt vector changing in mid-flight)<br />
<br />
The description found in the AotC:ICS agrees with various other printed sources, as well. For example, ''[[Shadows of the Empire]]'' mentions an invisible beam with an ionized marker.<ref>''Shadows of the Empire'', page 326</ref><br />
<br />
== Power ==<br />
The turbolasers found on the [[Acclamator-class]] are rated at 200 gigatons per shot in the AOTC:ICS.<br />
<br />
The main turbolasers of a ''Venator'' class Star Destroyer have a maximum combined output of approximately 860 teratons per second (RotS:ICS).<br />
<br />
Various calculations have been performed on turbolaser power over the years. Some were conservative estimates based on the destruction of asteroids in [[The Empire Strikes Back]]. Others were based off of the energy required to perform a [[Base Delta Zero]] operation.<br />
<br />
However, RotS novelization [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_wars/space/starship_tactical_systems/turbolasers.html suggests] 1.5 megatons per shot.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
*[http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam2.html Star Wars: Imperial Beam Weapons]<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
<references/><br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category:SW Starship Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=United_Federation_of_Planets&diff=18935
United Federation of Planets
2011-01-15T17:03:46Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Threat Assessment */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Federation symbol.png|thumb|right|Emblem of the Federation]]<br />
The '''United Federation of Planets''' is a major political entity in the [[Alpha Quadrant]] of the [[Milky Way]] galaxy in ''[[Star Trek]]''.<br />
<br />
==Organization==<br />
The Federation is governed by a President and the Federation Council, both of which have offices on [[Earth]]. The means by which Federation officials attain their positions has never been clearly described. Evidence suggests that the Council consists of ambassadors appointed by the planetary governments of their homeworlds, but the appointment process for the Federation President is completely unknown. It may be noteworthy, however, that in 28 years of televised ''[[Star Trek]]'' and ten movies, there has never been any mention of an election in the Federation.<br />
<br />
The Federation has at least one secret intelligence organization called [[Section 31]]<ref>[[DS9]] "Inquisition"</ref>. It is not clear whether Section 31 is entirely an external intelligence and "black-ops" agency or it also functions as an internal intelligence and secret police service.<br />
<br />
==Attributes==<br />
The Federation, or at least parts of it, seem to operate on a socialist or even [[communism|communist]] economic model. Evidence includes the lack of [[currency]] in many episodes, descriptions of the Federation's non-capitalist economy base, and government monopolies that appear to control space travel, interstellar communications, and scientific research. In any event, their society is so far removed from a free market economy that many Federation citizens have completely forgotten about [[capitalism]]. Captain [[Picard]] and [[Beverly Crusher]] are both intelligent, educated people by Federation standards, yet neither one understood the concept of investment or payment for services rendered.<ref>[[TNG]] "The Neutral Zone"</ref><br />
<br />
==Territory==<br />
The Federation consists of approximately 150 member planets spread across approximately 8,000 light-years of space, as well at least 1,000 semi-autonomous colonies.<ref>http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/United_Federation_of_Planets#Size_and_location</ref> It is not clear whether this figure indicates that Federation territory is roughly spherical with a diameter of 8,000 light-years or some other shape with a total volume of approximately 8,000 cubic light-years.<br />
<br />
The Federation shares borders with the [[Klingon Empire]], the [[Romulan Star Empire]], and the [[Cardassian Union]].<br />
<br />
Major planetary members of the Federation include [[Earth]], [[Vulcan]], [[Betazed]], [[Andorian Empire|Andor]], Tellaria, and Bolia.<br />
<br />
==Threat Assessment==<br />
The Federation has technology comparable to that of the other major powers in the Alpha Quadrant. Their military readiness, however, is lacking compared to that of their neighbors. While their ships are individually powerful, often substantially more powerful than those of their neighbors,<ref>TNG "The Wounded"</ref> they tend to be few in number, as indicated by the perpetual shortage of ships in position to respond to military emergencies.<ref>''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', TNG "Angel One", TNG "The Best of Both Worlds"</ref> Furthermore, many [[Starfleet]] officers do not regard Starfleet as a military organization (despite its control of nearly all military assets in the Federation), and Starfleet itself does not conduct routine combat exercises to keep its crews prepared for military action.<ref>TNG "Peak Performance"</ref><br />
Still, in DS9, Changeling impersonating Martok implied that Federation will be able to push back Klingon invasion, suggesting that, one on one, Federation is more powerful than Klingon empire (albeit not extremely so), despite being less militarized.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:Factions]]<br />
[[Category:ST Politics]]<br />
[[Category:Human Factions]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Star_Wars_Incredible_Cross_Sections&diff=18934
Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections
2011-01-15T16:59:26Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* The End of the Versus Debate */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Trekkie_kryptonite.jpg|thumb|right|The nail in the [[Trektard]] coffin.]]The '''''Star Wars Incredible Cross-Sections''''' (often abbreviated '''ICS''') is a series of books that contain technical cutaway diagrams of ships, vehicles, and technological items from all of the [[Star Wars]] films. The ICS books for the original trilogy and Episode 1 were written by David West Reynolds, while the books for Episodes 2 and 3 were written by [[Curtis Saxton]].<br />
<br />
== The End of the Versus Debate ==<br />
The release of ''Star Wars Incredible Cross-Sections: Attack of the Clones'' is sometimes referred to as the end of the versus debate against ''Star Trek'' (and some other franchises) because it gives clear, quantified figures for acceleration, weapons, and defensive shielding to various ships appearing in the movie. However, it is still lower canon than G-canon (if canon at all), which means that evidence from G canon can override it.<br />
<br />
[[Category:SW Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Isomagnetic_disintegrator&diff=18933
Isomagnetic disintegrator
2011-01-15T16:53:31Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Isomag disintegrator.jpg|thumb|right|[[Worf]] fires an isomagnetic disintegrator...]]<br />
[[Image:Isomag blast.jpg|thumb|right|... to disable some So'na troops.]]<br />
An '''isomagnetic disintegrator''' (also known as a '''Worfzooka''') is a [[Federation]] support weapon seen in ''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''.<br />
<br />
==Performance==<br />
[[Worf]] used an isomagnetic disintegrator against a small group of [[So'na]] soldiers on a distant ridge. The result was an explosion comparable to that of a modern hand grenade that incapacitated a few So'na soldiers.<br />
<br />
The explosion was not significantly larger than the explosions sometimes caused by [[hand phaser]]s on high settings.<ref>[[TOS]] "Friday's Child", [[TNG]] "Hide and Q"</ref> The lack of any noticeable difference in firepower suggests that the advantage of the isomagnetic disintegrator is accuracy at greater range.<br />
<br />
However, it is more plausible that weapon in question is not isomagnetic disintegrator but rather tachyon pulse launcher, so it is be used for deactivation of weapons.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Impulse_engine&diff=18932
Impulse engine
2011-01-15T16:40:53Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Galaxy impulse engine.jpg|thumb|right|Exterior of the impulse engine on a [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] [[starship]]]]'''Impulse engines''' are the primary means of sublight propulsion for space vessels in [[Star Trek]].<br />
<br />
==Operating Principles==<br />
An impulse engine consists of one or more [[nuclear fusion]] reactors connected to exhaust vents that generate thrust to accelerate the ship. The thrust generated by an impulse engine is typically tiny compared to the actual mass of the ship, but the use of "[[mass lightening]]" technology (involving [[subspace]] fields) reduces the effective mass of the ship enough for the thrust to provide considerable acceleration.<br />
<br />
Because impulse engines include fusion reactors, they are typically the ship's secondary power source, outpowered only by the [[warp core]].<br />
<br />
==Trivia==<br />
Purposefully overloading and detonating the impulse engines of a [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class ]] starship will produce an explosion equivalent to approximately 98 megatons.<br />
<br />
==Speed and acceleration==<br />
<br />
[http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/propulsion/impulse_drive.html This page] gives maximum speed of 0.8 c and acceleration of 100 000 km/s^2.<br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Propulsion]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Omega-class&diff=18931
Omega-class
2011-01-15T16:34:22Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Versus Debates */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Omega-class.jpg|thumb|300px|right|A can of whoopass emerges from [[hyperspace]].]]<br />
The '''''Omega''-class''' [[destroyer]] is the principle [[warship]] of the [[Earth Alliance]] in ''[[Babylon 5]]''.<br />
<br />
==Specifications==<br />
The ''Omega''-class destroyer is a massive warship, measuring approximately 1.5 kilometers in length. To mitigate the effects of long-term exposure to zero- or low-gravity, the ship has a rotating section to simulate gravity for the crew. Lacking the technology to create true artificial gravity, the ''Omega''-class has no means of compensating for the effects of acceleration on its crew, limiting its sublight acceleration to what the crew can tolerate. Officers have been seen to walk about the bridge without a harness or handholds during combat operations,<ref>B5 "Severed Dreams"</ref> indicating that even in combat the ship does not accelerate hard enough to seriously impede such movement.<br />
<br />
The ''Omega''-class carries its own jump engines, enabling it to open a vortex into or out of [[hyperspace]]. Recharging the jump engines after opening a vortex takes several minutes.<br />
<br />
[[Image:B5 omega beam.jpg|thumb|right|''EAS Alexander'' fires one of its main beam weapons]]The primary weapons of the ''Omega''-class are heavy particle beams mounted at the bow and stern. These can fire either continuous beams or pulses with an estimated firepower of roughly 40 TW. The mounts can traverse, giving the weapons a considerable field of fire.<br />
<br />
Secondary weapons for the ''Omega''-class include pulse cannon turrets mounted along its length. While not confirmed, it is likely they also carry missiles with nuclear warheads, since earlier classes of EarthForce warship carried such weapons.<br />
<br />
''Omega''-class destroyers appear to be capable of accurately targeting enemy starships at ranges of hundreds or thousands of kilometers, but their weapons are not well-suited to accurately bombarding targets on a planet's surface.<ref>''Crusade'' "The Long Road"</ref><br />
<br />
For defense, the ''Omega''-class relies upon physical armor to resist damage and [[electronic countermeasures]] and [[interceptor]]s to avoid taking hits. Interceptors are pulse weapons that target inbound pulses, missiles, fighter craft, and beams. While interceptor pulses will destroy missiles or fighters and disrupt incoming pulses, they will apparently only mitigate the effect of attacking beam weapons.<br />
<br />
An ''Omega''-class destroyer carries a squadron of [[starfighter]]s (known as [[Starfury|Starfuries]]) for support in combat and presumably some [[shuttle]]s.<br />
<br />
==Versus Debates==<br />
[[Fivers]] sometimes argue that an ''Omega''-class destroyer could defeat a [[Federation]] [[Galaxy-class]] [[starship]] or [[Imperial Star Destroyer]] in battle. While it might arguably stand a chance against a Federation starship (if we take only low-end showings of former), the known power of EarthForce warships is dwarfed by that of Imperial warships.<br />
<br />
==Notable Omega-Class Ships==<br />
*[[EAS Alexander]]<br />
*[[EAS Churchill]]<br />
*[[EAS Agamemnon]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.babtech-onthe.net/ea/eawarships.htm#omega ''Omega''-class] at BabTech on the Net<br />
** [http://www.babtech-onthe.net/calculators/firepowercalculator.htm#Omega-class%20Destroyer ''Omega''-class firepower estimate]<br />
* [http://b5tech.com/earthalliance/earthallianceshipsandvessels/earthcapships/omega/omega.html ''Omega''-class] at B5Tech.com<br />
<br />
[[Category: Babylon 5]]<br />
[[Category: B5 Starships]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Starfleet&diff=18930
Starfleet
2011-01-15T16:31:41Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Fleet Size */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Starfleet''' is the exploratory and military body of the [[United Federation of Planets]] in ''[[Star Trek]]''.<br />
<br />
==Mission==<br />
Starfleet's official mission is exploration: "To seek out new life and new civilizations -- to boldly go where no one has gone before." Consequently, Starfleet vessels carry large quantities of scientific equipment, and large portions of their crews are researchers.<br />
<br />
Despite its stated mission, however, Starfleet is also solely responsible for the defense of the Federation. In addition to science equipment, Starfleet vessels are heavily armed and shielded, making them formidable opponents for the other [[Alpha Quadrant]] powers.<br />
<br />
===[[Star Trek (2009)]]===<br />
In the new ''Star Trek'' movie, [[Christopher Pike|Captain Pike]] describes Starfleet as a "humanitarian and peacekeeping armada". Having peacekeeping as a primary function helps to explain the heavy armament of the Federation's starships.<br />
<br />
==Military Readiness==<br />
Despite access to some of the most powerful combat ships in the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation remains poorly prepared for a military emergency. While powerful individually, their fleet assets are so few and so scattered that they frequently have few or no ships in position to respond to a military emergency, even ones near the Solar System. Worsening the situation, Starfleet command generally sees defense as a secondary function at best, so they require no military exercises to maintain the combat skills of their crews.<br />
<br />
Worse still, as the Federation's only defense organization, Starfleet is responsible for ground combat operations as well, and the preparedness of their [[Red Shirt|ground troops]] is even more obviously inadequate. Presumably, since at least smaller starships are capable of atmospheric flight and combat, it is possible that Starfleet sees heavy ground equipment (tanks, artillery, etc.) both vulnerable and unnecessary.<br />
<br />
==Fleet Size==<br />
Some [[trektards]] insist that the "NCC" hull numbers on [[starship]]s are indicative of the number of vessels in active service, which would mean Starfleet numbers roughly 50,000 ships.<br />
However, in real-life navies, new hull numbers are created as new ships are built, instead of being reapplied to newly built vessels. Therefore, smaller numbers are more reasonable. Also, runabouts too have NCC numbers assigned, meaning that total number of capital ships is way lower than 50 000 hulls, even not counting previous losses.<br />
<br />
With three years to prepare for the [[Dominion]] threat, Starfleet fielded thousands of vessels during the [[Dominion War]], including individual fleets numbering hundreds of vessels. On other occasions, Starfleet has had severe difficulty mustering more than a few dozen ships in response to an unexpected military emergency (TNG "The Best of Both Worlds, TNG "Redemption").<br />
<br />
[http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/fleet.html This] page suggests 6 000 to 9 000 capital ships as being optimal guess for size of Starfleet.<br />
<br />
===[[Star Trek (2009)]]===<br />
In the new ''Star Trek'' movie, the bulk of the Federation's fleet (an unspecified number of starships) is deployed to the Laurentian system, leaving only seven -- largely uncrewed -- starships at [[Earth]]. Starfleet is forced to crew the ships with cadets in order to send them out in response to a disaster report from [[Vulcan]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Size]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Galaxy-class&diff=18929
Galaxy-class
2011-01-15T16:28:36Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Technical Data */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Galaxies-endgame.jpg|thumb|right|At least seven Galaxy Class ships close to Sector 001.]]The '''''Galaxy''-class''' is a multi-role starship used by [[Starfleet]] in the 24th century.<br />
<br />
==Technical Data==<br />
A ''Galaxy''-class starship is equipped with twelve phaser arrays<ref>did a dedicated count on the model</ref>, 275 photon torpedoes fired from forward and aft tubes, and a high capacity shield grid<ref>TNG "Conundrum"</ref>. It can maintain speeds of Warp 9.3 with minimal risk, but the engines will sustain damage if forced to maintain higher speeds for an extended time. Attempting to maintain Warp 9.8 involves a high risk of damaging or destroying the ship<ref>TNG "Encounter at Farpoint"</ref>. The USS Venture was later refitted with two extra phaser arrays sometime before mid-2372.<ref>DS9: Way of the Warrior</ref><br />
<br />
The class shows an astonishing number of glaring design flaws for a vessel that would be expected to act as a front-line [[warship]] in the event of a military confrontation.<br />
<br />
* While it is the largest design ever produced by [[Starfleet]], it makes extremely poor use of space. Quarters for the ship's personnel are luxurious suites instead of compact staterooms, and much of the [[saucer section|primary hull]] is devoted to scientific laboratories, cargo bays, recreational facilities, and other equipment with little military value. The primary hull includes entire decks with no specific purpose<ref>TNG "Liaisons"</ref>, and a large lounge area occupies the bow of the ship.<br />
* The class was designed to carry a large number of civilians, resulting in large numbers of non-combatant personnel on the ship. The primary hull ([[saucer section|saucer]]) was designed to detach and carry the civilians to safety should the ship be called into battle, but the [[impulse engine]]s in the primary hull contain so much of the ship's power reserves that it needs to be in place to maximize the ship's combat effectiveness<ref>TNG "Best of Both Worlds"</ref>.<br />
* Ships of the class are especially noted for the poor performance of critical safety systems. <br />
** In several instances, "fail-safe" systems designed to shut down or eject the ship's [[warp core]] in the event of an imminent containment breach failed to operate, sometimes resulting in the destruction of the ship<ref>TNG "Cause and Effect"</ref>.<br />
** Virtually all of the ship's safety systems are controlled by the central computer, resulting in severe risk if the computer suffers damage or a major malfunction<ref>TNG "Contagion"</ref>.<br />
** The biofilter built into the [[transporter]] system to keep infectious diseases from being transported onto the ship consistently fails to detect and isolate new pathogens.<ref>TNG "Angel One", "Shades of Gray"</ref><br />
** The safety features of its [[holodeck]]s are notoriously unreliable.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Sacraficeofangels091.jpg|thumb|right|Three Galaxy-class ships in 2374.]]<br />
Despite these problems, the ''Galaxy''-class proved itself a powerful warship during the [[Dominion War]]. In the [[First Battle of Chin'toka]], the ''[[USS Galaxy]]'' took several hull breaches from [[Cardassian]] [[orbital defense platform]]s, suggesting that most of aforementioned flaws were corrected in meantime. <ref>DS9 "Tears of the Prophets" </ref>. In the [[Battle of Cardassia]], several ''Galaxy''-class ships participated in the battle. 2 years later, seven ''Galaxy''-class ships were near Earth when ''[[USS Voyager|Voyager]]'' returned home.<ref>VGR "Endgame" </ref><br />
<br />
==History==<br />
{{Sectionstub}}<br />
<br />
==Notable ships==<br />
* ''[[Enterprise-D|USS Enterprise]]'' NCC-1701-D<br />
* ''[[Odyssey|USS Odyssey]]'' NCC-71832<br />
* ''[[Yamato|USS Yamato]]'' NCC-71807<br />
* ''[[USS Galaxy]]'' NCC-70637 <ref>DS9: Tears of the Prophets. Star Trek: Nemesis</ref><br />
* ''[[USS Venture]]'' NCC-71854 <ref>DS9: Way of the Warrior, Sacrifice of Angels, Tears of the Prophets, What You Leave Behind</ref><br />
* ''[[USS Challenger]]'' NCC-71099 <ref>VGR: Timeless, Endgame</ref><br />
* ''[[USS Trinculo]]'' NCC-71867<br />
* ''[[USS Magellan]]'' NCC-71820<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starships]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Starship_phasers&diff=18928
Starship phasers
2011-01-15T16:26:40Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Range */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Ship_phaser_correct.jpg|thumb|right|The peaceful explorer ship unloads a can of whoopass.]]'''Starship phasers''' are the primary weapons used by the [[Starfleet]] of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They use the same operating principles as [[Phaser|hand-phasers]], but they are much more powerful.<br />
<br />
==Firepower==<br />
The phasers on a [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] starship can deliver at least a terawatt of power. Because phasers create chain reactions in their targets, the damage they inflict can be disproportionate to the energy delivered.<br />
<br />
===Firepower Examples===<br />
;TNG "Who Watches the Watchers"<br />
:4.2 GW of power will supply a small phaser bank. What constitutes a "small" phaser bank is unclear.<br />
<br />
;TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1"<br />
:The power output of the Enterprise's weapons -- including phasers -- is far less than the potential output of its main [[deflector dish]].<br />
<br />
;TNG "Night Terrors"<br />
:A deflector dish blast releases less energy than the exothermic chemical reaction of hydrogen and another exotic compound. Consequently, the output of the ship's phasers must also be less. <br />
<br />
;TNG "A Matter of Time"<br />
:A high-power burst from the phasers can be difficult to control to within a 0.06 TW (60 GW) tolerance, indicating that TW-range output is possible but control is limited at such high power levels.<br />
<br />
;TNG "The Survivors"<br />
:In an early appearance, an illusory [[Husnock]] warship fires on the ''Enterprise'' using anti-matter bursts with an "equivalent firepower" of 40 MW (presumably equivalent to a 40 MW phaser); the crew considers these bursts essentially harmless. In a subsequent appearance, the Husnock ship fires 400 GW bursts that cause extensive damage and clearly surprise the crew. Presumably the weapons of the ''Enterprise'' and other [[Alpha Quadrant]] warships typically operate somewhere between these extremes.<br />
<br />
;''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''<br />
:A chemical explosion of low-density metryon gas is more effective as a weapon than the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'s'' phasers and [[quantum torpedo]]es. Prior loss of the [[warp core]] probably affects phaser power, however. <br />
<br />
;''[[ST:TNG Technical Manual]]'' (''not'' a [[canon]] source)<br />
:The power output of the Enterprise's phaser arrays is 1.02 GW.<br />
<br />
==[[ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range|Range]]==<br />
[[Image:Warp fields.gif|thumb|right|Warp field interaction may restrict range at FTL speeds.]]The [[ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range|range]] of starship phasers is difficult to determine, largely because examples tend to be contradictory. When seen on screen, hostile ships invariably close to within a few kilometers of each other before exchanging phaser fire.<br />
<br />
Dialogue often suggests far greater ranges (as much as [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/starship_tactical_systems/phasers.html 190 000 km] in [[TNG]] "The Phoenix") but sometimes indicates much lower ranges (as little as 500 meters for optimum effect in [[DS9]] "The Die is Cast"), althought these are not standard "beam", put rather pulse phasers.<br />
<br />
From a practical standpoint, ships using lightspeed beam weapons against each other won't be able to engage while using faster-than-light propulsion systems unless the "warp field" generated by the attacker's engines either extends far enough to enclose the target or interacts with the target's own warp field to create a "free fire" path between the two ships.<br />
<br />
The use of lightspeed weapons and sensors may also affect range, as sensor lag will reduce accuracy as range increases. A target a light-second away from the attacker may move a ship-length or more in the amount of time it takes a burst from a beam weapon to propagate to the target, causing a miss. The attacker could compensate by predicting the target's position, but evasive maneuvers would make such predictions unreliable. At shorter ranges, a target simply won't be able to move very far in the propagation time of the beam.<br />
<br />
==Distribution==<br />
[[Image:Ship_phaser_misplaced.jpg|thumb|right|What were the FX guys thinking this day?]]A [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] [[Federation]] [[starship]] primarily relies on two phaser arrays, a dorsal array atop the [[saucer section]] and a ventral array on the bottom of the saucer.<br />
<br />
In one of the most ridiculed FX goofs in Star Trek history, the ship's phasers were once seen to emerge from the forward torpedo tube of the ship's [[engineering section|drive section]] in TNG "Darmok".<br />
<br />
[[Category:ST_Starship_Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Starship_phasers&diff=18927
Starship phasers
2011-01-15T16:24:17Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Range */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Ship_phaser_correct.jpg|thumb|right|The peaceful explorer ship unloads a can of whoopass.]]'''Starship phasers''' are the primary weapons used by the [[Starfleet]] of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They use the same operating principles as [[Phaser|hand-phasers]], but they are much more powerful.<br />
<br />
==Firepower==<br />
The phasers on a [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] starship can deliver at least a terawatt of power. Because phasers create chain reactions in their targets, the damage they inflict can be disproportionate to the energy delivered.<br />
<br />
===Firepower Examples===<br />
;TNG "Who Watches the Watchers"<br />
:4.2 GW of power will supply a small phaser bank. What constitutes a "small" phaser bank is unclear.<br />
<br />
;TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1"<br />
:The power output of the Enterprise's weapons -- including phasers -- is far less than the potential output of its main [[deflector dish]].<br />
<br />
;TNG "Night Terrors"<br />
:A deflector dish blast releases less energy than the exothermic chemical reaction of hydrogen and another exotic compound. Consequently, the output of the ship's phasers must also be less. <br />
<br />
;TNG "A Matter of Time"<br />
:A high-power burst from the phasers can be difficult to control to within a 0.06 TW (60 GW) tolerance, indicating that TW-range output is possible but control is limited at such high power levels.<br />
<br />
;TNG "The Survivors"<br />
:In an early appearance, an illusory [[Husnock]] warship fires on the ''Enterprise'' using anti-matter bursts with an "equivalent firepower" of 40 MW (presumably equivalent to a 40 MW phaser); the crew considers these bursts essentially harmless. In a subsequent appearance, the Husnock ship fires 400 GW bursts that cause extensive damage and clearly surprise the crew. Presumably the weapons of the ''Enterprise'' and other [[Alpha Quadrant]] warships typically operate somewhere between these extremes.<br />
<br />
;''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''<br />
:A chemical explosion of low-density metryon gas is more effective as a weapon than the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'s'' phasers and [[quantum torpedo]]es. Prior loss of the [[warp core]] probably affects phaser power, however. <br />
<br />
;''[[ST:TNG Technical Manual]]'' (''not'' a [[canon]] source)<br />
:The power output of the Enterprise's phaser arrays is 1.02 GW.<br />
<br />
==[[ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range|Range]]==<br />
[[Image:Warp fields.gif|thumb|right|Warp field interaction may restrict range at FTL speeds.]]The [[ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range|range]] of starship phasers is difficult to determine, largely because examples tend to be contradictory. When seen on screen, hostile ships invariably close to within a few kilometers of each other before exchanging phaser fire.<br />
<br />
Dialogue often suggests far greater ranges (as much as 300,000 km in [[TNG]] "The Phoenix") but sometimes indicates much lower ranges (as little as 500 meters for optimum effect in [[DS9]] "The Die is Cast"), althought these are not standard "beam", put rather pulse phasers.<br />
<br />
From a practical standpoint, ships using lightspeed beam weapons against each other won't be able to engage while using faster-than-light propulsion systems unless the "warp field" generated by the attacker's engines either extends far enough to enclose the target or interacts with the target's own warp field to create a "free fire" path between the two ships.<br />
<br />
The use of lightspeed weapons and sensors may also affect range, as sensor lag will reduce accuracy as range increases. A target a light-second away from the attacker may move a ship-length or more in the amount of time it takes a burst from a beam weapon to propagate to the target, causing a miss. The attacker could compensate by predicting the target's position, but evasive maneuvers would make such predictions unreliable. At shorter ranges, a target simply won't be able to move very far in the propagation time of the beam.<br />
<br />
==Distribution==<br />
[[Image:Ship_phaser_misplaced.jpg|thumb|right|What were the FX guys thinking this day?]]A [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] [[Federation]] [[starship]] primarily relies on two phaser arrays, a dorsal array atop the [[saucer section]] and a ventral array on the bottom of the saucer.<br />
<br />
In one of the most ridiculed FX goofs in Star Trek history, the ship's phasers were once seen to emerge from the forward torpedo tube of the ship's [[engineering section|drive section]] in TNG "Darmok".<br />
<br />
[[Category:ST_Starship_Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser_rifle&diff=18926
Phaser rifle
2011-01-15T16:23:09Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:STFC_Phaser_Rifle.jpg|thumb|right|400px|A Federation security officer with a late-model phaser rifle]]<br />
A '''phaser rifle''' is the [[Star Trek]] [[Federation|Federation's]] [[phaser]]-based equivalent of a modern sub-machinegun or assault rifle. Several different styles have appeared in the course of the series. They are presumably more accurate over long distances than a [[hand phaser]], and they probably have larger power supplies.<br />
<br />
==Phaser III==<br />
Much like hand phasers, Phaser III is an [[ergonomic]] disaster that lacks proper sighting features and safety devices like a trigger guard.<br />
<br />
=="Assault Rifles"==<br />
Phaser rifles made during the [[Dominion War]] have trigger guards and scopes, features that previous models lacked. During the war emergency, [[Starfleet]] presumably did not have the luxury of sending every recruit through years of [[Starfleet Academy|Academy]] training, prompting them to design weapons that were easier to use.<br />
<br />
==Firepower==<br />
<br />
Type III phaser rifle [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/phaser_rifles.html has] output of little less than 1.57 GW.<br />
<br />
==Gallery==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:TOS_Phaser-3.jpg|Phaser 3 from [[TOS]]<br />
Image:TNG_Phaser-3.jpg|Phaser 3 from [[TNG]]<br />
Image:STFC_Phaser_Rifle.jpg|Phaser rifle from [[Star Trek: First Contact]]<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Phaser]]<br />
* [[Hand phaser]]<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: Small Arms]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Hand_phaser&diff=18925
Hand phaser
2011-01-15T16:21:26Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* TNG Hand Phasers */</p>
<hr />
<div>A '''hand phaser''' is essentially a [[phaser]] pistol. Various models have appeared in Star Trek through the years.<br />
<br />
==[[TOS]] Hand Phasers==<br />
In the original ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|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.<br />
<br />
"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.<br />
<br />
==[[TNG]] Hand Phasers==<br />
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.<br />
<br />
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 [[ergonomics|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<ref>TNG "The Arsenal of Freedom"</ref> or repel "firestorms"<ref>TNG "Lessons"</ref>, among other exotic applications.<br />
<br />
Output of TNG hand phaser has been [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html calculated] to be 170 to 670 MW.<br />
<br />
==Limitations==<br />
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 fission|nuclear reactor]] for a short time<ref>''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]''</ref>, and TNG-era hand phasers are known to be non-functional in the presence of "[[technobabble|hyperonic radiation]]", whatever that is<ref>TNG "Ensigns of Command"</ref>. "Energy dampening fields" also make conventional phasers useless,<ref>DS9 "Field of Fire"</ref> presumably by design. "Regenerative phasers" were eventually developed to mitigate some of the problems with using phasers in adverse environments.<ref>[[Data]] may have invented "regenerative phasers" in TNG "Ensigns of Command"</ref><br />
<br />
Hand phasers are widely considered [[ergonomics|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.<br />
<br />
==Gallery==<br />
<gallery><br />
Image:TOS_Phaser-1.jpg|Phaser 1 from TOS<br />
Image:TOS_Phaser-2.jpg|Phaser 2 from TOS<br />
Image:TNG_Phaser-1.jpg|Phaser 1 from TNG<br />
Image:TNG_Phaser-2.jpg|Phaser 2 from TNG<br />
</gallery><br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Phaser]]<br />
* [[Phaser rifle]]<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category: Small Arms]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser&diff=18924
Phaser
2011-01-15T16:18:56Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* External Links */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok handphaser.jpg|thumb|400px|right|And the extra gets disintegrated.]]'''Phasers''' are the primary [[energy weapon]]s used in [[Star Trek]]. They can scale from concealable hand weapons to starship weapons.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
Phasers are particle beams<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> that usually heat materials they strike. They often start chain reactions of an unknown nature that continue well after the beam stops striking the target. Phasers at full power have been known to make their targets completely disappear, an effect often described as "vaporization", although it is never accompanied by the violent explosion and superheated cloud of vapor one would expect from vaporizing a target such as a human in less than a second.<br />
<br />
The operating principle of phasers -- whatever it may be -- makes them more effective against some materials than others. While they can make human tissue disappear in a moment, they are far less effective against denser materials like metals and completely ineffective against some materials, such as "toranium inlay"<ref>DS9 "The Forsaken"</ref>.<br />
<br />
===Power Settings===<br />
From their first appearance in continuity<ref>ENT "Broken Bow"</ref>, [[hand phaser]]s have had variable power settings. A "stun" setting can incapacitate targets for capture without causing serious harm; one incident<ref>TOS "Piece of the Action"</ref> has shown that even [[starship]] phasers have this capability, enabling them to stun large numbers of people from orbit. When fired at point-blank range continuously, the stun setting can still be lethal. <ref>"The Undiscovered Country"</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:Phaser rock heating.jpg|thumb|right|Sulu heats up some rocks]]Phasers also have a "kill" setting which ranges in effect from causing serious injury to making targets disappear entirely<ref>TNG "The Vengeance Factor"</ref>. Phasers set to kill have also been used to cut through tree trunks<ref>ENT "Terra Nova"</ref>, heat rocks to serve as make-shift campfires<ref>TOS "The Enemy Within"</ref>, and blast through rock<ref>TNG "Chain of Command</ref><ref>''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Trekkie]]s have claimed that a single shot from a hand phaser can rearrange the landscape by bringing down buildings or mountains. Despite one supporting claim from a deranged character<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref>, hand-phasers have never demonstrated firepower of this magnitude, and characters routinely protect themselves from phaser fire by hiding behind ordinary rock formations<ref>TNG "Gambit"</ref> or even packing crates<ref>TNG "Too Short a Season"</ref>. Phasers certainly can blast through stone, but Star Trek combatants almost never use such settings in combat, indicating that doing so would have disadvantages, such as rapid depletion of the weapon's power supply.<br />
<br />
As noted, phasers on high power settings can make living targets disappear. Trekkies have argued that such targets are "vaporized" and used such incidents to calculate phaser firepower based on the energy required to boil 50-100 kg of water into steam, but phaser "vaporization" incidents never produce the large cloud of super-heated '''vapor''' that would inevitably result from actually vaporizing a human being. Consequently, some other effect must be occurring in such incidents, making it impossible to calculate hand-phaser firepower from "vaporization".<br />
<br />
However, it is possible to calculate firepower from events that can be presumed to be DET; these [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html give] 170 to 670 MW output for hand phasers. Given that Federation phaser rifles have [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/phaser_rifles.html output] of around 1.5 GW, such output for hand phasers is reasonable.<br />
<br />
===Beam Adjustment===<br />
Phasers typically produce a narrow beam, but they can be adjusted to produce a cone- or fan-shaped "spray" of energy. These "wide-beam" shots have been shown to be capable of simultaneously stunning multiple people in the affected area at a range of several meters<ref>VOY "Cathexis"</ref>. Phaser can also be set to kill or higher settings while on wide-beam.<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref> <ref>DS9 "Homefront"</ref> <ref>VOY "Cathexis</ref><br />
<br />
Despite the potential to affect many targets and suppress areas of a battlefield with wide-beam phaser fire, Federation troops invariably use only narrow beams in battle. This behavior indicates that wide beams have extremely limited utility in combat situations. One obvious reason is that the power intensity of spreading beams will drop rapidly with increasing range, making them ineffective at typical combat ranges.<br />
<br />
==Phaser types==<br />
<br />
Phasers are classified by "type", a designation system that seems to take into account the size, power consumption and intended use of the phaser. While only five phaser types are explicitly mentioned (1-4 and 8), the remainder of the scale is represented in various secondary materials.<br />
<br />
===[[Hand phaser]]s===<br />
<br />
* Type 1: The smallest phaser type, these weapons can be concealed in the palm of the user's hand.<br />
<br />
* Type 2: Originally consisting of a Type 1 fitted with a pistol grip and additional power pack<ref>TOS: the Devil In the Dark</ref>, the Type 2 evolved into a standalone weapon, and is the standard [[Starfleet]] sidearm.<br />
<br />
===[[Phaser rifle]]===<br />
<br />
* Type 3: This type comprises the various incarnations of the phaser rifle, a larger, two-handed version of the phaser pistol.<br />
<br />
===[[Starship phasers]]===<br />
<br />
* Types 4-7: Low-power, non-portable phaser banks mounted on [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]]<ref>TNG: The Outcast</ref> and [[Danube-class|runabouts]].<br />
<br />
* Types 8-10: High-power phaser banks and arrays mounted on [[starship]]s<ref>[[Star Trek: Generations]]</ref> and [[starbase]]s.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Disruptor]]s<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
* [[Phase cannon]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam1.html Stardestroyer.net Phaser analysis]<br />
* [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/index.html startrek-vs-starwars star trek index page], with several pages being dedicated to shipboard phasers, hand phasers (type II) and phaser rifles<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser&diff=18923
Phaser
2011-01-15T16:16:32Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Beam Adjustment */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok handphaser.jpg|thumb|400px|right|And the extra gets disintegrated.]]'''Phasers''' are the primary [[energy weapon]]s used in [[Star Trek]]. They can scale from concealable hand weapons to starship weapons.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
Phasers are particle beams<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> that usually heat materials they strike. They often start chain reactions of an unknown nature that continue well after the beam stops striking the target. Phasers at full power have been known to make their targets completely disappear, an effect often described as "vaporization", although it is never accompanied by the violent explosion and superheated cloud of vapor one would expect from vaporizing a target such as a human in less than a second.<br />
<br />
The operating principle of phasers -- whatever it may be -- makes them more effective against some materials than others. While they can make human tissue disappear in a moment, they are far less effective against denser materials like metals and completely ineffective against some materials, such as "toranium inlay"<ref>DS9 "The Forsaken"</ref>.<br />
<br />
===Power Settings===<br />
From their first appearance in continuity<ref>ENT "Broken Bow"</ref>, [[hand phaser]]s have had variable power settings. A "stun" setting can incapacitate targets for capture without causing serious harm; one incident<ref>TOS "Piece of the Action"</ref> has shown that even [[starship]] phasers have this capability, enabling them to stun large numbers of people from orbit. When fired at point-blank range continuously, the stun setting can still be lethal. <ref>"The Undiscovered Country"</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:Phaser rock heating.jpg|thumb|right|Sulu heats up some rocks]]Phasers also have a "kill" setting which ranges in effect from causing serious injury to making targets disappear entirely<ref>TNG "The Vengeance Factor"</ref>. Phasers set to kill have also been used to cut through tree trunks<ref>ENT "Terra Nova"</ref>, heat rocks to serve as make-shift campfires<ref>TOS "The Enemy Within"</ref>, and blast through rock<ref>TNG "Chain of Command</ref><ref>''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Trekkie]]s have claimed that a single shot from a hand phaser can rearrange the landscape by bringing down buildings or mountains. Despite one supporting claim from a deranged character<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref>, hand-phasers have never demonstrated firepower of this magnitude, and characters routinely protect themselves from phaser fire by hiding behind ordinary rock formations<ref>TNG "Gambit"</ref> or even packing crates<ref>TNG "Too Short a Season"</ref>. Phasers certainly can blast through stone, but Star Trek combatants almost never use such settings in combat, indicating that doing so would have disadvantages, such as rapid depletion of the weapon's power supply.<br />
<br />
As noted, phasers on high power settings can make living targets disappear. Trekkies have argued that such targets are "vaporized" and used such incidents to calculate phaser firepower based on the energy required to boil 50-100 kg of water into steam, but phaser "vaporization" incidents never produce the large cloud of super-heated '''vapor''' that would inevitably result from actually vaporizing a human being. Consequently, some other effect must be occurring in such incidents, making it impossible to calculate hand-phaser firepower from "vaporization".<br />
<br />
However, it is possible to calculate firepower from events that can be presumed to be DET; these [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html give] 170 to 670 MW output for hand phasers. Given that Federation phaser rifles have [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/phaser_rifles.html output] of around 1.5 GW, such output for hand phasers is reasonable.<br />
<br />
===Beam Adjustment===<br />
Phasers typically produce a narrow beam, but they can be adjusted to produce a cone- or fan-shaped "spray" of energy. These "wide-beam" shots have been shown to be capable of simultaneously stunning multiple people in the affected area at a range of several meters<ref>VOY "Cathexis"</ref>. Phaser can also be set to kill or higher settings while on wide-beam.<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref> <ref>DS9 "Homefront"</ref> <ref>VOY "Cathexis</ref><br />
<br />
Despite the potential to affect many targets and suppress areas of a battlefield with wide-beam phaser fire, Federation troops invariably use only narrow beams in battle. This behavior indicates that wide beams have extremely limited utility in combat situations. One obvious reason is that the power intensity of spreading beams will drop rapidly with increasing range, making them ineffective at typical combat ranges.<br />
<br />
==Phaser types==<br />
<br />
Phasers are classified by "type", a designation system that seems to take into account the size, power consumption and intended use of the phaser. While only five phaser types are explicitly mentioned (1-4 and 8), the remainder of the scale is represented in various secondary materials.<br />
<br />
===[[Hand phaser]]s===<br />
<br />
* Type 1: The smallest phaser type, these weapons can be concealed in the palm of the user's hand.<br />
<br />
* Type 2: Originally consisting of a Type 1 fitted with a pistol grip and additional power pack<ref>TOS: the Devil In the Dark</ref>, the Type 2 evolved into a standalone weapon, and is the standard [[Starfleet]] sidearm.<br />
<br />
===[[Phaser rifle]]===<br />
<br />
* Type 3: This type comprises the various incarnations of the phaser rifle, a larger, two-handed version of the phaser pistol.<br />
<br />
===[[Starship phasers]]===<br />
<br />
* Types 4-7: Low-power, non-portable phaser banks mounted on [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]]<ref>TNG: The Outcast</ref> and [[Danube-class|runabouts]].<br />
<br />
* Types 8-10: High-power phaser banks and arrays mounted on [[starship]]s<ref>[[Star Trek: Generations]]</ref> and [[starbase]]s.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Disruptor]]s<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
* [[Phase cannon]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam1.html Stardestroyer.net Phaser analysis]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser&diff=18922
Phaser
2011-01-15T16:12:24Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Power Settings */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok handphaser.jpg|thumb|400px|right|And the extra gets disintegrated.]]'''Phasers''' are the primary [[energy weapon]]s used in [[Star Trek]]. They can scale from concealable hand weapons to starship weapons.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
Phasers are particle beams<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> that usually heat materials they strike. They often start chain reactions of an unknown nature that continue well after the beam stops striking the target. Phasers at full power have been known to make their targets completely disappear, an effect often described as "vaporization", although it is never accompanied by the violent explosion and superheated cloud of vapor one would expect from vaporizing a target such as a human in less than a second.<br />
<br />
The operating principle of phasers -- whatever it may be -- makes them more effective against some materials than others. While they can make human tissue disappear in a moment, they are far less effective against denser materials like metals and completely ineffective against some materials, such as "toranium inlay"<ref>DS9 "The Forsaken"</ref>.<br />
<br />
===Power Settings===<br />
From their first appearance in continuity<ref>ENT "Broken Bow"</ref>, [[hand phaser]]s have had variable power settings. A "stun" setting can incapacitate targets for capture without causing serious harm; one incident<ref>TOS "Piece of the Action"</ref> has shown that even [[starship]] phasers have this capability, enabling them to stun large numbers of people from orbit. When fired at point-blank range continuously, the stun setting can still be lethal. <ref>"The Undiscovered Country"</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:Phaser rock heating.jpg|thumb|right|Sulu heats up some rocks]]Phasers also have a "kill" setting which ranges in effect from causing serious injury to making targets disappear entirely<ref>TNG "The Vengeance Factor"</ref>. Phasers set to kill have also been used to cut through tree trunks<ref>ENT "Terra Nova"</ref>, heat rocks to serve as make-shift campfires<ref>TOS "The Enemy Within"</ref>, and blast through rock<ref>TNG "Chain of Command</ref><ref>''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Trekkie]]s have claimed that a single shot from a hand phaser can rearrange the landscape by bringing down buildings or mountains. Despite one supporting claim from a deranged character<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref>, hand-phasers have never demonstrated firepower of this magnitude, and characters routinely protect themselves from phaser fire by hiding behind ordinary rock formations<ref>TNG "Gambit"</ref> or even packing crates<ref>TNG "Too Short a Season"</ref>. Phasers certainly can blast through stone, but Star Trek combatants almost never use such settings in combat, indicating that doing so would have disadvantages, such as rapid depletion of the weapon's power supply.<br />
<br />
As noted, phasers on high power settings can make living targets disappear. Trekkies have argued that such targets are "vaporized" and used such incidents to calculate phaser firepower based on the energy required to boil 50-100 kg of water into steam, but phaser "vaporization" incidents never produce the large cloud of super-heated '''vapor''' that would inevitably result from actually vaporizing a human being. Consequently, some other effect must be occurring in such incidents, making it impossible to calculate hand-phaser firepower from "vaporization".<br />
<br />
However, it is possible to calculate firepower from events that can be presumed to be DET; these [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html give] 170 to 670 MW output for hand phasers. Given that Federation phaser rifles have [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/phaser_rifles.html output] of around 1.5 GW, such output for hand phasers is reasonable.<br />
<br />
===Beam Adjustment===<br />
Phasers typically produce a narrow beam, but they can be adjusted to produce a cone- or fan-shaped "spray" of energy. These "wide-beam" shots have been shown to be capable of simultaneously stunning multiple people in the affected area at a range of several meters<ref>VOY "Cathexis"</ref>.<br />
<br />
Despite the potential to affect many targets and suppress areas of a battlefield with wide-beam phaser fire, Federation troops invariably use only narrow beams in battle. This behavior indicates that wide beams have extremely limited utility in combat situations. One obvious reason is that the power intensity of spreading beams will drop rapidly with increasing range, making them ineffective at typical combat ranges.<br />
<br />
==Phaser types==<br />
<br />
Phasers are classified by "type", a designation system that seems to take into account the size, power consumption and intended use of the phaser. While only five phaser types are explicitly mentioned (1-4 and 8), the remainder of the scale is represented in various secondary materials.<br />
<br />
===[[Hand phaser]]s===<br />
<br />
* Type 1: The smallest phaser type, these weapons can be concealed in the palm of the user's hand.<br />
<br />
* Type 2: Originally consisting of a Type 1 fitted with a pistol grip and additional power pack<ref>TOS: the Devil In the Dark</ref>, the Type 2 evolved into a standalone weapon, and is the standard [[Starfleet]] sidearm.<br />
<br />
===[[Phaser rifle]]===<br />
<br />
* Type 3: This type comprises the various incarnations of the phaser rifle, a larger, two-handed version of the phaser pistol.<br />
<br />
===[[Starship phasers]]===<br />
<br />
* Types 4-7: Low-power, non-portable phaser banks mounted on [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]]<ref>TNG: The Outcast</ref> and [[Danube-class|runabouts]].<br />
<br />
* Types 8-10: High-power phaser banks and arrays mounted on [[starship]]s<ref>[[Star Trek: Generations]]</ref> and [[starbase]]s.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Disruptor]]s<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
* [[Phase cannon]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam1.html Stardestroyer.net Phaser analysis]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=ST_Shields&diff=18921
ST Shields
2011-01-15T16:04:16Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Nature */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:TNG_4x12_enterprise_galor.JPG |right|thumb|300px|Shields flare when struck by phaser fire.]]Most starships in [[Star Trek]] use '''defensive shield technology''' to protect against enemy attacks. As the shields take damage, they become weakened and effects from enemy attacks bleed through with greater frequency.<br />
<br />
== Nature ==<br />
Shields are usually depicted as a bubble surrounding a starship that is visible only when actively resisting an attack. During the [[Dominion War]], shields seemed to conform to the hulls of the starships projecting them.<br />
<br />
Most [[Transporter|transporters]] cannot beam through combat-grade defensive shields.<br />
<br />
According to screencap from generations on [http://picard578.blogspot.com/2010/08/federation-shields.html this] page, Star Trek shields have 3 different components: gravitational, electromagnetic and subspace. It also makes sense, since shields are decipted as blocking sensors, and Star Trek has sensors that cover each of three "areas" of operation mentioned.<br />
<br />
== Capability ==<br />
The shields of starships are typically capable of withstanding several attacks from opposing ships of similar size and technology. Blocking incoming fire steadily depletes the protective capacity of a shield, the reduction usually being described as a percentage of its full capacity.,<br />
<br />
The size, shape, and operating frequency of a shield is typically adjustable. All of these factors can affect a shield's performance against various types of attack.<br />
<br />
Star Trek shields handle radiant energy far more effectively than collisions with massive objects.<br />
<br />
Even with fully operational shields, it is not unusual for ships to sustain some internal damage when hit by weapons fire.<br />
<br />
== Vulnerabilities ==<br />
[[image:sfreq.jpg|thumb|Shield Frequency of a Federation starship]]Shields operate at a specific [[frequency]]. This allows friendly weapons fire originating from the shielded ship to pass through. If an attacker can determine the target's shield frequency, as occurred in ''[[Star Trek: Generations|Generations]]'', '''their''' shots will also pass through unimpeded. Many species -- such as the [[Borg]], [[Vidiian]]s, and [[Voth]] -- either explicitly or implicitly overcome shields in this manner.<br />
<br />
The effectiveness of countermeasures depends greatly on the competence of the tactical officer and bridge crew. In ''Equinox'', Tuvok altered the shield frequences without prompting from Janeway. However, in ''Generations,'' Riker did not order shield frequency rotation despite previous experience with the Borg.<br />
<br />
In TNG "The Wounded", [[Miles O'Brien|O'Brien]] exploited a vulnerability in ''USS Phoenix's'' shields to transport himself aboard. The ''Phoenix'' needed to "blink" its shields at predictable intervals to use a high-powered sensor sweep, and the blink provided an opportunity to transport onto the ship.<br />
<br />
''[[USS Voyager|Voyager's]]'' [[Emergency Medical Hologram]] was able to monitor the shield frequency of the ship from sickbay in VOY "Equinox".<br />
<br />
Shields frequently fail to perform well against new weaponry. For instance, Federation shields failed to stop [[Dominion]] [[phased polaron beam]]s in early combat encounters, but Federation engineers were able to modify their shield systems to provide protection in later encounters.<br />
<br />
==Tactics==<br />
<br />
In TNG "Hero Worship", [[Geordi Laforge|Geordi]] diverted [[nuclear fusion|fusion]] power to the shields and doubled the [[Enterprise-D|Enterprise's]] shield strength. Diverting [[warp core|warp power]] to the shields would provide at least this much, if not far more powerful shields.<br />
<br />
In [[James T. Kirk|Kirk's]] era, it was standard practice to raise shields on approach of an unidentified vessel. "Defense fields" automatically engaged, possibly to prevent indiscriminate transporter use. However, main shielding had to be activated by the tactical officer manually. It is unknown to what degree defense fields exist in [[Jean-Luc Picard|Picard's]] era. <br />
<br />
Shields can be extended from one vessel to another, as in [[TNG]] "The Defector", [[DS9]] "Defiant", and [[VOY]] "Equinox".<br />
<br />
Once an enemy's main shields are down, boarding parties generally [[transporters|transport]] themselves onto enemy starships.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Metaphasic shield]]<br />
* [[Polarized hull plating]]<br />
* [[Prefix code]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Defense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Borg_adaptation&diff=18920
Borg adaptation
2011-01-15T16:00:04Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Adaptation Methods */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Adaptations''' are a variety of mechanisms by which the [[Borg]] defend themselves from threats.<br />
<br />
== Adaptation Methods ==<br />
[[Image:Borg_personal_shield.jpg|thumb|right|A Borg drone shields itself from a hand phaser]][[Image:phasermod.jpg|thumb|right|Picard modifying a phaser]][[Image:borgrepair.jpg|thumb|right|"Q Who" cube repairing itself]][[Image:tacticalcube.jpg|thumb|right|Borg Tactical Cube]]<br />
<br />
=== Shields ===<br />
Adaptation is generally referred to in the context of shields. Both drones and [[Borg Cube|cubes]] can protect themselves from energy weapons with shields. The Borg adapt their shields to provide defense against [[phaser]]s and other energy weapons. Specifically, the Borg identify the operating frequency of the beams used against them and screen against that frequency. Drones can prevent any damage from a hand-phaser, and cubes can repel the full power of a [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]] starship. This makes the Borg highly resistant to the weapons of most powers in the [[Milky Way]].<br />
<br />
Shield adaptation will not negate an unlimited amount of firepower. With a sufficient number of attacking ships, Borg cubes can still be damaged despite their defensive adaptations.<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> Borg defenses often have little effect on weapons they have not previously encountered during initial attacks, but they typically develop defensive adaptations within a few attacks.<br />
<br />
=== Frequencies ===<br />
The most common examples of adaptation in [[Star Trek]] involve frequency-based weapons. Frequency-based weapons such as phasers become ineffective after the Borg have adapted. In combat, Federation starships rapidly change the frequency of their weapons to hinder adaptation. However, rapidly rotating frequencies is, at best, a delaying tactic. Federation hand [[phaser]]s can also be programmed to rapidly change frequencies, allowing a security officer to disable or kill several drones before the Borg adapt and render his weapon useless.<br />
<br />
=== Repair ===<br />
Adaptation also appears as a formidable self-repair mechanism<ref>[[TNG]] "Q Who"</ref>. After being hit by [[Phaser|phaser fire]], the Borg Cube repairs itself. The cube's outer hull is constructed of ductile material conducive to self-repair. It is unclear whether all Borg cubes possess this ability. Other Borg cubes have not shown this ability for rapid repair.<br />
<br />
=== Adaptation versus Projectile Weapons ===<br />
In ''Star Trek: First Contact'', Captain Picard fires a [[Hologram|holographic]] Thompson submachine gun at two Borg drones. The drones do not adapt and are killed; and in numerous instances, borg drones are struck in close quarters by fists, phaser rifles, and bladed weaponry. The Borg possibly "adapt" to projectile-weapon species with armored tactical drones and tactical cubes<ref>[[VOY]] "Dark Frontier" and "Unimatrix Zero"</ref>. However, no evidence indicates Borg drone shields are effective against kinetic penetrators, except for the fact that Federation never used projectile weapons against Borg, despite these being easily producable. However, it must be noted that Picard's SMG was not real weapon, but rather holographic representation of weapon, projected by forcefields along with its bullets (Picard did say "Without safeties, even holographic bullet can kill.").<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Defense]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Defense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Cloaking_device&diff=18919
Cloaking device
2011-01-15T15:56:34Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Cloaking Devices in Star Trek */</p>
<hr />
<div>A '''cloaking device''' is a form of [[stealth]] technology that uses selective bending of light (and other forms of energy) to render a [[starship]] or other object completely invisible to the electromagnetic spectrum and most sensors. It has been encountered in varying forms over the centuries.<br />
<br />
==Cloaking Devices in ''Star Trek''==<br />
===Nature===<br />
The purpose of a cloak is to prevent detection before combat and when fleeing combat, and cloaking devices have been able to hide vessels from all but the most advanced scanners and tracking systems. Cloaking devices are usually used for stealth, and their combat use is usually limited to moving into position for an ambush. For example, the early cloaking device was a perfect supplement to the [[Romulan]] [[Plasma torpedo|plasma weapon]] allowing the [[Romulan Bird of Prey|Bird of Prey]] to approach as close as possible to deploy the limited-range weapon for maximum effectiveness.<br />
<br />
The early cloaks were proprietary technology of the Romulans. In the first recorded instance of military use of a cloaking device against a [[Starfleet]] vessel, the cloaked Romulan vessel was completely invisible to visible light and targeting scanners, but she could still be detected on motion sensors and was tracked in this manner by the ''[[Enterprise]]'' throughout the engagement near the [[Romulan Neutral Zone|Neutral Zone]]. This form of tracking proved poor for targeting and precision movement, forcing [[James T. Kirk|Captain Kirk]] to lay down a pattern of weapon fire in hopes of catching his target. (TOS, "Balance of Terror")<br />
<br />
Later on as part of an ongoing technology-sharing program, the [[Klingon]]s gained the cloaking device and Romulans abandoned their existing warbird design in favor of Klingon vessels like the D-7 (TOS, "The Enterprise Incident"). Klingons began using cloaking devices on their own [[Klingon Bird of Prey|Bird of Prey]] designs, as seen in the [[Genesis Device|Genesis]] incident when Kruge's Bird of Prey penetrated deep into [[Federation]] space destroying the USS Grissom and ambushing the Enterprise utilizing the cloaking device. (''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'')<br />
<br />
The performance characteristics of cloaking devices have changed over time. For instance, the Klingon cloaking device in ST3 created a visible distortion effect when the ship was in motion, but it successfully hid the ship from all other forms of detection. As seen in the TNG era and onward, the cloaking devices available to the Klingons and Romulans have grown much more sophisticated. Klingons cloaks are so advanced that even when cloaking and decloaking within several kilometers of [[Deep Space Nine]], the sensor suites could not accurately track the Klingon vessels (DS9, "Way of the Warrior"). Romulan Warbirds were also able to approach the station completely unseen and decloak within several kilometers despite the station being at battle stations, a Klingon fleet and Federation vessels all within range and expecting a [[Dominion]] attack. (DS9, "By Inferno's Light")<br />
<br />
One of the most recent evolutions of cloaking technology was seen twice, once by Klingon design and another by the Romulans. General Chang of the Klingon Empire utilized a Bird of Prey that could fire while cloaked, a notorious limitation of most cloaking devices. This Bird of Prey was destroyed over Khitomer and was the only known proto-type. We have not seen a cloaked Klingon ship accomplish this since. The cloaking device used on the [[Scimitar]] also allowed the vessel to fire while cloaked and was used with devastating effectiveness against the [[Enterprise-E]]. This may be the natural progression of the device should greater enhancements be made in the future, but advances in sensor technology may defeat this cloaking system, as apparently occurred with Chang's now-obsolete cloak.<br />
<br />
===Cloaking Device Politics===<br />
The Federation is banned from developing cloaking devices by the [[Treaty of Algeron]] with the Romulan Empire. The circumstances under which the Federation agreed to hamstring itself by not developing this technology are unknown. Despite the ban, the Federation did produce one illegal cloaking device - one that is a quantum leap ahead of anything produced by either the Romulans or the Klingons - a [[phase cloak]] that allows a vessel to pass through solid matter.<br />
<br />
===Limitations===<br />
[[image:cloakedbop.jpg|thumb|A cloaked Bird of Prey visible to the naked eye]]<br />
<br />
Cloaking devices have high power requirements. Consequently, depending on their power sources, cloaked vessels are usually weakly shielded, if shielded at all. Similarly, cloaked ships have relatively little power available for their weapon systems. The initial Romulan cloaking device was so power intensive that it nearly drained the energy reserves of the [[Romulan Bird of Prey]] during its battle with the ''Enterprise'' in "Balance of Terror". One can speculate that the primary reason a typical cloaked vessel cannot fire while cloaked is that too much power is required for maintaining the cloak to properly power the weapons systems. This is hinted at when Captain Kruge warns his ship's gunner to transfer power to the weapons "at my command," perhaps concerned that power would be transfered too soon, thus compromising the cloak (''[[Star Trek III: The Search for Spock]]'').<br />
<br />
Because cloaking devices are integrated into a ship's shield systems, cloaking and decloaking usually creates a window of vulnerability in which shields are not functional; Commander Riker exploited such a weakness in ''[[Star Trek: Generations]]'' to destroy a [[Klingon Bird of Prey]].<br />
<br />
Romulan officers do not consider their cloaking technology sufficient to bypass the prepared defenses at the Federation border (TNG, "Face of the Enemy").<br />
<br />
A cloaking device can be defeated using a [[tachyon net]]; a cloaked ship trying to pass through the net will still interrupt one of the tachyon beams being transmitted among the ships participating in the net, revealing its location.<br />
<br />
The ''Scimitar'' in ''[[Star Trek: Nemesis]]'' was shielded while cloaked. Worf was eventually able to target the [[Scimitar]] based on weapons fire and disable its cloak.<br />
<br />
In certain rare instances, cloaked vessels have been spotted by the naked eye, such as in ''Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,'' or the external visuals in ''Star Trek: Nemesis.''<br />
<br />
===Realism===<br />
<br />
It must be noted, still, that even "normal" cloak is unrealistic - if ship bends light around itself, it cannot be seen but it also cannot see (and if it can use say, radar, then it also can be detected by radar). If cloaking field somehow "traps" sensor pulses, as well vessel's own emissions, it will hide vessel only for limited amount of time untill either it becomes unable to hold emissions within cloak field, or untill vessel becomes unable to withstand increasing amounts of heat and radiation within cloaking field. Dumping these into subspace won't serve problem, since Star Trek ships have subspace sensors too.<br />
<br />
==Cloaking Devices in ''Star Wars''==<br />
Cloaking devices have been mentioned a couple of times in the ''Star Wars'' movies, but they have only been described in use in post-movie novels.<br />
<br />
In ''[[Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back]]'', when the [[ISD]] ''Avenger'' loses track of the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'', Captain Needa dismisses the possibility that his target engaged a cloaking device because the target ship is too small to have one.<br />
<br />
In ''[[Star Wars: The Phantom Menace]]'', [[Qui-Gon Jinn]] asks if [[Padmé Amidala|Queen Amidala's]] yacht has a cloaking device, but [[Captain Panaka]] informs him that it does not.<br />
<br />
In the ''Heir to the Empire'' series of novels by [[Timothy Zahn]], [[Thrawn|Grand Admiral Thrawn]] employs cloaking devices in several ways. According to these novels, a ship can avoid detection with a cloaking device, but the cloaked ship is also completely blind, limiting the usefulness of the device.<br />
<br />
== Cloaking Devices in Stargate ==<br />
The Goa'uld posses some level of cloaking technology which can be used on both a human scale as well as on the scale of small spacecraft such as [[Al'kesh-class bomber|Al'kesh]] and [[Tel'tak]]s. For the most part cloaking devices on the scale of capital ships such as [[Ha'tak-class Mothership|Ha'tak]] are beyond the technical capacity of the Goa'uld, with the notable exception of that of [[Sokar|Sokar's]] realm. [[Puddle Jumper]]s are also equipped with cloaking devices which can be interfaced with Atlantis' shields. In late 2006, [[Daniel Jackson]] gave the ''[[USAF Odyssey]]'' the ability to cloak.<br />
{{sectionstub}}<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Electronic countermeasures]]<br />
* [[Phase cloak]]<br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Defense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]<br />
[[Category: Star Wars]]<br />
[[Category: SW Starship Defense]]<br />
[[Category: SW Technology]]<br />
[[Category: Stargate]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phase_cloak&diff=18918
Phase cloak
2011-01-15T15:54:41Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Unrealism */</p>
<hr />
<div>A '''phase cloak''' -- also known as an '''interphase generator''' -- is a type of [[cloaking device]] that shifts matter "out of phase" with its environment, making it largely non-interactive with normal matter and consequently invisible and intangible. It technically appears in two Star Trek episodes, but still qualifies as a [[technology of the week]].<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
The phase cloak first appeared in TNG "The Next Phase", when a malfunctioning [[Romulan]] prototype caused two members of the ''[[Enterprise-D|Enterprise's]]'' crew -- [[Geordi Laforge]] and [[Ro Laren]] -- to disappear. The device made them invisible, inaudible, intangible, and essentially undetectable, but they did cause exotic particles to appear whenever they moved through solid objects, allowing them to eventually demonstrate that they were alive and be restored to their normal state by another type of particle.<br />
<br />
A fully-functional [[Federation]] phase cloak appeared in TNG "The Pegasus". While the device had caused a catastrophic explosion on the ship that was testing it, it was eventually installed on the ''Enterprise'' with a few modifications and worked flawlessly. The ship became invisible, passed freely through a few kilometers of solid rock to escape an asteroid, and completely foiled the sensors of a [[Romulan]] [[D'deridex-class|Warbird]].<br />
<br />
==Unrealism==<br />
In both instances, the effects of the phase cloak were totally implausible. Geordi and Laren were invisible, but they could still see (interaction with light is required for vision). Geordi and Laren were inaudible, but they could still hear normally and even speak to each other (interaction with air is required to make or hear sound -- not to mention breathe, which they were also doing normally). Geordi and Laren could walk through walls, but they could also walk on the deck and ride in shuttlecraft (interaction with solid matter is necessary to walk or even stand).<br />
<br />
:''In terms of realism, this episode is a sick joke. I can conclusively demonstrate from their observed abilities (seeing, hearing, walking) that they are both physically and chemically interactive with normal light and matter, on both microscopic and macroscopic scales. In other words, they're just like you and me, but with [[technobabble]]. Mass hypnosis almost seems to be a better explanation for their apparent invisibility than "phasing".'' <br />-- [[Mike Wong]] commenting on "The Next Phase"<br />
<br />
Similarly, the phase-cloaked ''Enterprise'' was invisible and undetectable to Romulan sensors, but its crew could still see out the windows, and they could use their own sensors normally.<br />
<br />
It must be noted, still, that even "normal" cloak is unrealistic - if ship bends light around itself, it cannot be seen but it also cannot see (and if it can use say, radar, then it also can be detected by radar). If cloaking field somehow "traps" sensor pulses, as well vessel's own emissions, it will hide vessel only for limited amount of time untill either it becomes unable to hold emissions within cloak field, or untill vessel becomes unable to withstand increasing amounts of heat and radiation within cloaking field. Dumping these into subspace won't serve problem, since Star Trek ships have subspace sensors too.<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Technology]]<br />
[[Category:ST Other Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range&diff=18917
ST weapon accuracy and range
2011-01-15T15:48:21Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>This article deals with demonstrated '''accuracy and range''' of various weapons used by major [[Star Trek]] civilizations like the [[Federation]], [[Borg]], [[Dominion]], and [[Klingon Empire]].<br />
<br />
As the examples provided below demonstrate, engagement range for Star Trek vessels is extremely inconsistent. In combats shown on screen, engagements occur at ranges of a few hundred meters up to several kilometers. Dialogue, on the other hand, often describes ranges of tens of thousands of kilometers. Furthermore, ranges in 23rd century engagements (TOS) are often greater than ranges in 24th century engagements (TNG).<br />
<br />
There is no clear explanation for the discrepancies, but there is plenty of speculation:<br />
* [[Electronic countermeasures]] may prevent accurate targeting from extended range, forcing ships to close to ensure hits. This would be particularly likely in large fleet engagements.<br />
* Star Trek ships often target specific systems on enemy vessels, especially in the 24th century. Such precision targeting might require closing the distance, especially where ECM is in use.<br />
<br />
However, since Federation impulse drive can [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/propulsion/impulse_drive.html achieve] speeds of up to 0.8 c, short ranges are not surprising - ship can close from 238 000 kilometers to point-blank range in 0.79 seconds at full impulse.<br />
<br /><br />
<br />
== Examples ==<br />
===TOS "The Changeling"===<br />
The ''Enterprise'', under attack from the one-meter-tall probe [[Nomad]], returns fire with photon torpedoes. While the precise range is uncertain (the ship was using evasive maneuvers), the last stated range was 90,000 kilometers. A direct hit was reported, although it had no effect.<br />
<br />
===TOS "Journey to Babel"===<br />
Under attack by an Orion vessel, the ''Enterprise'' plays dead. The attacker halts it's [[warp strafing]] attack, dropping to sublight and closing on the ''Enterprise''. At a range 75,000 kilometers, Kirk orders the helmsman to fire phasers, scoring a direct hit.<br />
<br />
===TOS"The Deadly Years"===<br />
Having taken command of the ''Enterprise'', Commodore Stocker attempts to reach a starbase by taking the ship on a shortcut through the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]] to get urgent medical care to the rapidly aging Kirk, Spock, MoCoy, and Scott. The ship is consequently attacked by several [[Romulan Bird of Prey|Romulan Birds of Prey]]. When Kirk resumes command, Sulu informs him that the range of the Romulan vessels is "fifty to one-hundred thousand kilometers".<br />
<br />
===DS9 "The Search, Pt. I"===<br />
The Defiant is travelling at warp and under cloak within Dominion space. Long-range sensors detect two Jem'Hadar warships cruising at warp five on a course that will bring them within 100,000 kilometers. Kira says that's well within their weapon range.<br />
<br />
===DS9 "The Die is Cast"===<br />
[[Benjamin Sisko|Commander Sisko]] orders [[Jadzia Dax|Dax]] to bring the [[USS Defiant (NX-74205)|''Defiant'']] to within 500 meters of a group of [[Attack ship|Jem'Hadar fighters]] before firing on them. The advantage he sought by closing to such short range isn't clear. The Jem'Hadar attack ships opened fire from a reported 50 kilometers range, a brief glimpse of the Defiant's viewscreen supports this. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi7G2n7KEHA</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 dominion fleet1.PNG|thumb|right|[[Dominion]] fleet approaching Deep Space 9 as seen in episode "Call to arms"]]<br />
<br />
===DS9 "Call to Arms"===<br />
In this episode, a Dominion fleet attacks Deep Space 9. Even when engaging a completely immobile target, the Dominion ships close to within several kilometers before opening fire.<br />
<br />
The screenshot on the right shows the Dominion/[[Cardassian]] fleet approaching Deep Space 9 to the point of it taking up a significant fraction of the field of view. Yet in the following scene, [[Damar]] reports that they will not be in weapons range for another minute<ref>[http://www.st-minutiae.com/academy/literature329/524.txt Star Trek Minutiae]</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 5x26 cardassian shuttle.JPG|thumb|left|Cardassian attack ship about to ram Deep Space 9]]After the battle is joined, the attacking fleet continues to fight at extremely close ranges; however, even ranges of several hundred meters appear to be too great for Deep Space 9 targeting sensors to achieve a reasonable accuracy. On the left we can see a Cardassian Hideki-class attack ship flying straight towards Deep Space 9 central assembly. The Hideki doesn't change course or attempt to evade the incoming fire, yet Deep Space 9 only scores two grazing shots on it, thus failing to stop the craft.<br />
<br />
[[Image:DS9 5x26 Defiant BoP miss.JPG|thumb|A sequence showing Dominion fleet firing on Defiant and a Bird of Prey]]<br />
Further evidence of limited accuracy comes from the end of the episode. As the ''[[Defiant]]'' and a [[Klingon Bird of Prey|Bird of Prey]] flee DS9, the Dominion fleet opens fire, and we see 11 shots fired without a single one hitting the fleeing ships. The shots can be seen at right, and -- as is immediately apparent -- the ships are flying in a tight formation without making any attempts to evade enemy fire. As before, the range is on the order of several hundred meters or several kilometers at most.<br />
<br />
===TNG "Conundrum"===<br />
Riker says they are still 55 seconds from "optimal firing range" for the [[Lysian Central Command]], even though they appear to be practically on top of a stationary target that is both very large and very poorly defended (by Federation standards). Although the crew up to that point had been deceived by a [[Satarran]] agent into thinking of the [[Lysians]] as dangerous opponents, their sensors clearly showed the inferior quality of the Lysian defenses. <br />
<br />
At any rate, "optimal firing range" is not necessarily the full range capability of the ship.<br />
<br />
===TNG "Yesterday's Enterprise"===<br />
Three un-cloaked Klingon Birds of Prey close to within a few kilometers before firing on the [[Enterprise-D|''Enterprise'']]. Likewise, the ''Enterprise'', knowing they will be attacked by the Klingons, doesn't fire until the enemy is at close range (there is no political reason to delay firing, since the Federation is in a state of war with the Klingons in this alternate-timeline episode).<br />
<br />
[[Image:Weapon_ranges_overlay.jpg |thumb|right|Weapon ranges of the ''USS Phoenix'' and a Cardassian warship]]<br />
===TNG "The Wounded"===<br />
This episode is often cited as evidence for long-range combat by major ST civilizations:<br />
<br />
:''DATA: The warship is three hundred thousand kilometers from the Phoenix. It is opening fire. The Phoenix has taken a direct hit ... the Phoenix is beginning evasive maneuvers ... it has positioned itself outside the weapons range of the opposing ship ... the Phoenix has powered up with both phasers and photon torpedoes ... the Phoenix is firing photon torpedoes.'' <br />
<br />
As [[Data]] is speaking, the viewscreen shows a two-dimensional display of the battle. If this display is oriented to provide the most useful view of the battle (placing all three of the vessels being tracked in the same plane), then it shows the relative weapon ranges of the ships and the distance between the them. The display casts doubt on Data's description of the battle, since the viewscreen shows that the [[USS Phoenix|''Phoenix'']] is still well within weapons range of the Cardassian ship, which actually has greater range than the ''Phoenix'' if the display is accurate.<br />
<br />
[[Image:TNG 4x12 enterprise galor.JPG|thumb|left|''Trager'' fires on ''Enterprise'']]It should also be noted that the ships involved in the battle are travelling at [[warp drive|warp speeds]], so a gap of 300,000 km could easily drop to zero in less than a second. It may also be worth noting that the ''Phoenix'' engaged with [[photon torpedo|torpedoes]], and the Cardassian ship was pursuing the ''Phoenix'': the ''Phoenix'' would therefore have been running away from any torpedoes fired by the Cardassian ship, while the Cardassian ship was running toward the torpedoes fired by the ''Phoenix'', possibly explaining the "out of range" statement (assuming torpedoes have greater range than phasers). <br />
<br />
The battle between the ''Enterprise'' and the Cardassian warship, ''Trager'', earlier in the episode, further disproves any optimistic interpretation of Data's range description. As the screenshot to the left shows, the ships engage at a range of several hundred meters. Presumably, the Cardassians closed optimum range to maximize the effect of catching the Federation starship off-guard. Even so, the Trager's ambush caused only minor damage.<br />
<br />
[[Image:Point_blank_miss.jpg|thumb|right|Str-r-r-r-rike two!]]<br />
===TNG "Q Who"===<br />
When the ''[[Enterprise-D|Enterprise]]'' is attacked by a [[Borg]] [[Borg Cube|Cube]], [[Picard]] orders [[Worf]] to target the source of the [[tractor beam]] and fire. Shockingly, it takes Worf '''four tries''' to hit the beam emitter from point-blank range; the first three shots aren't even close!<br />
<br />
<br />
=== "Basics, Part I" ===<br />
<br />
''Voyager'' comes under attack from several [[Kazon]] [[Predator-class]] ships, which fire photon torpedoes starting from an unspecificed range greater than 10,000 kilometers. Janeway withholds firing until almost at point-blank range.<br />
<br />
Relevant dialog:<br />
<br />
:''PARIS: Here we go.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: They are randomly detonating torpedoes in our flight path.''<br />
:''KIM: Shields are holding. No damage.''<br />
:''JANEWAY: Hold your fire, Mister Tuvok. They may have torpedoes to waste. We don't.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Thirty seconds to intercept.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Take us out of warp.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Engaging impulse engines.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Power to all weapon systems. Stand by phasers.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Kazon vessel ten thousand kilometres off our starboard bow.''<br />
:''JANEWAY: Not yet.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Six thousand kilometres.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Not yet.'' <br />
:''TUVOK: Five thousand, three, two thousand.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Now.'' <br />
:''PARIS: Initiating evasive manoeuvres, beta sequence.''<br />
:''TUVOK: Two more Kazon ships approaching.'' <br />
:''KIM: Shields at ninety percent.'' <br />
:''JANEWAY: Janeway to Torres. Initiate holo-programs.''<br />
<br />
It is clear that Voyager could at the very least have fired photon torpedoes at any time, but Janeway clearly wants to conserve them.<br />
<br />
===VOY "Non Sequitur" ===<br />
Ensign Harry Kim is thrust into an alternate timeline where he never served on ''Voyager''. In order to get back to his proper timeline, he convinces the alternate timeline Paris to help him steal a runabout and return to the temporal phenomena that brought him from his timeline to this one. Consequently they are pursued and fired on from several thousand kilometers by a Nebula-class starship.<br />
<br />
The relevant dialog:<br />
<br />
:''KIM: We've got a starship on our tail. Nebula-class''. <br />
:''PARIS: I'll try to lose 'em Harry, but they're a lot faster than we are.'' <br />
:''Voice: Attention runabout Yellowstone. Power down your engines or we will open fire.'' <br />
:''KIM: They're going to try to do everything they can to stop us. They think we're trying to steal this prototype.'' <br />
:''PARIS: They're closing to five thousand kilometres.'' <br />
:''KIM: Shields down to 70 percent. 50 percent. 29 percent.''<br />
<br />
Remarkably, in a cut scene between when Paris calls out the range and when Kim calls out shield damage, the visuals show the ''Yellowstone'' being hit by the Nebula's phaser beam which appears from far behind it, then the runabout passes out of view and the Nebula immediately appears as a small point, grows larger as it nears the camera, and then passes offscreen as the runabout did.<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhCRp3j2JeE&feature=related</ref><br />
<br />
===VOY "Equinox"===<br />
''[[USS Voyager|Voyager]]'' reportedly attacks the ''[[USS Equinox|Equinox]]'' with phasers from 30,000 km away. Upon closer inspection of the episode, however, we find that no evidence of such range exists. On the contrary, the episode implies far shorter maximum ranges of Federation ships.<br />
<br />
The relevant dialog:<br/><br />
:''[Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''PARIS: Thirty thousand kilometres and closing.''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Target their power core.''<br/><br />
:''[Equinox Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''GILMORE: Direct hit. Minor damage.''<br/><br />
:''RANSOM: Return fire.''[http://www.chakoteya.net/Voyager/525.htm]<br/><br />
[[Image:Equinoxp range 1.jpg|thumb|right|According to Trektards, this is supposed to be 30,000 km.<br/>Tee-hee-hee]]Since Janeway only instructed the crew to start targeting Equinox's power core at 30,000km and since there is a scene cut between the order and the first seen hit there is no way to determine how far away Voyager actually was when it started firing upon Equinox.<br />
Further events in the episode suggest much lower ranges:<br/><br />
:''RANSOM: Lay in a course through the planet's atmosphere. Sixty degree vector.''<br/><br />
:''[Bridge]''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: What the hell is he doing. Follow him!''<br/><br />
:''PARIS: Crossing the upper thermosphere.''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Phasers. ''<br/><br />
:''TUVOK: Shields are weakening. Thirty one percent, twenty nine.''<br/><br />
:''KIM: Inertial dampers are offline.''<br/><br />
:''CHAKOTAY: Captain, if we loose our shields well be attacked by the aliens. Captain!''<br/><br />
:''JANEWAY: Break off pursuit. ''<br/><br />
If Voyager were capable of scoring hits from anywhere near 30,000km, there would be no need to follow the ''Equinox'' into the atmosphere and risk damage due to atmospheric friction.<br />
<br />
===TNG "The Arsenal of Freedom"===<br />
Left in command of the ''Enterprise'', [[Geordi Laforge|Geordi]] takes the drive section of the ship into the atmosphere of the planet to lure a [[cloaking device|cloaked]] alien drone into following them. The drone pursues them into the atmosphere, where they are able to detect its wake and target it. If the drone were capable of attacking from a range of thousands of kilometers, it would not have needed to follow the ''Enterprise'' into the planet's atmosphere. Geordi's tactic is presumably based on the assumption that the Minosian drone's targeting limitations are similar to their own. <br />
<br />
Earlier in the episode the drone is shown firing from a much longer range at the ''Enterprise''. <ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L22iX1WlbSc&feature=related </ref><br />
<br />
===TNG "A Matter of Honor"===<br />
A [[Klingon Bird of Prey]] is preparing to attack the ''Enterprise-D''. Riker, serving aboard as an exchange officer, advises to the Klingon captain to close to within 40,000 km before firing.<br />
<br />
:''RIKER: You'll get only one shot.'' <br />
:''KARGAN: We'll only need one. Stand by on phasers and torpedoes. Prepare to fire them simultaneously.'' <br />
:''RIKER: I recommend you don't fire until you're within forty thousand kilometers''. <br />
:''KLAG: Why?'' <br />
:''RIKER: It will cut down their response time.'' <br />
<br />
The dialogue suggest that the ships could have engaged from a range of more than 40,000 km.<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Phaser&diff=18916
Phaser
2011-01-15T15:44:00Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Power Settings */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok handphaser.jpg|thumb|400px|right|And the extra gets disintegrated.]]'''Phasers''' are the primary [[energy weapon]]s used in [[Star Trek]]. They can scale from concealable hand weapons to starship weapons.<br />
<br />
==Nature==<br />
Phasers are particle beams<ref>''[[Star Trek: First Contact]]''</ref> that usually heat materials they strike. They often start chain reactions of an unknown nature that continue well after the beam stops striking the target. Phasers at full power have been known to make their targets completely disappear, an effect often described as "vaporization", although it is never accompanied by the violent explosion and superheated cloud of vapor one would expect from vaporizing a target such as a human in less than a second.<br />
<br />
The operating principle of phasers -- whatever it may be -- makes them more effective against some materials than others. While they can make human tissue disappear in a moment, they are far less effective against denser materials like metals and completely ineffective against some materials, such as "toranium inlay"<ref>DS9 "The Forsaken"</ref>.<br />
<br />
===Power Settings===<br />
From their first appearance in continuity<ref>ENT "Broken Bow"</ref>, [[hand phaser]]s have had variable power settings. A "stun" setting can incapacitate targets for capture without causing serious harm; one incident<ref>TOS "Piece of the Action"</ref> has shown that even [[starship]] phasers have this capability, enabling them to stun large numbers of people from orbit. When fired at point-blank range continuously, the stun setting can still be lethal. <ref>"The Undiscovered Country"</ref><br />
<br />
[[Image:Phaser rock heating.jpg|thumb|right|Sulu heats up some rocks]]Phasers also have a "kill" setting which ranges in effect from causing serious injury to making targets disappear entirely<ref>TNG "The Vengeance Factor"</ref>. Phasers set to kill have also been used to cut through tree trunks<ref>ENT "Terra Nova"</ref>, heat rocks to serve as make-shift campfires<ref>TOS "The Enemy Within"</ref>, and blast through rock<ref>TNG "Chain of Command</ref><ref>''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''</ref>.<br />
<br />
[[Trekkie]]s have claimed that a single shot from a hand phaser can rearrange the landscape by bringing down buildings or mountains. Despite one supporting claim from a deranged character<ref>TNG "Frame of Mind"</ref>, hand-phasers have never demonstrated firepower of this magnitude, and characters routinely protect themselves from phaser fire by hiding behind ordinary rock formations<ref>TNG "Gambit"</ref> or even packing crates<ref>TNG "Too Short a Season"</ref>. Phasers certainly can blast through stone, but Star Trek combatants almost never use such settings in combat, indicating that doing so would have disadvantages, such as rapid depletion of the weapon's power supply.<br />
<br />
As noted, phasers on high power settings can make living targets disappear. Trekkies have argued that such targets are "vaporized" and used such incidents to calculate phaser firepower based on the energy required to boil 50-100 kg of water into steam, but phaser "vaporization" incidents never produce the large cloud of super-heated '''vapor''' that would inevitably result from actually vaporizing a human being. Consequently, some other effect must be occurring in such incidents, making it impossible to calculate hand-phaser firepower from "vaporization".<br />
<br />
However, it is possible to calculate firepower from events that can be presumed to be DET; these [hthttp://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/hand_phasers.html give] 170 to 670 MW output for hand phasers. Given that Federation phaser rifles have [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/ground/infantry_weapons/phaser_rifles.html output] of around 1.5 GW, such output for hand phasers is reasonable.<br />
<br />
===Beam Adjustment===<br />
Phasers typically produce a narrow beam, but they can be adjusted to produce a cone- or fan-shaped "spray" of energy. These "wide-beam" shots have been shown to be capable of simultaneously stunning multiple people in the affected area at a range of several meters<ref>VOY "Cathexis"</ref>.<br />
<br />
Despite the potential to affect many targets and suppress areas of a battlefield with wide-beam phaser fire, Federation troops invariably use only narrow beams in battle. This behavior indicates that wide beams have extremely limited utility in combat situations. One obvious reason is that the power intensity of spreading beams will drop rapidly with increasing range, making them ineffective at typical combat ranges.<br />
<br />
==Phaser types==<br />
<br />
Phasers are classified by "type", a designation system that seems to take into account the size, power consumption and intended use of the phaser. While only five phaser types are explicitly mentioned (1-4 and 8), the remainder of the scale is represented in various secondary materials.<br />
<br />
===[[Hand phaser]]s===<br />
<br />
* Type 1: The smallest phaser type, these weapons can be concealed in the palm of the user's hand.<br />
<br />
* Type 2: Originally consisting of a Type 1 fitted with a pistol grip and additional power pack<ref>TOS: the Devil In the Dark</ref>, the Type 2 evolved into a standalone weapon, and is the standard [[Starfleet]] sidearm.<br />
<br />
===[[Phaser rifle]]===<br />
<br />
* Type 3: This type comprises the various incarnations of the phaser rifle, a larger, two-handed version of the phaser pistol.<br />
<br />
===[[Starship phasers]]===<br />
<br />
* Types 4-7: Low-power, non-portable phaser banks mounted on [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]]<ref>TNG: The Outcast</ref> and [[Danube-class|runabouts]].<br />
<br />
* Types 8-10: High-power phaser banks and arrays mounted on [[starship]]s<ref>[[Star Trek: Generations]]</ref> and [[starbase]]s.<br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Disruptor]]s<br />
* [[Phase pistol]]<br />
* [[Phase cannon]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Beam/Beam1.html Stardestroyer.net Phaser analysis]<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
<references /><br />
<br />
[[Category: Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Infantry]]<br />
[[Category:ST Infantry Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Photon_torpedo&diff=18915
Photon torpedo
2011-01-15T15:38:05Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Trekkie Yield Claims */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok torpedo launch.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo launching from a [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] Federation starship]]'''Photon torpedoes''' are secondary missile weapons used by the starships of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They do damage via the release of gamma rays from a matter-[[antimatter]] reaction.<br />
<br />
Various alien powers use weapons that are visually similar to, or identified as, photon torpedoes. Whether they use the same operating principle is unknown; many of these weapons were local developments not based on the [[Federation]] design.<br />
<br />
== Variable Yields ==<br />
Photon torpedoes have been observed to have vastly different yields. Many of them can be explained through deliberate "dialing down" of the yields to avoid friendly fire, such as in ''The Final Frontier''. However, a popular theory is the antimatter injection theory. Since the release of the High Definition version of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', torpedoes have been confirmed to have their antimatter inserted in "real-time." As well, torpedo casings are noted in numerous episodes without their warhead.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the differences between the tactical yield and maximum yield is a logarithmic function of time, with more time required to ready the torpedo for a greater yield. In ''The Wrath of Khan'' special measures are taken to preload torpedoes in anticipation of battle.<br />
<br />
Based on the [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Database/Query-ST.php?Series=&Category=Naval+Weapons&EpName=Pegasus&Keywords=&Quotes=&Analysis=&Submit=Submit energy required to destroy an asteroid], TNG-era photon torpedoes have a maximum yield of hundreds of kilotons.<ref>TNG "The Pegasus"</ref><br />
<br />
===Trekkie Yield Claims===<br />
Trekkies have argued that the episode "Skin of Evil", in which a photon torpedo detonation on a planet is viewed from orbit, indicates a yield of as much as 9.83 gigatons (air blast) to 144 gigatons (fireball), but the effect seen appears and disappears far too quickly to be either phenomenon. Their "low end estimate", assuming the effect seen was result of thermal radiation, is 500 megatons.<br />
<br />
See [http://picard578.blogspot.com/2010/08/ufp-photon-torpedo-yield.html Picard578's blog] for an example of the Trekkie approach.<br />
<br />
New Picard578's calculations, done for his website, gave yields of 1.38 to 4.62 gigatons maximum. These can be seen [http://startrek-vs-starwars.freeoda.com/startrek-vs-starwars/star_trek/space/starship_tactical_systems/photon_torpedoes.html here].<br />
<br />
===Data from TNG and DS9 Technical Manuals===<br />
According to the [[canon|non-canon]] ''TNG Technical Manual'', a photon torpedo can carry up to 1.5 kg of antimatter, giving it a theoretical maximum yield of 64 megatons. Based on a 74% efficiency estimate found in the ''DS9 Technical Manual'', the actual energy release would be closer to 48 megatons for a maximum-yield torpedo. These yield estimates are incompatible with evidence from canon events.<br />
<br />
== Warp Propulsion ==<br />
Photon torpedoes do not have a [[warp drive]], but they do have something called a "sustainer engine" that allows them to keep travelling at warp speed if launched from a starship that is already traveling at warp.<ref>TNG "Half a Life"</ref><br />
<br />
== Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot ==<br />
[[Image:Twok torpedo bay.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo bay of the [[Enterprise (TOS)|''USS Enterprise'']]]]As witnessed in ''The Wrath of Khan'', torpedoes are stored and ferried to their launchers by a complex system of pulleys and conveyor belts on [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] starships. Such a system would be highly prone to failure under battle stress, and it is common for enemies to target specific weapons systems and disable them. Due to the "leaky" nature of [[ST Shields|Star Trek's shields]], a pinpoint strike against a ship even with its shields up could knock out the conveyor system. <br />
<br />
Recent incarnations of [[Starfleet]] ships such as the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'' have more torpedo launchers. These additional torpedo launchers are nowhere near the size of the torpedo bays on [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]], [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]], or other Starfleet vessels. Rather than assume greater firepower due to increased number of torpedo launchers, another more elegant explanation is the Federation attempting to do away with this conveyor system.<br />
<br />
One example is the single-shot launcher on top of the observation lounge on the ''Enterprise-E''. Either the launcher is single shot, because there is no room for the complex machinery required for the conveyor system, or there is a hard line and the torpedoes are transported to the launcher. Another possibility is a site-to-site transport. All of these approaches present serious problems of their own, such as greater power usage and complexity for no gain.<br />
<br />
The most satisfying solution would be to not use antimatter torpedoes at all, but the Federation apparently deems the additional firepower worth the risk.<br />
<br />
==See Also==<br />
* [[Quantum torpedo]]<br />
* [[Transphasic torpedo]]<br />
* [[Photonic torpedo]]<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Torpedoes/Torpedo1.html Stardestroyer.net article on photon torpedoes]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
<references /></div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Industry_in_the_SW_Galaxy&diff=18427
Industry in the SW Galaxy
2010-11-18T08:41:41Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Second Death Star */</p>
<hr />
<div>Heavy '''industries''' are common and frequently identified in [[Star Wars]].<br />
<br />
==Corporations==<br />
Official sources identify numerous major corporations in the Star Wars galaxy.<br />
<br />
===[[Kuat Drive Yards]]===<br />
Kuat Drive Yards is a major starship manufacturer most noted for building [[Imperial Star Destroyer]]s.<br />
<br />
Kuat drive yards proper was both a home of and monument to the power of Industry in the Galaxy. Unlike many planets that are famous for their industrial output, Kuat itself was pristine and clean. A garden world, the planet Kuat was inhabited by the owners of what was one of the wonders of the galaxy, orbiting over their heads.<br />
<br />
Orbiting the planet Kuat was a solid ring, several thousand kilometers above the planet's surface. This ring was the primary shipyard for the planet, and would build the lion's share of the Imperial Fleet. There were several other shipyards scattered through the system, the most impressive of which was an outer ring of independent stations that completely encircled the star system.<br />
<br />
===Incom===<br />
Incom is a well-known builder of smaller starships, including the [[X-wing]] that served the [[Rebel Alliance]] so well during the civil war.<br />
<br />
===Baktoid Combat Automata===<br />
Baktoid Combat Automata manufactured a variety of [[battle droid]]s that were widely used by the [[Confederacy of Independent Systems]] during the [[Clone Wars]].<br />
<br />
==Industrial Technology==<br />
===Construction Droids===<br />
Sometimes referred to as the Death Star's little brothers, these automatons were the primary means of Urban renewal on Coruscant. Each was a towering edifice that 'walked' along the 'ground', serving as a mobile factory and wrecker. As materials were broken down at one end of the droid, they were reformed and reused in the construction ongoing at the other end. The exact mechanisms remain unclear, but these droids are able to erect fully functioning factories in three days.<br />
<br />
==Second Death Star==<br />
The second [[Death Star]] was, at 900 km in diameter, much larger than the original. It was in construction around the forest moon of [[Endor]] when it was attacked by the [[Rebel Alliance]].<br />
<br />
While the original Death Star took 19 years to complete, but second Death Star was operational in a matter of months.<br />
<br />
The second Death Star's main superlaser could recharge faster than the DS1 laser, allowing it to fire more often. New targeting computers improved its accuracy, which allowed it to fire lower-power bursts at capital ships.<br />
<br />
According to StarWars.com, the second Death Star, if completed, would have featured over 30,000 turbolaser batteries, 7,500 laser cannons, 5,000 ion cannons and 768 tractor beams.<br />
<br />
However, scaling from physical model suggests that Death Star is 160 km in diameter.<br />
<br />
[[Category: SW Size]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Warsie&diff=18420
Warsie
2010-11-17T10:39:28Z
<p>PicardAlpha: </p>
<hr />
<div>A '''Warsie''' is a fanatical [[Star Wars]] fan. The term may or may not be considered derogatory, depending on the fan, but is usually used as Wars equivalent of Trektard (and usually is).<br />
<br />
[[Category:Fandom]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Starfleet&diff=18419
Starfleet
2010-11-17T10:37:24Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Military Readiness */</p>
<hr />
<div>'''Starfleet''' is the exploratory and military body of the [[United Federation of Planets]] in ''[[Star Trek]]''.<br />
<br />
==Mission==<br />
Starfleet's official mission is exploration: "To seek out new life and new civilizations -- to boldly go where no one has gone before." Consequently, Starfleet vessels carry large quantities of scientific equipment, and large portions of their crews are researchers.<br />
<br />
Despite its stated mission, however, Starfleet is also solely responsible for the defense of the Federation. In addition to science equipment, Starfleet vessels are heavily armed and shielded, making them formidable opponents for the other [[Alpha Quadrant]] powers.<br />
<br />
===[[Star Trek (2009)]]===<br />
In the new ''Star Trek'' movie, [[Christopher Pike|Captain Pike]] describes Starfleet as a "humanitarian and peacekeeping armada". Having peacekeeping as a primary function helps to explain the heavy armament of the Federation's starships.<br />
<br />
==Military Readiness==<br />
Despite access to some of the most powerful combat ships in the Alpha Quadrant, the Federation remains poorly prepared for a military emergency. While powerful individually, their fleet assets are so few and so scattered that they frequently have few or no ships in position to respond to a military emergency, even ones near the Solar System. Worsening the situation, Starfleet command generally sees defense as a secondary function at best, so they require no military exercises to maintain the combat skills of their crews.<br />
<br />
Worse still, as the Federation's only defense organization, Starfleet is responsible for ground combat operations as well, and the preparedness of their [[Red Shirt|ground troops]] is even more obviously inadequate. However, since at least smaller starships are capable of atmospheric flight and combat, and given that starships can hit 1-meter target from 90 000 kilometers as of TOS, it is possible that Starfleet sees any heavy ground equipment (tanks, heavy artillery, etc) as too vulnerable to attack. Another possibility is that they do have it, but we never see it. We do hear about Cardassian and Klingon IFV's.<br />
<br />
==Fleet Size==<br />
Some [[trektards]] insist that the "NCC" hull numbers on [[starship]]s are indicative of the number of vessels in active service, which would mean Starfleet numbers roughly 50,000 ships.<br />
However, in real-life navies, new hull numbers are created as new ships are built, instead of being reapplied to newly built vessels. Therefore, smaller numbers are more reasonable.<br />
<br />
With three years to prepare for the [[Dominion]] threat, Starfleet fielded thousands of vessels during the [[Dominion War]], including individual fleets numbering hundreds of vessels. On other occasions, Starfleet has had severe difficulty mustering more than a few dozen ships in response to an unexpected military emergency (TNG "The Best of Both Worlds, TNG "Redemption").<br />
<br />
===[[Star Trek (2009)]]===<br />
In the new ''Star Trek'' movie, the bulk of the Federation's fleet (an unspecified number of starships) is deployed to the Laurentian system, leaving only seven -- largely uncrewed -- starships at [[Earth]]. Starfleet is forced to crew the ships with cadets in order to send them out in response to a disaster report from [[Vulcan]].<br />
<br />
[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category: ST Size]]</div>
PicardAlpha
http://www.stardestroyer.net/wiki/index.php?title=Photon_torpedo&diff=18418
Photon torpedo
2010-11-17T10:31:58Z
<p>PicardAlpha: /* Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Image:Twok torpedo launch.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo launching from a [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]] Federation starship]]'''Photon torpedoes''' are secondary missile weapons used by the starships of the [[United Federation of Planets]]. They do damage via the release of gamma rays from a matter-[[antimatter]] reaction.<br />
<br />
Various alien powers use weapons that are visually similar to, or identified as, photon torpedoes. Whether they use the same operating principle is unknown; many of these weapons were local developments not based on the [[Federation]] design.<br />
<br />
== Variable Yields ==<br />
Photon torpedoes have been observed to have vastly different yields. Many of them can be explained through deliberate "dialing down" of the yields to avoid friendly fire, such as in ''The Final Frontier''. However, a popular theory is the antimatter injection theory. Since the release of the High Definition version of ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'', torpedoes have been confirmed to have their antimatter inserted in "real-time." As well, torpedo casings are noted in numerous episodes without their warhead.<br />
<br />
Therefore, the differences between the tactical yield and maximum yield is a logarithmic function of time, with more time required to ready the torpedo for a greater yield. In ''The Wrath of Khan'' special measures are taken to preload torpedoes in anticipation of battle.<br />
<br />
Based on the [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Database/Query-ST.php?Series=&Category=Naval+Weapons&EpName=Pegasus&Keywords=&Quotes=&Analysis=&Submit=Submit energy required to destroy an asteroid], TNG-era photon torpedoes have a maximum yield of hundreds of kilotons.<ref>TNG "The Pegasus"</ref><br />
<br />
===Trekkie Yield Claims===<br />
Trekkies have argued that the episode "Skin of Evil", in which a photon torpedo detonation on a planet is viewed from orbit, indicates a yield of as much as 9.83 gigatons (air blast) to 144 gigatons (fireball), but the effect seen appears and disappears far too quickly to be either phenomenon. Their "low end estimate", assuming the effect seen was result of thermal radiation, is 500 megatons.<br />
<br />
See [http://picard578.blogspot.com/2010/08/ufp-photon-torpedo-yield.html Picard578's blog] for an example of the Trekkie approach.<br />
<br />
===Data from TNG and DS9 Technical Manuals===<br />
According to the [[canon|non-canon]] ''TNG Technical Manual'', a photon torpedo can carry up to 1.5 kg of antimatter, giving it a theoretical maximum yield of 64 megatons. Based on a 74% efficiency estimate found in the ''DS9 Technical Manual'', the actual energy release would be closer to 48 megatons for a maximum-yield torpedo. These yield estimates are incompatible with evidence from canon events.<br />
<br />
== Warp Propulsion ==<br />
Photon torpedoes do not have a [[warp drive]], but they do have something called a "sustainer engine" that allows them to keep travelling at warp speed if launched from a starship that is already traveling at warp.<ref>TNG "Half a Life"</ref><br />
<br />
== Conveyor Belts vs Single Shot ==<br />
[[Image:Twok torpedo bay.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Torpedo bay of the [[Enterprise (TOS)|''USS Enterprise'']]]]As witnessed in ''The Wrath of Khan'', torpedoes are stored and ferried to their launchers by a complex system of pulleys and conveyor belts. Such a system would be highly prone to failure under battle stress, and it is common for enemies to target specific weapons systems and disable them. Due to the "leaky" nature of [[ST Shields|Star Trek's shields]], a pinpoint strike against a ship even with its shields up could knock out the conveyor system. <br />
<br />
Recent incarnations of [[Starfleet]] ships such as the ''[[Enterprise-E]]'' have more torpedo launchers. These additional torpedo launchers are nowhere near the size of the torpedo bays on [[Galaxy-class|''Galaxy''-class]], [[Constitution-class|''Constitution''-class]], or other Starfleet vessels. Rather than assume greater firepower due to increased number of torpedo launchers, another more elegant explanation is the Federation attempting to do away with this conveyor system.<br />
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One example is the single-shot launcher on top of the observation lounge on the ''Enterprise-E''. Either the launcher is single shot, because there is no room for the complex machinery required for the conveyor system, or there is a hard line and the torpedoes are transported to the launcher. Another possibility is a site-to-site transport. All of these approaches present serious problems of their own, such as greater power usage and complexity for no gain.<br />
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The most satisfying solution would be to not use antimatter torpedoes at all, a position the Federation seems unprepared to adopt due to value of photon torpedo as weapon. Also, it is not known if Federation still uses that system in 24th century. Another possibility is that there is torpedo storage bay right behind launcher holding number of torpedoes so launcher can be reloaded from it automatically during battle, while conveyor system is/was used to carry torpedoes from other storage areas to these bays.<br />
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==See Also==<br />
* [[Quantum torpedo]]<br />
* [[Transphasic torpedo]]<br />
* [[Photonic torpedo]]<br />
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==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.stardestroyer.net/Empire/Tech/Torpedoes/Torpedo1.html Stardestroyer.net article on photon torpedoes]<br />
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[[Category:Star Trek]]<br />
[[Category:ST Starship Offense]]<br />
[[Category: ST Technology]]<br />
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==Notes==<br />
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