Difference between revisions of "Starship phasers"

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'''Starship phasers''' are the primary weapons used by the [[Starfleet]] of the [[United Federation of Planets]].  The use the same operating principles as hand-phasers, but they are much more powerful
[[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.


==Firepower==
==Firepower==
This is a stub that needs to be updated.
The [[phaser]]s 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.


===Firepower Examples===
===Firepower Examples===
'''TNG "Who Watches the Watchers"'''
;TNG "Who Watches the Watchers"
:4.2 GW of power will supply a small phaser bank.  What constitutes a "small" phaser bank is unclear. Perhaps this is the kind of firepower to expect of a [[shuttle|shuttlecraft]] or [[Runabout]].


4.2 GW of power will supply a small phaser bank.
;TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1"
:The power output of the Enterprise's weapons -- including phasers and [[photon torpedo]]es-- is far less than the potential output of its main [[deflector dish]].


'''TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1"'''
;TNG "Night Terrors"
: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.


The power output of the Enterprise's weapons is far less than the potential output of its main deflector dish.
;TNG "A Matter of Time"
: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.


'''TNG "Night Terrors"'''
;TNG "The Survivors"
: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 overwhelm the shields, cause extensive damage, and clearly surprise the crew.  It can be inferred that the weapons of the ''Enterprise'' and other [[Alpha Quadrant]] warships typically operate somewhere between these extremes.


A deflector dish blast releases less energy than the exothermic chemical reaction of hydrogen and another exotic compound.
;''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]''
: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.


'''''[[Star Trek: Insurrection]]'''''
;''[[ST:TNG Technical Manual]]'' (''not'' a [[canon]] source)
:The power output of the Enterprise's phaser arrays is 1.02 GW.


A chemical explosion of low-density metryon gas is more effective as a weapon than the Enterprise-E's phasers and quantum torpedoesPrior loss of the warp core probably affects phaser power, but should have no effect on torpedo power.
==[[ST_weapon_accuracy_and_range|Range]]==
[[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 contradictoryWhen seen on screen, hostile ships invariably close to within a few kilometers of each other before exchanging phaser fire.


'''''[[ST:TNG Technical Manual]]''''' ('''not''' a [[canon]] source)
Dialogue often suggests far greater ranges (as much as  300,000 km in [[TNG]] "The Wounded") but sometimes indicates much lower ranges (as little as 500 meters for optimum effect in [[DS9]] "The Die is Cast").


The power output of the Enterprise's phaser arrays is 1.02 GW.
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.


'''TNG "A Matter of Time"'''
The use of lightspeed weapons and sensors may also affect range, as sensor lag will reduce accuracy as range increases. If a target is a light-second away, it may have already moved a ship-length or more by the time the attacker receives the sensor data. The target could move another ship-length or more in the amount of time it takes a burst from the attacker's beam weapon to propagate to the target. The combination of sensor and weapon lag could easily cause a miss.  The attacker could compensate by predicting the target's position, but evasive maneuvers would make such predictions unreliable.  At shorter ranges, there simply won't be enough lag for a target to evade an attack.


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.
==Distribution==
 
[[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.
==Range==
The 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, but dialogue often suggests far greater ranges.


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".


[[Category:ST_Starship_Offense]]
[[Category:ST_Starship_Offense]]

Latest revision as of 20:27, 14 November 2023

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 hand-phasers, but they are much more powerful.

Firepower

The phasers on a 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.

Firepower Examples

TNG "Who Watches the Watchers"
4.2 GW of power will supply a small phaser bank. What constitutes a "small" phaser bank is unclear. Perhaps this is the kind of firepower to expect of a shuttlecraft or Runabout.
TNG "Best of Both Worlds, Pt 1"
The power output of the Enterprise's weapons -- including phasers and photon torpedoes-- is far less than the potential output of its main deflector dish.
TNG "Night Terrors"
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.
TNG "A Matter of Time"
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.
TNG "The Survivors"
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 overwhelm the shields, cause extensive damage, and clearly surprise the crew. It can be inferred that the weapons of the Enterprise and other Alpha Quadrant warships typically operate somewhere between these extremes.
Star Trek: Insurrection
A chemical explosion of low-density metryon gas is more effective as a weapon than the Enterprise-E's phasers and quantum torpedoes. Prior loss of the warp core probably affects phaser power, however.
ST:TNG Technical Manual (not a canon source)
The power output of the Enterprise's phaser arrays is 1.02 GW.

Range

Warp field interaction may restrict range at FTL speeds.

The 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.

Dialogue often suggests far greater ranges (as much as 300,000 km in TNG "The Wounded") but sometimes indicates much lower ranges (as little as 500 meters for optimum effect in DS9 "The Die is Cast").

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.

The use of lightspeed weapons and sensors may also affect range, as sensor lag will reduce accuracy as range increases. If a target is a light-second away, it may have already moved a ship-length or more by the time the attacker receives the sensor data. The target could move another ship-length or more in the amount of time it takes a burst from the attacker's beam weapon to propagate to the target. The combination of sensor and weapon lag could easily cause a miss. The attacker could compensate by predicting the target's position, but evasive maneuvers would make such predictions unreliable. At shorter ranges, there simply won't be enough lag for a target to evade an attack.

Distribution

What were the FX guys thinking this day?

A 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.

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 drive section in TNG "Darmok".