In the Star Trek fictional universe, a phaser is a beam (or directed-energy) weapon most commonly used by the Federation Starfleet. Star Trek collectively refers to an American science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series (which comprise 726 episodes) and ten feature films, in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction — all of which are set within the same fictional universe... A fictional universe is a cohesive imaginary world that serves as the setting or backdrop for one or (more commonly) multiple works of fiction. ... A directed-energy weapon is a type of energy weapon that directs energy in a particular direction by a means other than a projectile. ... The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ... In the Star Trek fictional universe, the United Federation of Planets (UFP) – widely referred to and known as merely the Federation – is an interstellar federal state of more than 150 member planets and thousands of colonies. ... Starfleet Command In the Star Trek fictional universe, Starfleet is the paramilitary defense, research, diplomacy, and exploration force of the United Federation of Planets (UFP) with – as of the late 24th century – hundreds of starships and starbases at its disposal. ...

Overview

According to The Star Trek Encyclopedia, the term phaser stands for phased energy rectification and describes the general process involved in its energy release (see Mechanics). In the original scripts for Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), the energy weapons first used by the crew were lasers. However, this was changed to phaser shortly after the first pilot episode, "The Cage", was filmed (and becoming a weapons innovation in the late 23rd century), on the grounds that a laser could not possibly produce the explosive effects seen in the episode. The Star Trek Encyclopedia: A Reference Guide to the Future is an encyclopedia of all things related to Star Trek. ... The starship Enterprise as it appeared on Star Trek Star Trek is a culturally significant science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry in the 1960s. ... Lasers range in size from microscopic diode lasers (top) with numerous applications, to football field sized neodymium glass lasers (bottom) used for inertial confinement fusion, nuclear weapons research and other high energy density physics experiments. ... The Cage is the original pilot episode of the Star Trek science fiction franchise. ... The 23rd century (Gregorian Calendar) comprises the years 2201-2300. ...

Phasers are available in a variety of sizes (see Types), ranging from small hand-held units to large phaser banks (in TOS) and collimated phaser arrays (in and after Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)) that equip starships and various installations. (As well, a unique pulse phaser system equipped Defiant class warships.) A personnel phaser discharged at its lower settings stuns the victim (similar to the effect caused by a taser). At its highest setting, a personnel phaser kills and vaporises the victim. In between, the various stun settings may have little or no effect on certain lifeforms, forcing the user to set the phaser to progressively higher settings that may simply immobilise, char, or fatally burn a target or completely vaporise a large area. Phasers can also be used to heat rocks for a heat source when necessary and can be adjusted to emit a wide beam to simultaneously stun multiple targets. A giant phased-array radar in Alaska In telecommunication, a phased array is a group of antennas in which the relative phases of the respective signals feeding the antennas are varied in such a way that the effective radiation pattern of the array is reinforced in a desired direction and... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The fictional starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... The Defiant Development Projects logo The USS Defiant In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Defiant class of starship is a variety of space-faring vessel used by Starfleet. ... Summary An electroshock gun or stun gun, is a weapon used for subduing a person by administering an electric shock. ... Evaporation is one of the two forms of vaporization. ... In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a living complex adaptive system of organs that influence each other in such a way that they function as a more or less stable whole. ...

Later in TNG, smaller handheld Type I phasers were said to have eight settings while larger Type II and III phasers have sixteen settings. A user could also vary beam width and beam intensity (see TNG personnel phaser power settings).

Mechanics

The prefire chamber is the part of the weapon where energy from the power cell is gathered, amplified, and processed; it is analogous to a capacitor in use today. Once processed in the prefire chamber, the energy is then released through the emitter crystal as a focused beam of collimated energy in the form of subatomic particles called nadions. A capacitor is a device that stores energy in the electric field created between a pair of conductors on which electric charges of equal magnitude, but opposite sign, have been placed. ... Collimated light is light whose rays are parallel. ... A subatomic particle is a particle smaller than an atom: it may be elementary or composite. ... A nadion is a fictional subatomic particle in the Star Trek scenario. ...

Phasers can sometimes be set to overload, which results in a large explosion that can incinerate everything in the immediate vicinity. Overloads happen when energy from the weapon's power cell is pumped into the phaser's prefire chamber, but not released through the emitter crystal. Overload can refer to: Electrical overload, a situation where an electrical machine or system is subjected to a greater load than it was designed for. ...

To cause an overload, the user sets the phaser so that more and more energy is forced into the prefire chamber, but not released through the emitter crystal. Eventually, the prefire chamber cannot hold itself together under the pressure and it explodes, dually making the phaser a firearm and (when needed) a bomb. The function's drawbacks are that it produces a distinctive whine that increases in pitch and volume as the weapon reaches critical mass, which can alert any potential victim to allow them to find and stop the weapon, or reach safety, lack of a set time that an overloaded phaser will actually explode. They have been seen to explode within any time limit, from several seconds to twenty, and phasers have varying power. They have been seen to shake the entire bridge, or do nothing but slightly damage the surroundings. The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, produced in the United States. ...

Types

There are many types and variations of phasers. The later series (TNG and after) and semi-canon materials have established at least twelve types of phasers of increasing size and capability: Types I, II, and III are personnel phasers, and Types IV through XII equip ships. In and since TNG (the following is not exhaustive): The Star Trek canon consists of the television series Star Trek (the original series), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, and the ten motion pictures based upon the series. ...

• Type I is a very small handheld version, called the "cricket" backstage
• Type II is a larger sidearm-type weapon, originally called the "dustbuster" backstage due to its resemblance to the Black & Decker appliance during the first two seasons. A sleeker and more compact version was introduced at the beginning of the third season of TNG.
• Type III is a combat rifle
• Type IV equips auxiliary craft like small shuttlecraft and shuttlepods
• Type V equips larger shuttlecraft
• Type VI equips the Danube class
• Type IX equips the Ambassador class and was later refitted to Deep Space Nine (DS9)
• Type X equips the Galaxy and Nebula classes, and was later refitted as well to DS9
• Type XI equips starbases and are also used for planetary defense
• Type XII equips the Sovereign class

These main types are further divided to distinguish the many variations and upgrades. Black & Decker NYSE: BDK is a corporation based in Towson, Maryland best known for power tools and home appliances. ... The word appliance has several different areas of meaning, all usually referring to a device with a narrow function: One class of objects includes items that are custom-fitted to an individual for the purpose of correction of a physical problem, such as prosthetic and orthotic appliances. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... A shuttlecraft, in the science fiction television and movie series Star Trek, is a smaller type of ship, usually capable of atmospheric transport, detachable from a larger starships shuttlebay. ... The USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452), a Danube class runabout. ... The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-C), an Ambassador class starship The Ambassador class starship is a class of vessel in the Star Trek fictional universe, built in the early 24th century, and often seen in episodes of TNG. This starship follows a conventional approach to Federation Starfleet starship design, with... Deep Space Nine (DS9) In the Star Trek fictional universe, Deep Space Nine (or DS9 for short) is a space station and primary setting for the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), a Galaxy class starship. ... The USS Sutherland (NCC-72015) in 2368 In the Star Trek fictional universe, the Nebula class is a common type of starship used in the mid-24th century by the Federation Starfleet. ... A starbase is usually portrayed as a facility strategically positioned in space used to repair and re-supply starships. ... This article is on the Sovereign class ship in the Star Trek fictional universe. ...

TNG personnel phaser power settings

In TNG, personnel phasers were noted to have up to sixteen power settings: settings 1 to 8 were available to all personnel phasers (including the small Type I phaser), but 9 to 16 were available only to the larger Type II and III phasers. Settings 1 through 3 produced various levels of stun (through disruption of a target's nervous and muscular systems) and thermal effects, settings 5 through 8 produced fatal and (at 8) organic disintegration effects, while the higher settings produced a variety of explosive and nuclear effects. The nervous system of an animal coordinates the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ... [[[Media:--203. ...

A diagram showing the CNS: 1. ... The term humanoid refers to any being whose body structure resembles that of a human. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A bed, blankets, pillows and pajamas are all traditionally associated with sleep Sleep is the regular state of natural rest observed in all mammals, birds and fish. ... In biology and ecology, an organism (in Greek organon = instrument) is a living complex adaptive system of organs that influence each other in such a way that they function as a more or less stable whole. ... Epidermis is the outermost layer of the skin. ... Electromagnetism is the physics of the electromagnetic field: a field, encompassing all of space, which exerts a force on those particles that possess the property of electric charge, and is in turn affected by the presence and motion of such particles. ... The word burn has many meanings: Look up burn in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Organic material or organic matter is informally used to denote a material that originated as a living organism; most such materials contain carbon and are capable of decay. ... In chemistry, a molecule is an aggregate of at least two atoms in a definite arrangement held together by special forces. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The nuclear force (or nucleon-nucleon interaction or residual strong force) is the force between two or more nucleons. ... An alloy is a combination, either in solution or compound, of two or more elements, at least one of which is a metal, and where the resulting material has metallic properties. ... Fixed Partial Denture, or Bridge The word ceramic is derived from the Greek word κεραμικος (keramikos, having to do with pottery). The term covers inorganic non-metallic materials whose formation is due to the action of heat. ... Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, the earth) and λογος (logos, word, reason)) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history and the processes that shape it. ... The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ...

See also

• Weapons of Star Trek
• Romulan disruptors
• Klingon disruptors

The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ... The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ... The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ...

Outside of Star Trek

• Time Lords, who use phase pistols
• Phaser (other uses)
• Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response rifle (PHASR), an actual dazzler (weapon)

The Time Lords are a fictional race of humanoids, originating on the planet Gallifrey, seen in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. ... In Star Trek a Phaser is a fictional weapon commonly used by the protagonists. ... PHASR Rifle The Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHASR) rifle is a prototype non-lethal laser weapon developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. ... Dazzler is a type of a directed-energy weapon employing intense visible light, usually generated by a laser (laser dazzler). ...

External link

Phaser article at Memory Alpha, the Star Trek wiki Memory Alpha (often abbreviated to MA) is a collaborative project to create the most definitive, accurate and accessible encyclopedic reference for topics related to the Star Trek fictional universe. ... Star Trek collectively refers to an American science-fiction franchise spanning six unique television series (which comprise 726 episodes) and ten feature films, in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction — all of which are set within the same fictional universe... A wiki (IPA: <wee-kee> or <wick-ey>[1]) is a type of website that allows users to add, remove, or otherwise edit all content very quickly and easily, sometimes without the need for registration. ...