A Federation photon torpedo

The photon torpedo, a fictional weapon popularized by the Science Fiction saga Star Trek, is a space torpedo armed with an antimatter bomb. In Star Trek, these weapons are often part of a starship's and space station's armaments. A Federation photon torpedo. ... A Federation photon torpedo. ... The bayonet, still used in war as both knife and spearpoint. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Star Trek is an American science-fiction franchise spanning six television series and ten feature films (with an eleventh film currently in the early stages of development as of 2006), in addition to hundreds of novels, computer and video games, fan stories, and other works of fiction. ... This article or section seems not to be written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia entry. ... A modern torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled projectile that (after being launched above or below the water surface) operates underwater and is designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... In particle physics, antimatter is matter that is composed of the antiparticles of those that constitute normal matter. ... The Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) bomb, also known as Mother Of All Bombs, produced in the United States. ... The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ... 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. ... The space station Mir A space station is an artificial structure designed for humans to live in outer space. ...

Background

Photon torpedoes are most useful for combat while ships are engaged in warp speed travel, as phasers, which are confined to the speed of light, are not generally usable. (The Starfleet Technical Manual does list a number of ways a phaser can be used at greater-than-light speeds, though, as several television episodes have violated the prior "rule.") In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the warp drive is a form of faster-than-light (FTL) propulsion. ... In the Star Trek fictional universe, a phaser is a beam (or directed-energy) weapon most commonly used by the Federation Starfleet. ... The speed of light in a vacuum is an important physical constant denoted by the letter c for constant or the Latin word celeritas meaning swiftness. In metric units, c is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (or 1,079,252,848. ...

Starfleet, the military/exploratory arm of Federation, uses a number of different versions of the photon torpedo with various guided, un-guided, and high-speed versions. The Mark IV and Mark V torpedoes are micro torpedoes that are used aboard small ships like Danube class runabouts and shuttles. 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. ... 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. ... The USS Rio Grande (NCC-72452), a Danube class runabout. ...

The photon torpedo was first introduced during the first season episode "Arena" of Star Trek: The Original Series. During the run of DS9, photon torpedoes began to be replaced by more powerful quantum torpedoes, which have also been used in the more recent Star Trek films. The Romulans have never used photon torpedoes, instead relying on plasma bolt type weapons. 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. ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... The Star Trek fictional universe contains a very large number of weapons. ... Romulans are a fictionalized alien species in the Star Trek universe. ...

Star Trek: Voyager had an ongoing story of a limited supply of photon torpedoes as they were impossible to replicate. Of the 38 torpedoes Voyager was stated as carrying, 93 were used in the course of the series, implying that this problem was somehow overcome off-screen. This is further supported by the fact that the self-replicating mines used in the DS9 episode Call To Arms are essentially photon torpedoes without the propulsion system. The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... In the fictional Star Trek universe, a replicator is a machine capable of converting energy into matter and vice-versa. ...

During their mission, the starship Enterprise, NX-01, encountered two species that used matter/anti-matter weaponry, the Klingons and Vissians. When the Enterprise was reassigned to the Delphic Expanse, Starfleet technicians installed this new weaponry, which were named photonic torpedoes, the differences between photon torpedoes and photonic torpedoes are unknown. This page is about the race. ... 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. ...

Photon torpedo specifications

Photon torpedoes are launched from specific launchers usually installed on ships or stations. For example, the Intrepid class starship has four launchers, two forward and two rear of the spoon-shaped saucer. These launchers can typically fire multiple torpedoes simultaneously or single torpedoes in rapid succession. A photon torpedo is usually self-guided, though in some situations it can be directly controlled by the ship that launched it. The USS Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid class starship. ...

A typical photon torpedo is an elongated elliptical tube that measures 2.1 m in length, 0.76 m in width, 0.45 m in height, and 247.5 kg in dry mass. These launchers are also used to launch similarly shaped science probes and can perform burials in space. For the periodical, see Science (journal) Science in the broadest sense refers to any knowledge or trained skill, especially (but not exclusively) when this is attained by verifiable means. ... Taurus Missile launch (Time Exposure) Space burial is a burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket. ...

Note: The typical tube-shaped torpedo casing was first alluded to in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and actually seen in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. It was never seen in Star Trek: The Original Series, nor was there any implication of an actual casing that was used during TOS. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Paramount Pictures, 1979; see also 1979 in film) is the first feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series and is released on Friday, December 7. ... Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount Pictures, 1982; see also 1982 in film) is the second feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... 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. ...

Photon torpedo casings are known to be extremely tough, capable of surviving intact high-speed entry into the atmosphere of an M-class planet (as did the torpedo case used for Spock's burial in The Search for Spock). A photon torpedo can also survive the subsequent high-speed impact into the surface and burial deep in the liquid core of said planet, such as in the episode Pen Pals. Torpedo casings are also often used for various probe designs - e.g. the Class IX Long-Range Multimission Warp Probe. Pen Pals is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation first broadcast on May 1, 1989. ...

A standard Next Generation photon torpedo holds 1.5 kilograms of small pellets of anti-deuterium and 1.5 kilograms of similar deuterium suspended in a magnetic field. Yield is reduced by including fewer pellets. The torpedoes do not have their own warp drive, but they do have a warp sustainer engine that can keep them going at faster than light speeds, if launched by a ship at those velocities. In the fictional universe of Star Trek, the warp drive is a form of faster-than-light (FTL) propulsion. ...

The emissions created by a photon torpedo detonation can be modified on demand, though the modifications can often take several hours.

Photon torpedo physics

Through basic calculations we can derive that the maximum energy produced by a detonation of a TNG photon torpedo. The basic power of the annihilation of 1.5 kg of deuterium by 1.5 kg of anti-deuterium ^{[citation needed]} is approximately 64.53 megatons (E=mc²). Unfortunately, currently Starfleet does not appear to have the ability to focus the blast photon torpedoes at a single target (ref. TNG episode "The Nth Degree" ). Therefore, in an optimum situation we can expect the shields of the target vessel to receive about 30% of the energy, with the rest of it dispersing uselessly. The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... A megaton or megatonne is a unit of mass equal to 1,000,000 metric tons, i. ... A display of the famous equation on Taipei 101 during the event of the World Year of Physics 2005. ... Nth Degree is a Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. ...

To delve deeper into the subject, consider the fact that the resulting energy is emitted in various ways (such as gamma rays and exotic particles). At the same time we know that photon torpedo casings are extremely tough and dense - as mentioned above, one survived a fall from orbit into an atmosphere of a planet, completely intact. This density allows us to estimate that the photon torpedo casing can absorb a significant amount of the energy emitted by the deuterium-antideuterium annihilation.

For an approximation, lets assume that only 90% of the energy is absorbed by the casing. Just as during a nuclear detonation process, the result of this absorption will create a plasma fireball traveling at an enormous velocity composed out of the superheated torpedo casing. If we assume the same time scale as for a standard nuclear weapon, the plasma ball will expand at 30 km/s, impacting the target of the photon torpedo.

If we continue the analogy with nuclear weapons, the fireball at the same time emits various types of radiation, the types of which are dependent on actual torpedo casing composition. The fact that Starfleet can somehow control the emitted radiation of a photon torpedoes is also confirmed by the "Redemption" (Part 2). During that episode Data fires torpedoes with the radiation tuned to detect cloaked Romulan starships, though the exact mechanism of the tuning is unclear. Redemption is the name of a two-part Star Trek: The Next Generation episode. ...

To sum up, these calculations tell us that a photon torpedo detonation will deliver approximately 17 megatons of energy (64.53 * 0.3 * 0.9) to the target vessel in the form of a physical impact and various types of radiation.

Note: In the Deep Space Nine episode, "Apocalypse Rising", Damar states that a "full spread" of photon torpedoes is sufficient to destroy the "Klingon High Command and everyone else within a few hundred kilometers". To which Chief O'Brien replies that attacking Ty'Gokor, a heavily fortified, planetoid-based facility, would be futile as the Bird of Prey starship they are on will likely be shot down before it can even get off a single torpedo, and that the facility's shields can readily withstand "a dozen" photon torpedoes. Photon torpedoes creating devastation across hundreds of kilometers (assuming no shields), indicates that even several torpedoes from a relatively small klingon vessel can still manage to create a potential combined firepower in the hundreds of megatons. For comparison, the Tsar Bomba of the Soviet Union was intended to be a demonstration model for a 100 megaton weapon, which in theory could level urban areas out to a distance of some 60 kilometers wide, and cause further devastation out to 100 kilometers. [1] Deep Space Nine (DS9) In the Star Trek fictional universe, Deep Space Nine (or DS9 for short) is a space station. ... Damar can refer to: Damar Island, an island of Indonesia, part of the Barat Daya Islands Damar, Kansas, United States Corat Damar, a character in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer) (symbol: km) is a unit of length equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words khilia = thousand and metro = count/measure). ... Planetoid (meaning planet-like) is an old synonym of asteroid. ... Orders Accipitriformes     Cathartidae     Pandionidae     Accipitridae     Sagittariidae Falconiformes     Falconidae A bird of prey or raptor is a bird that hunts its food, especially one that preys on mammals or other birds. ... The fictional starship Enterprise (NCC-1701-D) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... Tsar Bomba casing on display at Arzamas-16 Site of detonation Tsar Bomba (Russian: , literally Emperor-bomb) is the Western name for the largest, most powerful nuclear explosive ever detonated. ... A megaton or megatonne is a unit of mass equal to 1,000,000 metric tons, i. ...

Funerals

• In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Spock's dead body is "buried in space" with a photon torpedo casing as a casket.
• In the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Schizoid Man" the body of Dr. Ira Graves is buried in a photon tube, although instead of being launched from the ship's torpedo room (possibly a custom reserved for Starfleet personnel), he was simply beamed into space.
• The Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Sound of Her Voice" closes with the funeral of Captain Lisa Cusack, with her body contained in a torpedo casing.
• The following episode, "Tears of the Prophets", features Jadzia Dax's body in a photon torpedo casing, although the actual burial (if any) is not observed.
• In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "One Small Step" early space explorer Lieutenant John Kelley is given a space burial in a photon torpedo casket.
• In the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Similitude", a clone of Trip is "buried" in much the same manner.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (Paramount Pictures, 1982; see also 1982 in film) is the second feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The Schizoid Man could refer to: The Schizoid Man (The Prisoner), an episode of The Prisoner The Schizoid Man (TNG episode), an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (which was named after the Prisoner episode). ... Space station Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (ST:DS9 or STDS9 or DS9 for short) is a science fiction television series produced by Paramount and set in the Star Trek universe. ... Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax (played by Terry Farrell) was a fictional character in the first 6 seasons of the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. ... The starship Voyager (NCC-74656), an Intrepid-class starship. ... The starship Enterprise (NX-01) Star Trek: Enterprise is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. ... Similitude is the title of an episode from the third season of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. ...

Trivia

• In Xenosaga references to photon torpedoes are made, likely an intentional nod to Star Trek.
• The sound effect was originally used for The Martian Skeleton-beam in War of the Worlds

Xenosaga ) is primarily a series of video games developed by Monolith Soft and published by Namco. ... The word Martian is a hypothetical native inhabitant of the planet Mars. ... The War of the Worlds (1953) was produced by George Pál (the second of three H. G. Wells science fiction stories to be filmed by Pál) and directed by Byron Haskin from a script by Barré Lyndon, and starred Gene Barry, Les Tremayne and Ann Robinson. ...

See also

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual

External links

• "Photon torpedo" at Memory Alpha
• "Photon torpedo" at STARTREK.COM
• "Advanced Space Propulsion Study - Antiproton and Beamed Power Propulsion"
• "Nuclear Weapons Frequently Asked Questions"