Phaser

• General term covering Federation weapons
  • Mid-22nd century, known as either phase pistols (handheld variants) or phase cannons (starship-mounted variants) (ENT)
  • By late-22nd century, known colloquially as phasers (or occasionally lasers) (ENT Novel: Live By the Code; TOS: "The Cage")
• Projects beam of rapid pulses of phased nadions at particular frequencies (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")
  • Allowable frequency range for a given device determined by calibration of collimation lens (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
  • Frequency of pulses determines color of beam (TNG: "Best of Both Worlds, Part I")
• Beam effect ranges from light stun to heat to fatal nervous disruption to full disintegration
• Hand weapons powered by sarium krellide cells (ENT: "The Andorian Incident"; TNG: "In Theory")
  • General landing party protocol to carry one extra fully-charged cell in gear (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)

History

• c.2240s: Development concludes on type-nine phaser banks
  • This build was an experimentation with pulse phaser banks
  • Starfleet standard by mid-2250s (DIS)
• c.2250s: Development concludes on type-ten phaser banks; they are soon installed on Starfleet vessels, with the Constitution-class fleet the first to be upgraded
  • This build was a reversion to beam-style phasers (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
  • Large jump in power over type-nine (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
  • Starfleet standard by late-2260s (TOS)