Phaser

Technical

• General term covering nadion-based particle beam weaponry
  • Most well-associated with the Federation, but also independently developed by Ferenginar, Bajor, and Kelva (SGR Novel: The Valiant; DS9)
  • 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 collimated energy alongside a varying percentage of nadion particles (TNG Technical Manual; TNG: "The Mind's Eye")
• Shipboard phaser weapons, as with most energy-based weapons, can only fire at warp between vessels upon synchronization of warp fields (TNG Novel: The Buried Age)
• Hand weapons powered by sarium krellide cells (ENT: "The Andorian Incident"; TNG: "In Theory")
  • Generates constant, detectable EM field while powered, even when not in use (DS9 Novel: Mission Gamma: Cathedral)
  • General landing party protocol to carry one extra fully-charged cell in gear (DIS Novel: Desperate Hours)
• Phaser technology also applied to certain non-offensive areas
  • Industrial drilling (SCE Short Story: "Ambush")
  • Metal machining (SCE Short Story: "Ambush")

Beam generation process

• Energetic plasma admitted to system, metered and dumped to prefire chamber (TNG Tech Manual)
  • Shipboard weapons use direct EPS tap, with plasma directed through flow regulator and plasma distribution manifold (TNG Tech Manual)
• Plasma held behind collapsible charge barrier pulsing at set frequency (TNG Tech Manual)
  • 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")
  • Following first-contact with the Borg, Starfleet hand phasers upgraded to provide in-built random variation of settings and frequencies within the specifications of a given unit (SCE Short Story: "Cold Fusion")
• Modulated charge barrier creates pulse within prefire chamber that triggers the rapid nadion effect (RNE) (TNG Tech Manual)
  • RNE generates slight quantity of excess nadions alongside collimated energy (TNG Tech Manual)
  • Shipboard weapons involve plasma distribution manifold branching into multiple prefire chambers injecting nadion energy in sequence before emitting phaser beam (TNG Tech Manual; VOY Novel: Mosaic)
    • If not charged in proper sequence, can lead to backfire, explosion (VOY Novel: Mosaic)
• Resulting beam fed into superconducting lithium-copper emitter crystal, generating pulsed protonic charge (TNG Tech Manual)

Beam effect

• Effect ranges from light stun to heat to fatal nervous disruption to full disintegration
• Type and nature of beam largely a function of balance between simple electromagnetic (SEM) effects and nuclear disruption force (NDF) effects (TNG Tech Manual)
  • At lower settings (setting 1-4), NDF threshold is not crossed, limiting effects to SEM only (TNG Tech Manual)
  • As power levels increase, nadion generation also increases, leading to greater SEM:NDF ratio
• Specifics of mechanism
  • Stun
    • Term for lowest phaser beam levels in Federation implementation
      • Phaser level 1 through 3, also commonly known as light stun, medium stun, and heavy stun (TNG Technical Manual)
      • Also used as a generic term for the equivalent effect in other implementations, phaser-based or not
    • Overloads a target's central and peripheral nervous system with hyperstimulus, shocking the brain by triggering the entire nervous system at once (SCE Short Story: "Fatal Error", "Cold Fusion")
    • Light stun limited to a dazing effect, disabling a target for a few minutes but leaving them conscious (TOS: "The Man Trap")
    • Higher levels overload the nervous system to the point of unconsciousness (SCE Short Story: "Cold Fusion")
      • Repeated use of light stun can result in the same effect (SCE Short Story: "Fatal Error")
      • On average human, target is disabled for approximately 15 minutes at medium stun, approximately one hour at heavy stun (TNG Technical Manual)
        • Time can vary widely by species, particular biochemistry
      • Repeated usage of heavy stun against a single target can lead to nervous system damage, possibly death (TNG: "Samaritan Snare")
  • Kill
    • Known as "force 3" c.23rd century (TOS: "Operation: Annihilate!")
    • Phaser level 7 through 10, depending on target (TNG Tech Manual)
      • SEM:NDF ratio reaches or exceeds 1:1 (TNG Tech Manual)
      • Death caused by heightened level of NDF effects disrupting majority of matter (TNG Tech Manual)
      • Setting 8+ results in full vaporization (TNG Tech Manual)
  • Disintegrate
    • c.24th century, uppermost settings, up to level 16 (TNG Technical Manual; TNG Novel: Vendetta)
      • Only available on type-2 hand devices
      • At maximum power, capable of destroying a 100m span of metamorphic rock (TNG Tech Manual; TNG Novel: Vendetta)
        • Sustained blast forces shutdown for 6 seconds to prevent overload (TNG Novel: Vendetta)
        • Fully charged type-2 phaser capable of 10 shots at setting 16 before nearly depleting power cell (TNG Novel: Vendetta)

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)
• c.2300: Starfleet model hand phaser upgraded (DS9 Novel: Demons of Air and Darkness)
  • Among changes in new model were removal of design flaw preventing weapon discharge in ambient radiation above 500 rads (DS9 Novel: Demons of Air and Darkness)
• c.early 2374: Regenerative phaser technology developed, allowing for functioning within environments that would otherwise suppress phaser functioning (DS9: "Field of Fire"; DS9 Novel: Mission Gamma: Lesser Evil)

Related Devices

Rapid-frequency nadion-pulse cannon

• High-power planetary defense installation (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)
  • Fires packets consisting of millions of individual nadion pulses at distinct nutations (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)
    • Rapid cycling, coupled with high power level, harmonizes with deflector shields, resulting in shield emitter overload (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)
• Initial prototypes proposed, developed 2366 as anti-Borg weapon (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)
  • Deemed too complex for widespread deployment (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)
  • Deployed in second test implementation c.2372 on Tezwa in preparation for potential defense against Klingon Empire following abrogation of Khitomer Accords by Chancellor Gowron (TNG Novel: A Time to Kill)