Planetside - Star Trek - Technologies

Phasers are one of the most common types of weapons in use by most of the races. Initially developed by the United Federation of Planets as an advancement over the laser weapons previously in service and in part to counter Klingon imperial weapons advancements in the disruptor field. All phasers tend to be very versatile, an element that the Federation and Starfleet found most enjoyable after decades of using laser cannons. Most phasers can fire for an accelerated rate of fire (though for less damage), and most are designed for sustained fire.

Phaser Banks
Early phasers were mounted in 'phaser banks', largely due to the size and power requirements of the phaser devices. The use of banked phasers constricted the arc of fire compared to other contemporary forms of weaponry. Heavy and medium weapons are typically restricted to 120 degree arcs of fire and light weapons to 180 degrees when placed in banks. Some ships mount phaser bank weapons in wider arcs, but almost always at the loss of substantial amounts of armor.

Designer's Note: All phaser varieties are listed as "banks" on the weapons datacards despite the historical period in which they appear, and even if used in phaser arrays (4.2.2). This may change in future iterations, but all weapons of the different classes are functionally the same.

Phaser Arrays
The advent of phaser 'strips' or 'arrays' by the Federation was a major advancement in phaser technology, almost as major as the development of beginning phaser technology itself. Before phasers had been forced into tight, restrictive 'banks' that forced the ship to restrict the arc of fire of its phasers, lest they expose them and make them easier targets for the enemy. Phaser strips revolutionized overnight the way Starfleet built starships. Arrayed phasers allow heavy weapons to easily provide 180 degrees or more of weapons arc, while mediums and lights can just as easily procure 240 degree arcs of fire. This added targeting flexibility combined with the innate flexibility of phaser weapons make phaser arrays the ultimate iteration of phaser implementation and technology.

Point Defense Phaser

Primary Users

Federation

Developed

2246 (Federation)

Size Factor

An early model phaser, the point defense phaser has not been seen in extensive use on military ships since the initial development of phaser technology during the transition from laser to phaser technology. Vulcans are heavy users of the point defense phaser, and many early phaser armed Federation vessels used the weapon as a point defense battery at range and to wear down enemy shields at extremely close ranges.

Into the late 2260s and beyond, the point defense phaser became almost solely used by civilian units and minor nations that could not afford anything better. By the 24th Century few if any entities continued to use the point defense phaser as the light phaser proved more cost effective.

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Please contact Tyrel Lohr at contact@tyrellohr.com.