Are the beams coming back?

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies: Kelvin Universe' started by GalaxyX, Dec 28, 2012.

  1. GalaxyX

    GalaxyX Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2004
    Location:
    Canada
    Damn I hated those little "spit" phasers in the first movie.

    I was hoping they would do what Trek has never done before:

    Show a goddamned visible beam hit its target instantaneously at close to the speed of light, like a good energy weapon should.

    Surprisingly, Enterprise and Nemesis were the closest to showing this. They were also the worst for everything else :guffaw:

    Sadly, I fear the paintball speed "spit" bolt is here to stay :(
     
  2. Kpnuts

    Kpnuts Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 1999
    The "paintball speed spit bolt" looked awesome when the ship came out of warp though, even if it was more Wars than Trek.

    Didn't the Kelvin fire beams at the Narada? They weren't speed of light, but close enough
     
  3. SalvorHardin

    SalvorHardin Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 6, 2008
    Location:
    Star's End
    Indeed the Kelvin did have beams.

    As for the so called paintball bolts, they were more or less what we saw in TWOK. I'm guessing they will return.
     
  4. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    Trek has never showed lightspeed (that is, instantaneous) beams: the ones from TOS generally traveled slowly enough for the eye to see, which is very slowly, even when dialogue suggested they were hitting targets that were moving at FTL speeds themselves (say, "Ultimate Computer").

    What is unusual about the beams from the 2258 era of the eleventh movie is that they are fairly short, "Defiant length" pulses, whereas the pulses in ST2:TWoK were rather longer and the beams in TOS and TNG tended to dwell for several seconds and never flaunt their rear ends to the camera much. The pulses from the 2233 era of the movie were quite a bit longer, closer to what we saw in TOS or ST2.

    Well, good question. We don't know where Robau or Kirk aimed their red beams, but dialogue indicated that they (like the white bolts) were being used purely defensively, to parry Nero's projectiles. We never saw a beam hit the enemy ship proper, and the first damage experienced by the Narada in terms of dialogue or visuals or storyline was when Kirk rammed the Starfleet ship into her.

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  5. shapeshifter

    shapeshifter Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2007
    Location:
    Land of Illusion
    I don't know.

    However, I am now reminded of Doctor STUBBS asking Troi to "please turn off your beams into my soul." lol
     
  6. Nerys Myk

    Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

    Joined:
    Nov 4, 2001
    Location:
    AI Generated Madness
    No. Beams are so last Century.
     
  7. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2012
    Location:
    Shangri-La
    FTL weapons don't look good to the audience by virtue of moving faster than the human eye can track.
     
  8. GalaxyX

    GalaxyX Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2004
    Location:
    Canada
    I do remember the Kelvin firing beams. They were a bit like TNG beams.

    Personally I think an instantaneous beam of energy that last for as long as you squeeze the trigger would look fuckin' cool as shit.

    They just haven't ever tried one on Trek. Enterprise came close though.
     
  9. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    ^ In "Future's End" on VOY, the 29th century phaser (used by one of Starling's lackeys) fired an instantaneous beam.
     
  10. Orac

    Orac Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2007
    Location:
    The TARDIS
    Mmmmmm. Laser Beans.
     
  11. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    May 10, 2005
    Location:
    Confederation of Earth
    ^ Which, despite the sound of the phrase, is not my own recipe for chili.
     
  12. Phily B

    Phily B Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2001
    Location:
    United Kingdom
    The Kelvin looked to be firing the more traditional TNG type beams, but I thought the TOS Enterprise used to fire them closer to the way it was portrayed in 2009.
     
  13. C.E. Evans

    C.E. Evans Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2001
    Location:
    Ferguson, Missouri, USA
    I actually like the shorter bolts. That was one aspect of Star Trek II that I was glad to see return in Star Trek XI. And the firefight aboard the Narada seemed more dangerous and intense to me.
     
  14. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Location:
    A type 13 planet in it's final stage
    Kelvin fired TNG-type beams? Try TOS.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Here's a Kelvin pic for comparison: http://img.trekmovie.com/images/st09/trail3/05.jpg

    The 2009 movie Enterprise phasers were like those in Wrath of Khan but with all banks firing at once.
     
  15. The Mirrorball Man

    The Mirrorball Man Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 1999
    Location:
    Switzerland
    <NicolasCage>"Nooo! The beams! Not the beams! Aaaargh!"</NicolasCage>
     
  16. SonicRanger

    SonicRanger Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Feb 17, 2001
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    Weren't the Klingons' weapons on Rura Penthe in TUC basically instantaneous beams?
     
  17. Kruezerman

    Kruezerman Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2012
    Location:
    Meatloaf with Macaroni and Cheese
    Maybe they should go "pew-pew" too.

    No seriously.
     
  18. Kpnuts

    Kpnuts Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 1999
    You mean like the Narada's missiles being fired? Seriously, amazing sound effects throughout the film, except THAT.
     
  19. F. King Daniel

    F. King Daniel Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2008
    Location:
    A type 13 planet in it's final stage
    Dude, they did. Sort of. Listen to the sounds on the Kelvin bridge at the start. The consoles play the original TOS sound effects when they press fire.
     
  20. Kruezerman

    Kruezerman Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2012
    Location:
    Meatloaf with Macaroni and Cheese
    I thought the Enterprise's phasers sounded like Starfury guns from Babylon 5.