Can Klingon disruptors stun?

[Bernd Perplies]

Hi everyone.

A friend told me, that a Klingon disruptor can only kill people, that it doesn't have a stun setting like Federation phasers. Is that true? Or can anyone provide me with a tv episode or a book that showed a Klingon (or someone using a Klingon disruptor) stunning an enemy?

Thank you!

Bernd

 

[Crazyewok]

Hi everyone.

A friend told me, that a Klingon disruptor can only kill people, that it doesn't have a stun setting like Federation phasers. Is that true? Or can anyone provide me with a tv episode or a book that showed a Klingon (or someone using a Klingon disruptor) stunning an enemy?

Thank you!

Bernd

Hmmm

While I think klingons would shoot to kill 99.9% of the time.

It doesnt make tactical sense to not have stun settings , not for any ethical reason but for the practical reason to take prisoners for intelligence purposes.

 

[Bernd Perplies]

It doesnt make tactical sense to not have stun settings , not for any ethical reason but for the practical reason to take prisoners for intelligence purposes.

That's what I thought, too. But I have no real evidence of a stun setting.

 

[locutus101]

The Andorians didn't have a stun setting on their rifles back in Archer's time. Somehow I can't picture a Klingon shooting someone without the intent to kill him.

 

[ConRefit79]

In Star Trek IV, Checkov did warn the Federal agent he would have to stun him. He was holding a Klingon version of a type 1 phaser. And he did try to fire it.

 

[USS Triumphant]

Based on my understanding of Klingon disruption technology , a Klingon disruptor set on its very lowest setting should be able to disrupt the molecules in the brain enough to knock someone out without killing them. I think it would still be a much more *brutal* way of doing it than a phaser stun, with a chance of doing permanent brain damage and even a tiny chance of still killing the target.

All of that, of course, is assuming that the Klingon warrior in question saw any value in even *having* that lowest setting on their weapon instead of opting for one that can be turned up to 11.

 

[Relayer1]

Yes they can stun.

You hold the disruptor by the barrel and hit your target over the head with it...

 

[Timo]

In DS9 "Sons of Mogh", our heroes try to find a niche for the outcast Klingon Kurn, and Odo is told to employ him in his security force. Odo's comment: "I just have one question. Does he know how to use the stun setting on a disruptor?"

Of course, it may be that even if Odo is being serious ("I always am!"), he's talking about Bajoran disruptors. Even though those are called phasers elsewhere in the show.

What ConRefit79 says above is our only direct evidence on stun settings on actual Klingon hardware. OTOH, there is no onscreen mention that Klingon guns would lack the setting - and it's never a concern when our heroes confiscate Klingon armaments (which they never get to use, except for the mirror Sisko who wouldn't care).

There's also DS9 "Shakaar" where the rebel Bajorans have a cache of guns including Klingon rifles; the titular character wields one, and comes close to gunning down a fellow Bajoran from the militia. Of course, the very fact that there's drama in the decision not to fire might suggest a lack of nonlethal options...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Bernd Perplies]

Thanks a lot for your replies! I can see, that this question is not so easy to answer.

 

[locutus101]

Yes they can stun.

You hold the disruptor by the barrel and hit your target over the head with it...

I am surprised it's not equipped with a bayonet.

 

[ConRefit79]

What ConRefit79 says above is our only direct evidence on stun settings on actual Klingon hardware.

Well, later I considered the possibility that Kirk's crew added a stun setting because they normally avoid killing. But since it is never explicitly mentioned, we must assume all Klingon disruptors can stun.

 

[locutus101]

Well, later I considered the possibility that Kirk's crew added a stun setting because they normally avoid killing. But since it is never explicitly mentioned, we must assume all Klingon disruptors can stun.

I have a hard time picturing Klingon using a stun setting, what with all their talks of honorable death and all. They kill sick people in their beds!

 

[B.J.]

This may be a bit pedantic of an argument, but the weapon in TVH isn't explicitly said to be Klingon (but I agree it does look the part). Plus, they never say "disruptor" in dialogue, only "phaser":

Kirk: "This is an extremely primitive and paranoid culture. Mr. Chekov, issue a phaser and communicator to each team."​

So, maybe it was actually a Klingon phaser, not a disruptor. There might be something about disruptors that don't allow for stun settings. But this does still cause issues with the additional point of a *Klingon* weapon having a stun setting.

 

[OpenMaw]

Of course Klingons have forms of non-lethal take downs!

Klingons need to take prisoners. Just because they're a warrior race doesn't make them (in my view) a bunch of savage morons. They're a star faring race after all. They didn't get there by being short sighted. Stunning an enemy allows you to put them in your mind scanner later.

 

[Spot261]

This may be a bit pedantic of an argument, but the weapon in TVH isn't explicitly said to be Klingon (but I agree it does look the part). Plus, they never say "disruptor" in dialogue, only "phaser":

Kirk: "This is an extremely primitive and paranoid culture. Mr. Chekov, issue a phaser and communicator to each team."​

So, maybe it was actually a Klingon phaser, not a disruptor. There might be something about disruptors that don't allow for stun settings. But this does still cause issues with the additional point of a *Klingon* weapon having a stun setting.

Its been a while since I saw the scene, but what precludes it being federation issue? They boarded the BoP in TSFS under combat conditions and on a recheck of the sequence, at least Kirk, Sulu and Chekov are armed, its safe to guess the others were too. There's no reason to presuppose those phasers were misplaced somehow on Vulcan.

 

[OpenMaw]

Its been a while since I saw the scene, but what precludes it being federation issue? They boarded the BoP in TSFS under combat conditions and on a recheck of the sequence, at least Kirk, Sulu and Chekov are armed, its safe to guess the others were too. There's no reason to presuppose those phasers were misplaced somehow on Vulcan.

The very Klingon design of the phasers. We saw what Fed Phasers looked like in Trek 3.

 

[Spot261]

tbh its a matter of interpretation but having just rewatched the scene its pretty ambiguous to me, certainly it looks nothing like the disruptors used by the klingon crew in ST3 .

Here's one of the weapons.


Here's a movie era klingon disruptor.

Here's a Starfleet type 1 phaser.

I get the Klingon feel to the hard edges, but the layout is much closer to a starfleet weapon of the era and bears more than a passing similarity. Also, if we are to assume they are of Klingon origin, that begs the question "what happened to their own weapons in the meantime?"

 

[locutus101]

Of course Klingons have forms of non-lethal take downs!

Klingons need to take prisoners. Just because they're a warrior race doesn't make them (in my view) a bunch of savage morons. They're a star faring race after all. They didn't get there by being short sighted. Stunning an enemy allows you to put them in your mind scanner later.

In war Klingons will never take someone prisoner, if they think they fought honorably, they will give them an honorable death. If they take someone prisoner it'll be because he was a coward or a criminal, as punishment.

 

[Timo]

...The funny thing is that their ST3:TSfS Starfleet Phaser II guns did have distinct Phaser I modules to them, while their ST:TMP and ST2:TWoK guns did have Type I modules but in such a form that the audience really couldn't tell.

Why Chekov would wield this particular type of weapon rather than one of the ST3 weapons, it's difficult to tell - but frankly, Kruge probably managed to disarm quite a few of our heroes before and during the final fight on Genesis. Or then he didn't even have to (we see no other guns save for Kirk's, which may be why Kruge doesn't specifically command for guns to be dropped before he orders the others beamed up). Kirk had his till the bitter end, and whatever guns Maltz confiscated would of course have been confiscated back, but it's still possible Chekov was left without a Starfleet weapon. Meaning he had to get either a Klingon gun, or then a generic weapon available from Vulcan.

In war Klingons will never take someone prisoner

They took Kirk and Spock in "Errand of Mercy", during a hot and declared war. They didn't need a stun setting for that...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[locutus101]

[QUOTE="Timo, post: 11713674, member: 2277
They took Kirk and Spock in "Errand of Mercy", during a hot and declared war. They didn't need a stun setting for that...

Timo Saloniemi[/QUOTE]

That was before the Klingon code of honor was firmly established. I think it goes with the smooth forehead.