Surely not!
Donny’s Late TOS Movie Era Interiors
- Thread starter Donny
- Start date
Nope. I think it looks really great.
Without the cowling you can really see the Type II influence around the emitter. To be honest, I never liked the assault design before...but with a peek under the cowling it now makes more sense. It's growin' on me.
I'm so glad they never used that mini-phaser. I thought the "cricket" from early TNG was ridiculously small...I have a few more kinks to work out before I take final shots, but here is a preview
I'm loving how this is turning out!
I tried to take some design cues from the TOS Phaser 2 when designing the bit the emitter nozzle is attached to, so I’m glad others are seeing it as well.
They can put a warp drive into a ship the size of a mini van (or if you're one of those people: a subwarp capable craft the size of a mini van that can independently manage to enter and leave a gravity well ) but they can't put an energy weapon into a key fob?)
How did the cricket compare to the phaser-1 from TOS? (AKA The Bum Killer.)
And gorgeous work, @Donny . I'm still partial to the TMP and the TSFS phasers m'self.
I have a few more kinks to work out before I take final shots, but here is a preview
I'm loving how this is turning out!
It's looking real good! This is one of my favorite Phaser designs because it feels so gritty.
While it might be realistic (within the context of Trek's fictional technology and design aesthetic) to have an energy weapon that small, it makes for poor television if you've got your heroes holding a weapon so tiny you can barely make it out on TV.
ETA: Kirk, Spock & McCoy with Type I's in "Arena" vs. Worf & Yar with Type I's in "Justice" and Picard & RIker in "Conspiracy." The dark color of the TOS prop, which was also thicker in dimension, made it easier to see on-screen.
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From the beginning I think the idea of the Phaser I was for use in situations where a full size Phaser would be inappropriate. Imagine KS&M beaming down to a dinner invitation with Phaser II's on their belts. Not very friendly, is it? And then the idea that they were to be kept hidden from locals, as in Return Of The Archons, or Bread And Circuses. Just because it didn't work as planned doesn't mean it wasn't a good idea.
I find it incredible that KS&M beamed down with any weapons to a dinner invitation from Commodore Travers in a Federation Outpost. Was Kirk also armed with a Phaser One when be beamed down to Starbase 11 to talk with Commodore Mendiz? Another aspect of a Western in Space.
In another Season One incident from Dagger of the Mind:
KIRK: I believe regulations call for me to check my weapon.
ADAMS: No, no. That won't be necessary in your case, Captain. Just keep it out of sight, hmm? I know you people feel as naked without a weapon as we do without a medikit.
If Kirk knew he was to check his gun at the door, then why did he bring it in the first place? It's like Paladin in Have Gun Will Travel always with his trusty derringer in his belt.ADAMS: No, no. That won't be necessary in your case, Captain. Just keep it out of sight, hmm? I know you people feel as naked without a weapon as we do without a medikit.
Again, I have no problem with the idea of the Type I phaser, but a prop that's so small it's hard to make out on TV (like the TNG version was) generally makes for bad TV.
Here are the finished renders of the Starfleet Assault Phaser. I put a lot of thought into how the Phasers One and Two and power pack fit and function together, which was inspired with how the Master Replicas prop functions, albeit I've added "battery contacts" to the top of the power pack and bottom of the Phaser One.
The completed Phaser Two unit:
The Phaser One. Its my head-canon that this miniature phaser is a completely defensive unit and can only hold ten "stun" shots before needing to be recharged. It is detached from the Phaser Two and carried by itself when discretion is required.
You'll see I've added battery contacts to the bottom of the Phaser One and the power pack, taking a cue from present-day camera batteries.
Below are images of the completed unit with the service cowling in its open position.
The idea is that the power pack is inserted into the grip, which makes contact with the Phaser One which is connected to the Phaser Two via an energy conduit. The power pack feeds greater energy into the Phaser One, and the Phaser Two's controls (silver knob) can fine-tune the final energy output/dispersal. The charged phased energy is then fed from the Phaser One through the energy conduit into a pre-fire chamber housed between the conduit and the emitter nozzle. The Phaser Two's emitter nozzle then discharges the focused energy as dictated by the user's selected output settings. The "energy conduit", "pre-fire chamber", and the emitter grille on the Phaser One were designed by yours truly.
Btw, the four switches on the left hand side of the Phaser Two are as follows, from front to back
1) Nozzle Release 2) Service Cowling Release 3) Power Pack Release, and 4) Force Setting Dial.
The green indicator on the back indicates both the charge level and force setting. The light fades out as the remaining energy is discharged, and the color indicates force setting (Stun, Heavy Stun, Kill, Heat, Disrupt, Dematerialize)
(Images continued in next post)
The completed Phaser Two unit:
The Phaser One. Its my head-canon that this miniature phaser is a completely defensive unit and can only hold ten "stun" shots before needing to be recharged. It is detached from the Phaser Two and carried by itself when discretion is required.
You'll see I've added battery contacts to the bottom of the Phaser One and the power pack, taking a cue from present-day camera batteries.
Below are images of the completed unit with the service cowling in its open position.
The idea is that the power pack is inserted into the grip, which makes contact with the Phaser One which is connected to the Phaser Two via an energy conduit. The power pack feeds greater energy into the Phaser One, and the Phaser Two's controls (silver knob) can fine-tune the final energy output/dispersal. The charged phased energy is then fed from the Phaser One through the energy conduit into a pre-fire chamber housed between the conduit and the emitter nozzle. The Phaser Two's emitter nozzle then discharges the focused energy as dictated by the user's selected output settings. The "energy conduit", "pre-fire chamber", and the emitter grille on the Phaser One were designed by yours truly.
Btw, the four switches on the left hand side of the Phaser Two are as follows, from front to back
1) Nozzle Release 2) Service Cowling Release 3) Power Pack Release, and 4) Force Setting Dial.
The green indicator on the back indicates both the charge level and force setting. The light fades out as the remaining energy is discharged, and the color indicates force setting (Stun, Heavy Stun, Kill, Heat, Disrupt, Dematerialize)
(Images continued in next post)
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Go for it!
I think I like it without the cowling because it looks very much like another TMP version of the Classic TOS phasers. A nice variation from the TSFS phaser setup.
I think I like it without the cowling because it looks very much like another TMP version of the Classic TOS phasers. A nice variation from the TSFS phaser setup.
The in-universe justification might have been the need for a discrete weapon, but instances like “Arena” show that dramatically, that little phaser helped instantly communicate the idea of its possessor being hopelessly outgunned despite having the good sense not to go into a possible fire zone unarmed.
I like the assault phaser design because it at least looks conceivable that it is from the same universe as TOS. A bit convoluted and buried in contemporary detail to be sure, but sculpturally elegant and decidedly functional looking. I’m still bummed I didn’t take the dive and get the MR version. Donny’s is a true take. Great work!
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Ha! Yes, there's nothing stopping anyone from attaching the power pack to the Phaser One.
You can also do so with the Master Replica!
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For Unlimited Stun!
