phasers and all

[Hyperspace05]

Why don't phasers vaporize stuff anymore?

I mean in the TV Series, and TNG, and even some DS9, they were vaporizing stuff left and right even with the type-1 phasers. Then somewhere through DS9, they stopped vaporizing stuff, even with phaser rifles they didn't vaporize things.

Because they realized it was a stupid idea... I mean really, where does the vaporization stop? (Why not vaporizing everything the person is in contact with?) What happens to the matter? Why do ships phasers never vaporize other ships?

It's a stupid idea better left alone.

On the contrary, it made the weapons look advanced and powerful. You know you're in the future when you've got handguns that can level mountains.

Wow, congratulations - you managed to *completely* miss the point about why 'disitegration' does not make sense.

But to go along with your "bigger is cooler" philosophy - Why not have them use handguns capable of destroying an entire planets! Then you *really* know you are in the future!!! (Just in came, you know, transporters and warp drive did not make that clear)

 

[JuanBolio]

Because they realized it was a stupid idea... I mean really, where does the vaporization stop? (Why not vaporizing everything the person is in contact with?) What happens to the matter? Why do ships phasers never vaporize other ships?

It's a stupid idea better left alone.

On the contrary, it made the weapons look advanced and powerful. You know you're in the future when you've got handguns that can level mountains.

Wow, congratulations - you managed to *completely* miss the point about why 'disitegration' does not make sense.

But to go along with your "bigger is cooler" philosophy - Why not have them use handguns capable of destroying an entire planets! Then you *really* know you are in the future!!! (Just in came, you know, transporters and warp drive did not make that clear)

I respectfully disagree. The disintegration setting of phasers would work perfectly and would be visually astounding if done properly. If I avoided the points you made about it, its because they are rather silly and display a lack of knowledge about Star Trek technology.

What happens to the matter being disintegrated? As the name "phaser" implies, it is phased out of our space-time continuum.

Why do ship phasers never "vaporize" other ships? They do, especially in TOS. Watch the Enterprise blast the Klingon battlecruiser in "Day of the Dove". Why doesn't this always happen? Varrying power levels, and phase-resistant materials. We've also seen large chunks of hull being disintegrated - not merely blasted away - as recently as DS9.

 

[SonicRanger]

On the contrary, it made the weapons look advanced and powerful. You know you're in the future when you've got handguns that can level mountains.

And that mere fact makes writing and filming a firefight with such weapons impossible.

No, you just have to re-think the firefight formula a bit and step outside of established norms. Oh yeah, and we'd get some jaw-droppingly violent visuals to boot. I don't see a downside.

$$$

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

A ray gun is a ray gun is a ray gun. The movie phasers were cool ray guns, just like previous phasers.

 

[TrekSan]

A Phaser being a tool that can kill someone,it should be mean looking,and be simple to operate.The best weapon to use in battle is one that's simple and deadly,and that's what the nuPhaser is.

A simple 3/10s of a second flick between stun and kill is a lot better in a firefight than standing around punching in buttons.I understand the premise behind a multi-setting phaser,but it doesn't make sense in a fight.What would you rather have if you were patrolling Nasriyah,Iraq-a simple two-setting Glock 19,or a pocket-PC gun with a qwerty pad?

Its a drastic improvement over the 'cobra' style TNG hand phasers that looked like a TV remote from RadioShack.

Actually, TOS is about the time that refinements were introduced to the phaser. So, a dial setting, you could get "stun" and "heavy stun" in addition to "kill".

You would almost have a point if it wasn't for the fact that the military actively looks for different weapons to handle different jobs. I would bet solid money that if the military could roll all of its shotguns, M-4s, M203s, .50 cals and SAWs into one nice little multi setting package they would jump at the chance like theres no tomorrow. As a matter of fact, they regularly experiment with adding as much functionality and modifications to weapons as possible.

What stops some of the really cool weapons systems is the weight or mass. Trust me, humping 40mm grenade launching machine gun is a bitch.

[Since the Color tags are not enabled for this BBS, I'll remove them and underline the quoted text you were indicating. - M']

Why don't phasers vaporize stuff anymore?

I mean in the TV Series, and TNG, and even some DS9, they were vaporizing stuff left and right even with the type-1 phasers. Then somewhere through DS9, they stopped vaporizing stuff, even with phaser rifles they didn't vaporize things.

It's flashy and cool, but also inefficient. It's the 23rd/24th century equivalent of pumping six bullets into one opponent.

Simple efficiency. No need to pump megajoules into a body when megaAmps will do.

 

[RedSpar]

Like others here, I have tons of problems with how they do phaser hand weapons.

-Beam flight time that is slower than a nerf gun

-Beams that don't wiggle or move from hand shake (just see how steady you can keep a laser pointer at 30 meters)

-Lack of any kind of futuristic (or even contemporary) sighting or targeting system.

-Residual heat or eye damage from high E/M radiation emitted to the target

-Maybe even sound f/x too.. High power lasers make a lightning clap sound as it superheats the atmosphere like a lightning bolt.

I did a F/X Phaser test a few years ago with my kids but making the beam have zero flight time (granted it's close a range shot). I think it looks cooler then the projectile speed of the shows
VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx2kjtHQ35I

 

[Peter the Younger]

I did a F/X Phaser test a few years ago with my kids but making the beam have zero flight time (granted it's close a range shot). I think it looks cooler then the projectile speed of the shows
VIDEO HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yx2kjtHQ35I

That does look a lot better. I admit, a properly done firefight with beams flashing back and forth would be cool.

So, how did you decide which one got vaporized?

 

[igrokbok]

Love the phaser. Keeps that classic profile yet adds a little physical "business" for the actors to do when switching the emitter, ala the Cage. The beams themselves...well... I'd much rather had smooth straight hot beams of evergy cutting through hulls and roumlans like a hot knife through butter, in contrast to the pulse beams of the Romulan's guns. I also would have loved to see Kirk vaporize one of those playtforms right under the feat of Nero, but, oh well. It was still a fun firefight.

The communicator's "chirp" is pretty weak, no where near the cool iconic signature iconic chirping sound of the original. But at least they had sense to keep the fun flip design. A lot of people are digging that wrist action.

 

[RedSpar]

So, how did you decide which one got vaporized?

Well my daughter was the better actor. She had the death scene down pat.