Andorian Phaser Settings Question

[Onceuponatime]

Hi everyone,
I was just watching the Enterprise episode "Cease Fire" (Season 2 Episode 15). While on the surface of the planet en route to meet Shran, Archer, T'Pol and Ambassador Soval are attacked by a separate faction of the Andorians. Soval is injured in a phaser blast by the Andorians.

However, a few minutes later, Tarah tells Archer, who is holding her at phaser point with an Andorian phaser, that there is "no stun setting" on Andorian phasers. If this is true, shouldn't Soval have died instead of just being injured?

I haven't been able to find a good official answer for this. Does anyone have an idea that works with continuity?

 

[F. King Daniel]

It must have missed any vital organs.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

Maybe Tarah was just BS-ing Archer so he wouldn't shoot her.

 

[T'Girl]

There's no stun setting on modern guns either.

 

[Onceuponatime]

There's no stun setting on modern guns either.

Good point. I guess I just thought if you were hit by a phaser set to kill you always died instantly. In "Babel One" Talas doesn't die because she was only grazed. But Soval was hit straight on in the chest. You would think that would be more than a graze. Maybe his Vulcan physiology was resilient enough to keep him alive?

 

[F. King Daniel]

IIRC, Vulcans can survive a shot to the chest, since they keep their hearts where we keep our livers.

 

[t_smitts]

IIRC, Vulcans can survive a shot to the chest, since they keep their hearts where we keep our livers.

Well said.

I think we can agree a particle weapon's setting isn't necessarily the only factor in the severity of a wound. We know that phaser even on stun can kill at close range. Conversely, I think a weapon without a stun setting (which BTW doesn't necessarily mean it's as powerful as a phaser/phase pistol set on kill) might be survivable, provided you get treatment fairly soon.

 

[Dale Sams]

An Enterprise crewmember takes two shots in the first Andorian ep. And it can't be because Andorians are fragile and their 'kill' is different.

 

[Sec31StatnChf]

Last I checked one can be shot, in the chest, and survive a gunshot.