Likely the same way any targeting sensors would. They probably automatically lock onto the nearest life-form or energy signature, unless overriden by the user if he/she wants to aim manually.
favorite Starfleet PHASERS?
- Thread starter Galileo7
- Start date
The TOS era, type one/palm size phasers did have a pop-up targeting sight, although it was never seen to be use on screen. On the "hero" phasers the metal mesh on the top forward part of the phaser would rotate up and reveal a small video screen.
I'm a big proponent of the steerable beam emitter and target seeking ability. Obviously not usable in every situation, shape recognition software combined with a onboard computer that can make value weighted threat assessments would be an asset in SOME shooting situations.
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I'm a big proponent of the steerable beam emitter and target seeking ability. Obviously not usable in every situation, shape recognition software combined with a onboard computer that can make value weighted threat assessments would be an asset in SOME shooting situations.
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yep. That what I was thinking when I said an intelligent targeting computer. It can take a visual scan of the people around you, and take aim at the one thats holding a weapon or gun at you.
The TNG Technical Manual does mention that hand phasers are equipped with "target sensors and processors for distant aiming functions." I was just speculating from onscreen stuff, but I didn't know it was actually written there until now...T'Girl said:
Well stated. This is my opinion also.
On the autotargeting issue, we canonically know that the rifles have "multiple target acquisition" capabilities, as per Kira in "Return to Grace". The act of acquiring a target is what the gun operator normally does when aiming the gun; apparently, Starfleet guns indeed are smart enough to do it by themselves. And the difference between pistol and rifle might well be the difference between non-multiple and multiple...
A fairly simple and useful feature would be one where the user presses a special button, or presses the trigger in a special way, when pointing at a target but not yet wanting to fire at it. He can then move the phaser whichever way, but the weapon remembers the target that was tagged, and fires at that target (rather than dead ahead) when the trigger is next pushed.
Such a functionality wouldn't need sights or displays. Instead, the handle of the gun might buzz a bit when the target has been acquired, and lose the buzz when the target lock is lost. Nor would elaborate sensors be needed: at the simplest mode, the gun might fire at the location that was tagged, completely ignoring what lies in that location. At a more complex mode, the gun might track the contours of the object that was tagged with a simple radar-like device, and thus follow even a moving object, but again would not care about what that object was.
Evil Overlords everywhere would rejoice: they could now far more easily do the scene where they aim their gun at the hero, say "And now you see the consequence of crossing me", and suddenly shoot their own lieutenant for having failed to kill the hero as ordered. You don't even have to swing the phaser (in a manner that would allow the hero to knock it off your hand, like all heroes compulsively do in such situations): just tag the lieutenant first, then keep aiming at the hero.
Of course, it may also be that these phasers do have very elaborate and helpful sights. They just aren't physical, but projected. The original TNG/DS9 rifles had weird lumps atop that shone a light at the face of the operator. That would have blinded the operator in most cases - but what if that wasn't a light, but rather an image projector that fed targeting data directly to the eyes of the operator?
Timo Saloniemi
A fairly simple and useful feature would be one where the user presses a special button, or presses the trigger in a special way, when pointing at a target but not yet wanting to fire at it. He can then move the phaser whichever way, but the weapon remembers the target that was tagged, and fires at that target (rather than dead ahead) when the trigger is next pushed.
Such a functionality wouldn't need sights or displays. Instead, the handle of the gun might buzz a bit when the target has been acquired, and lose the buzz when the target lock is lost. Nor would elaborate sensors be needed: at the simplest mode, the gun might fire at the location that was tagged, completely ignoring what lies in that location. At a more complex mode, the gun might track the contours of the object that was tagged with a simple radar-like device, and thus follow even a moving object, but again would not care about what that object was.
Evil Overlords everywhere would rejoice: they could now far more easily do the scene where they aim their gun at the hero, say "And now you see the consequence of crossing me", and suddenly shoot their own lieutenant for having failed to kill the hero as ordered. You don't even have to swing the phaser (in a manner that would allow the hero to knock it off your hand, like all heroes compulsively do in such situations): just tag the lieutenant first, then keep aiming at the hero.
Of course, it may also be that these phasers do have very elaborate and helpful sights. They just aren't physical, but projected. The original TNG/DS9 rifles had weird lumps atop that shone a light at the face of the operator. That would have blinded the operator in most cases - but what if that wasn't a light, but rather an image projector that fed targeting data directly to the eyes of the operator?
Timo Saloniemi
Have to got with the Type 2s we saw in DS9 seasons 4-7, Voyager seasons 2-7, and TNG movies starting with First Contact.
I can't argue with that, but there IS real onscreen evidence that hand phasers can fire in a direction other than where they are aimed. I don't remember which episode(s) it was but I remember at least once someone blasted a large hole through rock or something by "projecting" the phaser to the dimensions of the desired hole rather than firing a single straight beam.
I have always been partial to the Assault phaser and the one shown in TSFS. I also liked the Cardassian hand phasers, as well. In regards to the targeting abilities. It could be entirely possible that there is some sort of microprocessor / chip that, after being programmed prior to the mission, could single out whomever the enemy might be by some simple sort of DNA scan or recognition. Lets say they are beaming to an unfriendly encounter with Jem Hadar soldiers. All away team weapons are programmed to, accept as targets, any humanoid lifeform with their distinctive genome. Or, an even easier approach, is to program the phasers with all friendly DNA registries (on that paraticular away mission) and automatically eliminate them as potential targets.
As for actual favourite phaser in Starfleet, I'd have to say the hand phasers out of Star Trek XI, they're simplistic, easy to understand, tactile feedback from shots, seems like a good design. 
If we were to include non-Starfleet ranged hand weapons, the 24th Century Klingon disruptor would be my favourite, it has a real 'gunslinger' look about it.
If we were to include non-Starfleet ranged hand weapons, the 24th Century Klingon disruptor would be my favourite, it has a real 'gunslinger' look about it.
I also like the modularity of those things, with the clip-on "rifle" stocks. It appears those power-boosting stocks can also be clipped on to other types of weapon, as seen in "Too Short a Season"...
Just above Karnas' head:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort003.jpg
And in his hands:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort235.jpg
Side view:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort233.jpg
I can so see Klingons selling the rifle stock to allies and other customers, equipped with this tiny "business end" instead of the usual disruptor...
Most definitely. Heck, it's one of the defining features of starship phasers in TNG. Why wouldn't it be present in the handheld versions as well?
It's something you'd decidedly want from a gun: firing in the right direction even if you are aiming in a wrong one. And 24th century technology should be capable of providing our heroes with what they need, including this feature. It's capable of much greater feats, after all.
Timo Saloniemi
Just above Karnas' head:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort003.jpg
And in his hands:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort235.jpg
Side view:
http://tng.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/s1/1x12/tooshort233.jpg
I can so see Klingons selling the rifle stock to allies and other customers, equipped with this tiny "business end" instead of the usual disruptor...
Most definitely. Heck, it's one of the defining features of starship phasers in TNG. Why wouldn't it be present in the handheld versions as well?
It's something you'd decidedly want from a gun: firing in the right direction even if you are aiming in a wrong one. And 24th century technology should be capable of providing our heroes with what they need, including this feature. It's capable of much greater feats, after all.
Timo Saloniemi
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