No phasers in the 22nd century?

[WraithDukat]

It was said in an episode of TNG that phasers werent around in the 22nd century. Yet in Enterprise we have phase pistols and phase canons.

Are phase canons and phase pistols not quite "phasers" - we know that they only have two settings while phasers had many. Is the technology in these to primitive to be considered phasers, or was this just simply overlooked?

 

[F. King Daniel]

They look, sound and act exactly like phasers, so they're phasers. I guess we're supposed to assume "phase pistol" was shortened to "phaser" by the time of The Original Series.

Worf's line in "A Matter of Time", like Spock's lines about cloaking devices being a theoretical new technology and 22nd century starship technology in "Balance of Terror", Picard's speech about Klingon/human first contact in "First Contact" and the "lasers" in "The Cage" were simply ignored. Such is television, especially something as long-running as Star Trek. Generations of new writers and producers come along, all with their own ideas about how the Trekverse should work.

 

[Skywalker]

We can assume that ENT's phase pistols are a similar but primitive version of the phaser technology used by Starfleet in the 24th century. For all we know, later phasers were based on technology introduced by the Vulcans, Andorians, or Tellarites, or some other race in the Federation.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

OP answered; thread closed.