Phaser Turret Concept

[CuttingEdge100]

Newtype Alpha

You never know, they still might. Especially if it turns out the main advantage of hand phasers is that it doesn't actually have to be pointed at its target to hit it; some sort of auto-tracking feature in Phaser-II allows the phased-array emitter (which is actually several emitters packed into a torroid) to steer the beam a few degrees off boresight and guarantee a hit.

Unlikely, in the show they routinely missed targets

 

[Albertese]

I seem to recall something from an episode of DS9 where Kira was comparing the Federation phaser rifle with the Cardassian version and mentioned some sort of self tracking/aiming feature which was something else that would break on the Fed one. She seems to have preferred the Cardie on for it's durability. Can't recall which ep though.

--Alex

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Albertese,

Well, the Federation personnel must have had some of the crappiest aim I've ever seen

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Newtype Alpha

You never know, they still might. Especially if it turns out the main advantage of hand phasers is that it doesn't actually have to be pointed at its target to hit it; some sort of auto-tracking feature in Phaser-II allows the phased-array emitter (which is actually several emitters packed into a torroid) to steer the beam a few degrees off boresight and guarantee a hit.

Unlikely, in the show they routinely missed targets

Even guided missiles sometimes miss targets under the best conditions.

I wasn't making a point about their accuracy, I was making a point about the ability of phaser beams to come out of emitter and hit a target that isn't in line WITH that emitter. We've seen this enough times to infer that some type of beam directing mechanism might be at work here, in which case a portable phased array could fit the bill.

Just because the beam is steerable doesn't mean the targeting system is omnipotent, though. In fact, this would more than suffice to explain the key differences between phasers in the first place since their overall power doesn't seem all that different; newer models might simply be more accurate.

 

[T'Girl]

Could be like the gizmo in my camera that locks on to faces, focusing and light metering off of that face, not the background. Especially in TNG the phaser beams coming out of the "dust buster" phaser don't alway appear to come straight out. Bad FX yes, the in-universe explaination might involve steering the beam.

 

[CuttingEdge100]

Newtype Alpha & T'Girl,

With modern day technology such a weapon would be able to achieve extremely high levels of accuracy far beyond what is seen in ST. Regardless, the fact that the beam could be steered or even widened into a wide beam or a narrow beam could suggest steerability.

 

[Crazy Eddie]

Newtype Alpha & T'Girl,

With modern day technology such a weapon would be able to achieve extremely high levels of accuracy far beyond what is seen in ST.

Honestly? Unless they're shooting at a target with a considerable amount of cover, hand phasers only occasionally miss. The hit-rate for unguided weapons of this type (slugthrowers, in other words) is something like one shot in six in a combat situation; with phasers, its closer to one in three, even before you factor in situations like "Way of the Warrior" where a single blast from a phaser rifle can actually hit more than one target.