Will they use Lasers or Phasers?
- Thread starter Jayson
- Start date
There's no way the weapons in "The Cage" were actual lasers, though. That must just be a term that was applied to them at the time. Real lasers are not capable of acting in the fashion that those weapons did.
GodThingFormerly
A Different Kind of Asshole
Nonsense. The lasers featured in The Cage only burned holes through stuff in pretty much the same manner as their 1960s real world counterparts.
TGT
I'm sure they'll be phasers. Since it seems it'll be toward the end of Pike's capitancy (is that a real word, did I spell it right?) and towards the beginning of Kirk's, I guess they could really use either. I'd bet 1000 quatloos that they use phasers, though.
No, they're going to use flintlocks.
Wait...I got it...they'll never reference them at all. Instead, they'll just refer to them as "your weapon" and let the viewer figure it out what they can be!
And they'll pantomime it, so they can cut costs of making a prop and we fans can imagine what will be there.
And they'll pantomime it, so they can cut costs of making a prop and we fans can imagine what will be there.
They'll use phasers because Paramount wants the elements in this film to be as broadly recognizable as possible. When the general public sees the words "Star Trek" they think "phaser". In attempting to reinvigorate Star Trek as a profitable media product for the long term, they're gonna keep the iconic terms and concepts (phasers, pointed ears) while cleaning out the continuity clutter and turning up the volume.
Given the intentions behind this project, it's the only sensible thing to do.
Given the intentions behind this project, it's the only sensible thing to do.
Of course they'll use phasers- Enterprise apparently did.
There has to be some acceptance that the early stuff was a work in progress. Had Star Trek continued forward from "The Cage", lasers would've been rewritten as Phasers anyway. Lithium became Dilithium within the space of a week. Just like the Ferengi didn't turn out to be cannibals as per a line of dialogue in TNG's pilot.
Look at phaser as a catchall word for a variety of weapons if you must.
Look at phaser as a catchall word for a variety of weapons if you must.
If they have any respect at all for the original series and Rodenberry's vision of the future, they will use lasers.
So that means they'll use phasers.
So that means they'll use phasers.
Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if we see both lasers and phasers (and possibly even a mention of phase pistols, but that's kinda pushing it). We may see lasers briefly in the earliest moments, and then see the introduction of the first genuine phaser pistols by the time Kirk takes the stage...
Aren't they?
How many times did we see the weapons in "The Cage" used? ONCE, and that was in an illusory situation where we never saw what they were actually doing in real-time. We only saw the result, later.
What part, specifically, of what we saw in "The Cage" do you think is inconsistent with what high-powered lasers would do?
Later on (in "What are Little Girls Made Of" for instance) we see the hand-laser props treated like phasers, that's true, but they could just be phasers that happen to resemble the older lasers somewhat.
So, specifically in "The Cage," what was inconsistent?
I'll address one point right now. "Lasers aren't visible." Well, in space, with power levels we have any experience with, this is true. But in an atmosphere, with humidity, dust, etc, laser beams of sufficient power are VERY MUCH visible.
Other than that, what else?
My take? I say, in this regard ignore "Enterprise" and stick with TOS. Phasers are a relatively new innovation, and the first hand-portable phaser device was the rifle Kirk used against Mitchell in WNMHGB.
Pump enough power through a laser and it really is a pretty effective weapon. Just a lot messier, and without the option for "stunning." The trick is, how do you put that much power into a hand-portable device. Consider that each hand-laser from "The Cage" is probably equivalent to the anti-ballistic-lasers we're currently mounting into modified C-130s. (Oh, those beams are visible to the naked eye, too...)
GodThingFormerly
A Different Kind of Asshole
That's one of the most broadly lambasted elements of "Enterprise," though... and PPC knows it.
"Enterprise" had deflectors, phasers, photon torpedoes... all of the "broadly recognized" bits. Sure, they renamed some of them but it was UTTERLY UNCHANGED, and for the very reason you give, above.
And they saw a huge backlash over it. Trust me, they may not "get it" as to WHY that's the case, but they are aware that the fans didn't like that.
Come back in a few years and I think you MIGHT be more likely to be right. But right now, the PPC board of directors is more likely to overreact in the OPPOSITE direction. ("The @#$*ing fans didn't like being given the same thing... then give the @#$*ers something totally different!")
They will probably be called phasers. Enterprise did not refer to the 'time warp', which was the term 'The Cage' used for its FTL propulsion. I believe this film will use familiar Star Trek terminology because, like Kirk, Spock and the Enterprise, it's standard Star Trek material.
Very interesting... is this associated with the Air Force's "Dazzler gun" they code-named "Phazr?"
Very interesting idea... thanks for sharing "TGT"
Ah, yes, the Air Force's "dazzler gun." It doesn't stun like it Trek but it does, in theory, temporarily disable an opponent. The main question right now is whether or not this causes permanent visual damage. Personally, I'd rather get shot by this instead of an AK-74 (not AK-47... that's not a typo) round, but I still think I'd be permanently injured by being shot by it. So I'd rather have neither.
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