Type 3 phaser

Type 3 phaser
Type:	Phaser
Output:	Beam, Pulse
Manufacturer:	Starfleet & Bajoran Militia
Era:	23rd century & 24th century

A phaser rifle (often referred to as a type-3 phaser) is a rifle variation of the standard phaser used by the Federation.

24th century phaser rifles have sixteen power settings, fully-autonomous recharge capability, multiple-target acquisition, and gyro-stabilization. They are slightly less powerful than Cardassian phase-disruptor rifles, and are considered by some to be less effective as a field weapon due to their complexity, despite being more powerful than the standard phaser. (DS9: "Return to Grace")

History

File:James T Kirk with phaser rifle.jpg

James T. Kirk holds a 2265-style phaser rifle

Phaser rifles were not standard equipment aboard Starfleet vessels prior to the early 2370s. Spock had to make a special request for one to be brought down to Delta Vega in 2265. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before") Typically, rifles were equipped when firepower heavier than that of the type 2 phaser was required.

Facsimile phaser rifles were created by the Romulan Star Empire in 2367 and given to rebels on the Klingon planet Krios, in an attempt to destabilize relationships between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The only difference between the standard Federation rifle and the facsimile was the power output of the phaser beam – the emission crystal had an efficiency rating of 94.1%, eight percent above the standard model, while the initial output spike of the beam was inverted, a sign that the power cell had been charged with a forced pulse in the terahertz range – a method used in Romulan disruptors. (TNG: "The Mind's Eye")

The 2360s version of the rifle could be modified with the use of a tracking light mounted on the central body, as well as a shoulder strap designed for ease of carrying.

The compression phaser rifle was a new phaser design used aboard Template:ShipClass starships such as the USS Voyager. (VOY: "Caretaker")

Worf fires an advanced phaser rifle

More advanced phaser rifles capable of firing pulse bursts as well as the standard beam were used in the 2370s. These rifles had a pistol grip in back and either an "underbarrel grip" or a second vertical grip underneath the barrel (similar to conventional firearms of times past), and were capable of being modified with various types of scope, barrel and power cell. (Star Trek: First Contact; Star Trek Nemesis)

Another rifle variation was in service at the same time, and used during zero-gravity operations in the Borg incident of 2373/2063. This phaser rifle was a return to the two-handed grip seen earlier, possibly due to the awkwardness of handling a rifle from inside of a pressure suit. This variant was able to be magnetized against a surface, further proving its usefulness in zero-gravity environments.

Phaser rifles were also used by the Bajoran Militia, based on the design of their own hand phasers. (DS9: "The Way of the Warrior")

Structure

Phaser rifles of the 24th century were characterized by several components (TNG: "The Mind's Eye"; DS9: "The Siege of AR-558"):

• Beam control assembly
• Discharge crystal
• Emission aperture
• Energy cell
• Power pack
• Prefire chamber
• Rapid nadion pulse
• Safety interlock
• Sight

Appendices

Appearances

• TNG:
  • "The Mind's Eye"
  • "Descent"
  • "Lower Decks"
• DS9:
  • "The Maquis, Part I"
  • "The Maquis, Part II"
  • "The Die is Cast"
  • "The Adversary"
  • "The Way of the Warrior"
  • "Homefront"
  • "Paradise Lost"
  • "Return to Grace"
  • "To the Death"
  • "The Ship"
  • "Let He Who Is Without Sin..."
  • "Nor the Battle to the Strong"
  • "Empok Nor"
  • "Call to Arms"
  • "Rocks and Shoals"
  • "Change of Heart"
  • "Inquisition"
  • "The Siege of AR-558"
• VOY:
  • "Macrocosm"
  • "Worst Case Scenario"
  • "Scorpion"
  • "Scorpion, Part II"
  • "The Raven"
  • "Waking Moments"
  • "Prey"
  • "Living Witness"
  • "One"
• Star Trek: First Contact
• Star Trek: Insurrection
• Star Trek Nemesis

Background

Matt Jefferies is accredited with drawings for the original series Type 1 phaser and 2 sidearms which fit together in a modular fashion. Said drawings also mention mysterious "UNIT 4" for which no drawing or design was ever made public nor featured in the original series. Possibly this UNIT 4 was meant to be a phaser rifle, but was never used on the show.

While Voyager originally only used compression rifles, they later also used the First Contact variant – indicating that weapon had been part of the ship's stores since they left DS9 in 2371. This seems anachronistic since that weapon wasn't introduced in other productions until around 2373, after Voyager departed. Even so, Deep Space Nine used two designs (the TNG rifle and the First Contact rifle) concurrently, indicating that no one design was "replaced", establishing that Federation postings could use two types simultaneously.

According to the It's A Wrap! sale and auction, the Star Trek Nemesis version of the phaser rifle (with flashlight) uses "a pair of C123 3-volt batteries... the bulb housing is inscribed '6v Lamp, Laser Products, P60'." A Surefire brand P60 designation lamp is capable of outputting 65 lumens of light.

A stunt version from Star Trek Nemesis was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]

The term "type 3 phaser" was first referenced in "Phage", and later again in "Flesh and Blood".

Template:PhaserTechnology