tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post1630658852523606680..comments2024-03-28T00:43:37.279-05:00Comments on Future War Stories: The Weapons of Sci-Fi: The EM-33 Plasma Pistol from Star Trek: EnterpriseWilliamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-276311583954792462014-09-17T14:56:46.382-05:002014-09-17T14:56:46.382-05:00At times, creators use different weaponry to expre...At times, creators use different weaponry to express the difference between the "normal" reality and the "alternate" reality. Could be an interesting blogpost! Thanks for the tip!Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-50430012113563081382014-09-16T17:42:34.663-05:002014-09-16T17:42:34.663-05:00An interesting website. Enjoyed reading the future...An interesting website. Enjoyed reading the future history of plasma-beam weaponry. Would also be nice seeing some future weaponry from other alternate future timelines, such as "Lost In Space", etc. <br /><br />Ward Kendall<br />author<br />"Hold Back This Day"<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Hold-Back-This-Ward-Kendall/dp/1500800015/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=1-1&qid=1409197123" rel="nofollow">They Made Their Last Stand On Mars...</a>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-27571063391565512872012-06-04T21:48:55.328-05:002012-06-04T21:48:55.328-05:00I have to admit, Mr. Phoenix, I've been thinki...I have to admit, Mr. Phoenix, I've been thinking about the phasers of Star Trek quite abit, and I've come to a conclusion, if the phaser beam is strong enough, it would be one hell of a cutter! <br />Another point I've come to realize, is that the Phaser is the only sci-fi weapon to be explored over nearly 200 years of development and over 40 years of real-time, no weapon in sci-fi has been changed, modified, and analyzed like the Starfleet phaserWilliamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-43062167297612851932012-06-01T16:51:58.147-05:002012-06-01T16:51:58.147-05:00Colonel West was the assassin in The Undiscovered ...Colonel West was the assassin in The Undiscovered Country, wasn't he? That means, if he was one of the people pushing for the adoption of the Assault Phaser, he died by his own favorite weapon!! Phasers.net says that originally the Starfleet assassin was to use a breakdown carbine version of the Assault Phaser instead of a Klingon disruptor rifle.<br /><br />I think the Phase Pistol was introduced to include more traditional phaser-like elements in the show. The Phase Pistol is pretty neat- I like continuous beam DEW- but it would make more sense for the EM-33 to be used as the standard issue sidearm for some time even after the invention of the Phase Pistol- especially if the Phase Pistol is more expensive. However, if I had been in charge of the production of Star Trek Enterprise, I would have armed the crew with laser beam pistols.<br /><br />The EM-33 can only fire plasma bolts, so it can only be used as a weapon. The Phase Pistol is a deadly weapon as well, but it has a less-lethal mode and can operate as a heat ray or a cutting tool. Space explorers will want versatile weapons, since they may encounter any number of strange situations. This may be part of the reason why the crew of NX-01 carry the phase pistol over the EM-33. Who knows- if you were actually part of the crew of the NX-01, maybe you would choose the smaller, deadly recoilless Phase Pistol over the bulky, heavy EM-33, especially if the EM-33 suffered from overheating and high recoil. If you think about it, the Phase Pistol is actually a bit scarier than the EM-33. If you turn the setting dial to "cutting beam", you could slice somebody in half- even though we never see them use those settings on a living target.<br /><br />I still want sights on my ray-gun. Most rays will be invisible or only marginally visible, and who wants to miss and then have to sweep the beam around to the target? That said, the glowing trail would make a continuous-beam weapon like the Phase Pistol easy to aim. Oddly, though, the characters on the show often fire a short burst that hits the target immediately, with no extra sweeping around required.<br /><br />Christopher PhoenixAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-32557701691060536582012-06-01T15:53:12.635-05:002012-06-01T15:53:12.635-05:00Thanks Mr. Phoenix for the information, and I must...Thanks Mr. Phoenix for the information, and I must admit that I should have included the batteries in the explosive. <br />My guess on the visual sights was due to the EM-33 being a 'pulse' rather than beam DEW, and I believe you are correct, I would guess you are to use the nadion beam for aiming. <br />Really wished they had kept the EM-33 around, and included the Phase Pistol much later in the series. If I was on the NX-01, I would carry a EM-33 over the Phase Pistol...and my god, how ugly is that phase-III compact rifle that they carried around before the EM41 MACO carbine?<br />I hope you enjoyed my including Colonel West into the mix, I think he added something.Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17218428427067689631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-726484495782035142.post-62064340785084365092012-05-31T19:10:22.041-05:002012-05-31T19:10:22.041-05:00If the Vulcans think the EM-33 is too large, scary...If the Vulcans think the EM-33 is too large, scary, and threatening, what would they think the Lewiston MK17 from E.E. Doc Smith's "Triplanetary"? <br /><br />The MK17 is described as containing thousands upon thousands of kilowatt-hours of stored energy (you house electrical bill is measured in kilowatt-hours), and the beam could melt the engine block of a car. Charging a single Lewiston battery takes several years worth of an average modern person's electrical energy usage!! Another weapon with absurd power is the mesotron pistol from the "Cities in Flight" series. The mesotron pistol is described as being better for demolishing buildings than antipersonnel uses. If we ever become an interstellar civilization with access to incredible amounts of energy, such vicious blasters would actually fit in with the incredible scale of everything else we would do.<br /><br />Your history of the EM-33 was fun to read, William- thanks for sharing. Plasma weapons are rather scientifically dubious, but if we could make such a beast, it might behave a bit like what you describe. Plasma weapons would cause some pretty hideous wounds.<br /><br />I was a little puzzled by your reference to the slush hydrogen "detonating". The EM-33 needs a battery to power the laser array and acceleration coils. This battery contains all the energy that goes into heating the plasma bolt, so shouldn't the battery pose a much greater explosion hazard than the hydrogen fuel?<br /><br />We clearly can't fit all the stuff needed to form a super-heated plasma bolt in a handgun yet, even if we find a way to solve the blooming and air resistance issues. I've wondered if there are any exotic subatomic particles that a particle weapon like the phase pistol might use- most real world discussions are limited to electrons, protons, heavy atomic nuclei, and clusters of atoms. Occasionally I find reference to muon beam weapons. Most Trek weapon project imaginary energy instead of something we know of.<br /><br />I notice that the EM-33 seems to have visible sights, but the Phase Pistol and TNG phasers do not. I suppose the Vulcan High Command thinks having gun sights is also the "ancient symbol of cowboys" and "too threatening", or maybe you are supposed to aim using the visible trail of the nadion beam?<br /><br />Christopher PhoenixAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com