A pulse phaser, also known as pulse phaser cannon, was a type of directed energy weapon utilized aboard Federation starships and facilities in the late 24th century.
By 2344, the Ambassador-class USS Enterprise-C was equipped with an array of pulse phaser turrets alongside Phaser arrays. (STO video game: Star Trek Online[citation needed])
The energy emissions of pulse phasers were stored in a magnetic field, allowing them to coalesce and agitate to higher energy states. The field was then redirected, forcing the burst of phaser energy toward the target. This process was repeated rapidly using multiple magnetic field generators, and the result was a stream of phased energy projectiles. Although the range of such a weapon was much less than the standard phaser due to rapid dissipation, from close range the pulse phaser could do more damage than most phaser types. (TNG video game: Starfleet Command III)
One of the first type of Starfleet vessels to be equipped with pulse phasers were the Defiant-class. They were developed at Starfleet's Tokyo R&D facilty. Pulse phasers were also installed aboard some starbases and weapon platforms by the mid-2370s. (DS9 episode: "The Search, Part I"; TNG video games: Armada, Armada II; Star Trek: The Magazine vol. 1, Issue 6: "Briefing: U.S.S. Defiant NX-74205")
In 2372, Starfleet experimented in adapting pulse phasers into older vessels in service, such as the Miranda-class USS Samson. (TNG eBook: A Sea of Troubles)
Appearances and references[]
External link[]
- Pulse phaser article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.