Lasers vs Phasers

[Stofsk]

I'm currently working on a TOS remake fanfic, and I've come to the question of what to do with phasers.

My main difficulty is figuring out how they work. They have a stun setting, and a kill (disintegrate) setting, and stuff in between (like a 'heat up rocks' setting). They almost seem like a utility device rather than a dedicated weapon. I've read fluff from Memory Alpha about 'nadeon particles' and various other technobabble, but they pretty much admit it can only work through exotic particles. Phasers also travel at slower than light speeds.

On the other hand you've got lasers, which would pretty much have only one setting (burn). Stunners would be a separate weapon - perhaps involving sonics.

So I put it to you: which one should I go for?

[Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman]

Um, if you're writing a Trek fanfic, then you should pick phaser. Star Trek doesn't have laser, does it?

[Destructionator XV]

Star Trek doesn't have laser, does it?

It does, seen in The Cage and Where No Man Has Gone Before. Also mentioned by Worf at least once.


I would go with the phaser, certainly though, as it is a Trek staple. Just portray then like we see in TOS.

[Batman]

Other than the fancier visuals phasers behave in TNG just as they do in TOS.
It's just that TNG phaser ergonomics suck.
Lasers are mentioned repeatedly throughout TNG (often in conjunction with weapons that don't behave like lasers).
Not that the weapons in The Cage/Where no man has gone before behaved all that laserish of course.
And go with phasers.

[Dark Silver]

Despite the slower propigation speeds and the exotic particles (and the weird crystals required for it to work) Phasers are suppossed to be superior to Lasers. Lasers were the first direct energy weapons used on starships (not counting what we see in Enterprise) and were not found on ships or on hand weapons before I think, the second TOS episode. Ship phasers were a new development when Kirk first encountered the Salt Vampire when he was still a Lt.


Depending on your setting...TOS after the second episode, I'd say stick with Phasers, just have them behave in a TOS way, instead of what we witness in TNG and beyond.