Tag: phasers

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Trekking Through Compliance

Trekking Through Compliance: The Science of Star Trek TOS: Phasers and the Blooming Problem

Welcome to Trekking Through Compliance. We recently finished Season 8, where we reviewed all 79 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) for compliance, ethics, and leadership lessons. This year we had additional analysis from Timothy and Fiona, two AI-generated voices that added yet another perspective. I had so much fun this season that I decided to extend it by adding episodes on the science and science issues from Star Trek TOS. I am joined in this exploration by my good friend Dr. Ben Locwin, a healthcare futurist and astrophysicist, who brings a scientific perspective to the discussion of Star Trek’s technology. In each episode, we use one or more TOS episodes to introduce topics such as warp drive, wormholes, phasers, and medical practice. In the first episode in this series, we discuss phasers. It is a ton of fun, and I know you will enjoy it.

Locwin explains that the biggest challenge is atmospheric physics: a powerful beam must travel through air, which can ionize into hot plasma and scatter or absorb its energy before it reaches a target. He argues that this “blooming” effect makes handheld phaser-like weapons far less practical than science fiction suggests, which is why real-world efforts focus more on laser-resistant materials, moving surfaces, and lower-power dazzlers. Overall, Locwin sees Star Trek phasers as entertaining but ultimately “junk science” when compared with the limits imposed by real physics.

Key highlights:

  • Phaser mishandling, rifle, and stun settings
  • Plasma Blooming in High-Power Beam Weapons
  • Infrared phasers and the blooming problem

Resources:

⁠⁠Excruciatingly Detailed Plot Summary by Eric W. Weinstein⁠⁠

⁠⁠MissionLogPodcast.com⁠⁠

⁠⁠Memory Alpha

Ben Locwin on LinkedIn

Categories
Greetings and Felicitations

Where No Man Has Gone Before and Phasers

 

Welcome to Greetings and Felicitations. In this episode,  I am joined by Astrophysicist and Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast, we consider the TOS episode Where No Man Has Gone Before as a starting point for the consideration of the science around the phaser.
The Federation starship Enterprise is on an exploratory mission to leave the galaxy. At the edge of the galaxy, the ship it encounters a strange barrier which damages the ship’s systems and warp drive, forcing a retreat. At the same time, nine crew members are killed and both helmsman Gary Mitchell and ship’s psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner are knocked unconscious by the barrier’s effect. When he awakens, Mitchell’s eyes glow silver, and he begins to display remarkable psychic powers. Alarmed that Mitchell may take over the Enterprise, Kirk decides to maroon him at an unmanned lithium-cracking facility on the remote planet of Delta Vega. Once there, the landing party tries to confine Mitchell, but his powers have become too great. Kirk follows with a phaser rifle, the only time in the Original Series it was seen. Kirk uses the phaser rifle to create a rockslide, killing Mitchell.
Highlights Include:

  1. Why aren’t phasers being used today?
  2. Why is air the biggest problem in creating a phaser?
  3. How can you aim and shoot at a target using a phaser?
  4. How do you deal with the energy loss?
Categories
Trekking Through Compliance

The Science of Star Trek-Where No Man Has Gone Before and Phasers

Welcome to the Science of Star Trek, a podcast series inspired by my review of Star Trek, the Original Series in the summer podcast special series Trekking Through Compliance.In this series I am joined by Astrophysicist and  Healthcare Futurist Ben Locwin. In this podcast, we consider the TOS episode Where No Man Has Gone Before as a starting point for the consideration of the science around the phaser.
The Federation starship Enterprise is on an exploratory mission to leave the galaxy. At the edge of the galaxy, the ship it encounters a strange barrier which damages the ship’s systems and warp drive, forcing a retreat. At the same time, nine crew members are killed and both helmsman Gary Mitchell and ship’s psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner are knocked unconscious by the barrier’s effect. When he awakens, Mitchell’s eyes glow silver, and he begins to display remarkable psychic powers. Alarmed that Mitchell may take over the Enterprise, Kirk decides to maroon him at an unmanned lithium-cracking facility on the remote planet of Delta Vega. Once there, the landing party tries to confine Mitchell, but his powers have become too great. Kirk follows with a phaser rifle, the only time in the Original Series it was seen. Kirk uses the phaser rifle to create a rockslide, killing Mitchell.
Highlights Include:
  1. Why are there phasers being used today?
  2. Why is air the biggest problem in creating a phaser?
  3. How can you aim and shoot at a target using a phaser?
  4. How do you deal with the energy lose?