Welcome to Trekking Through Compliance. We recently finished Season 8, where we reviewed all 79 episodes from 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 which added yet another perspective. I had so much fun this Season I decided to extend it by adding episodes on the science of 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, the practice of medicine. In the first episode in this series, phasers. It is 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.
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
Ben Locwin on LinkedIn