Weapons of Star Trek

Phaser
Captain Kirk wielding a phaser rifle
Plot element from the Star Trek franchise
Production company	CBS
First appearance	Star Trek "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (1966)
Created by	Gene Roddenberry
Genre	Science fiction
In-story information
Type	Phased array Pulsed energy projectile weapon
Function	Shooting Pain compliance Non-lethal weapon Riot control Welding Melting Heating Burning Lighting
Affiliation	Starfleet

The Star Trek fictional universe contains a variety of weapons, ranging from missiles (the classic photon torpedo) to melee (primarily used by the Klingons, a race of aliens in the Star Trek universe). The Star Trek franchise consists primarily of several multi-season television shows and a dozen movies, as well as various video games and inspired merchandise. Many of the aspects of the fictional universe impact modern popular culture, especially the lingo and the idea of a spacecraft launching space torpedos and firing lasers had a wide influence in the late 20th to early 21st century. Star Trek is popular enough that its science fiction concepts have even been studied by real scientists, and NASA described its science in relation to the real world as "entertaining combination of real science, imaginary science gathered from lots of earlier stories, and stuff the writers make up week-by-week to give each new episode novelty." For example, NASA noted that the Star Trek "phasers" were a fictional extrapolation of real-life lasers, and compared them to real-life microwave based weapons that have a stunning effect.

A directed-energy weapon emits energy in an aimed direction without the means of a projectile. It transfers energy to a target for a desired effect. Intended effects may be non-lethal or lethal. For example, in Star Trek, a hand phaser can be set to "stun" or "kill".

Phasers are common and versatile Phased array Pulsed energy projectile weapons, first seen in the original Star Trek series and later seen or referenced in almost all subsequent films and television spin-offs. Phasers come in a wide range of sizes, ranging from small arms to starship-mounted weaponry. There are several specific types of phasers used by the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet.

Though they seem to discharge in a continuous "beam", close observation reveals that phasers actually discharge a series of pulsed energy projectiles into the target. Phaser output can be adjusted in both area of effect and output: a typical hand phaser can be adjusted so that it will merely shock or stun a living organism, while the effects of higher settings range from burning, immolation, and disintegration to true vaporization. This versatility means they can also be used as welding torches or cutting tools, and can create heat sources by firing at a large, solid object (like a rock). The stream can be adjusted to strike multiple targets at once, strike a single target with precision, or even destroy large amounts of material. Phasers can be set to overload, whereby they build up a force-chamber explosion by continuously generating energy without releasing it; the resulting blast can destroy most natural objects within a 50-meter radius. The overload process is marked by a distinctive sound that increases in volume and frequency until it is deactivated or it detonates. Personal phasers can be made small enough to fit in the user's palm and still be lethal. Larger and more powerful phaser rifles are commonly issued to security personnel.