The Phaser Conundrum

[erhershman]

I was watching the TOS episode "Balance of Terror" and in that episode they fire the weapons by sending orders down to the "phaser room" sort of like the torpedo room on submarines. But on the new shows TNG and above, it seems like the Tac officer just presses the little red button and the weapons fire- no sign of a phaser room. What happened to the phaser rooms aboard Federation starships?

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"Please rush me my portable walrus polishing kit, eight super brushes guaranteed to clean even the stickiest seabound mammals. Yes I am over 18, even though my IQ isn't."

[prophetsteve]

70 years of technological advancement?

Well, maybe 13 years of tech advancement seeing the trigger was on the console back then.

Then again, TOS was really cosistant with that were they; after all Phasers and Torpedos were often fired both form the consoles and the "weapons rooms" IIRC.

[spyone]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by erhershman:
What happened to the phaser rooms aboard Federation starships?

</font>

Automation marches on.
In WWII, an tank crew was Driver, Gunner, Loader, Radio Operator, and Commander (that's five).
By Vietnam, the Radio Operator was gone, as the Commander could run the new radios himself.
By the Persian Gulf, most tanks used an autoloader, so we're down to 3.

Similarly, WWII warships had crews at each gun to load, aim, and fire it. To open fire, the bridge relayed orders to the gunners.
Modern warships often have guns that can be programmed to automatically engage any target within a certain range of the ship. (I know a former sailor who touted the fun of throwing garbage over the sides and watching the anti-missile guns fire on it.)

so too, I imagine, it went with Starfleet.
In the TOS Era, the phasers used their own computers, and they were finiky and labor-intensive, so a small crew of "gunners" were assigned to guide and fire the weapons. By the TNG era, automation has improved enough that the main computer can handle those jobs.



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You're a Starfleet Officer. "Weird" is part of the job.

[SIR SIG]

Mind you though, in TOS times they should have been significantly automated already

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SIRSIG
AKA: SirPostalot
AKA: The MapMaker
AKA: The Trek Cartographer
AKA:...Well I could keep going forever

[Brad]

"By the Persian Gulf, most tanks used an autoloader, so we're down to 3"

Thats still mainly Russian designs most western built MBTs with the exception of the French LeClerc still have 4 man crews.

[lone wolf]

Didn't they refer to a Torpedo Room (or some such thing) in a Voyager episode (I can't remember which one).

Mind you, i could be mistaken (it wouldn't be the first time).

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Kid Mama-san, what do they call that thing they shoot the cats out of?
Mama-san I'm not sure, but I think they call it a catapult.
Kid Boy, I'm glad I didn't have to say that line...

Samurai Pizza Cats

[Phoenix]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by lone wolf:
Didn't they refer to a Torpedo Room (or some such thing) in a Voyager episode (I can't remember which one).

Mind you, i could be mistaken (it wouldn't be the first time).

</font>

Yes they did, in "Year of Hell" (I think), the automated firing systems were off line so Janeway went down there to manually fire the torpedo, resulting in plasma burns to her face and arms. The same emergency tactic is mentioned in Space Dock.

Phoenix...

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"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-Napoleon

[SIR SIG]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by lone wolf:
Didn't they refer to a Torpedo Room (or some such thing) in a Voyager episode (I can't remember which one).

Mind you, i could be mistaken (it wouldn't be the first time).

</font>

Well you still need a Torpedo room to store your torpedoes


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SIRSIG
AKA: SirPostalot
AKA: The MapMaker
AKA: The Trek Cartographer
AKA:...Well I could keep going forever

[reimero]

Don't forget that the Federation is big on redundancy, either, so there are multiple ways to accomplish just about anything. Anyway, when it comes to dealing with the phaser room, unless there's a problem on the bridge I chalk it up to YATI.

[calguard66]

The way I figure it there are 3 main ways to operate any system on a starship... from the bridge, from auxiliary control, or under local control.

Phasers could be fired from the bridge, auxcon, or the Phaser Control Room associated with each phaser bank. Personnel in the PCR would monitor the weapon during the battle... making adjustments or repairs and ready to take over control if the phaser is cut off from the central fire control net. There also would probably be backup sensors covering the weapon's arc of fire for use by the PCR crew in case the main sensors are off line.

In the TNG era phasers seem to be much less crew-intensive... they probably have a centralized Auxiliary Fire Control room in addition to the bridge and Aux control.

Torpedos on the other hand still require torpedo storage and firing tubes... and equipment to transfer and arm to torpedos. Remember the funeral in ST:II (WoK)? That was Enterprise's torpedo room. Like the PCRs you can probably target and fire torpedos from there under local control.

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"I'd rather die standing than live on my knees..."
Shania Twain

[qerlin]

Phasers might be automated, but there's probably still phaser control room where ops or tac personnel monitor the operation of the weapons hardware. They would also probably handle targetting and firing in the event of a loss of computer control or a severing of direct links between the tac position on the bridge & the weapons systems.

[Dan Stack]

Off to Star Trek Chat.

(And you thought the Moderators were quiet lately... )


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U.S.S. Icarus

[Capt.Hunter]

Well, they still had the Torpedo Room during the movie era, as Kirk calls down asking what the hell is going on during the attack on Gorkon's ship in STVI:TUC. I'd say even more modern Fed ships would have one, so that torps could still be fired if the autoloader got damaged. Mind you, the number of times a captain asks for a damage report and someone says "torpedo launchers are offline" is a tad too many for my liking. I'm waiting for the day the captain replies "Then get down there and toss one out of a goddamn airlock!!".

Yes, I'm a big fan of the moment in "Blood Oath" in DS9, where the bad guy issues an order and his subordinate says he can't tell the guards as communications are out: "Then get out there and tell them yourself!". I sometimes think people in the 24th Century are too reliant on technology.

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"Spatial anomalies, energy beings, telepathic echoes. You know, sometimes I really miss the Dominion War. At least then all we had to worry about was where the next polaron beam was coming from...": Capt.Hunter, USS Tempest

[Phantom]

I think one of our Captains did give that order in one of our ST games.

I know as Tac officer I was tempted to a few times.


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In the Praetors Name!

[Antonsb214]

I suppose whether or not a ship even has a Fire control center or torp room depends on the size of the ship, I don't remember the defiant having a separate Phaser control room, torpedo room, or even Aux Con. There wasn't room for those. I suppose at least a size 6 24th century ship has the torp room, torps being real physical objects have to be locked and loaded. I suppose larger ships like a Galaxy class would have a phaser control room for several groups of emmitters. This is just my take on things.