Can you set phasers to anything other than 'stun'?

[phucheneh]

I'm watching TNG on BBC America (apparently they think Americans love three things: Top Gear, Kitchen Nightmares and Star Trek) and it suddenly strikes me that I've never heard anything other than 'set phasers to stun!' Well, what are they on by default? Can you set phasers to 'immolate?'

These are the things I need to know. The more I watch TNG (after not having really watched it since I was a kid), a consistent theme seems to be that I am stunned (no pun intended) by the depth of the characters and some of the more philosophical and allegorical plot stuff...but the logic/science part really never was that great. Which is weird, because typical nerd complaints about something like the Abrams Star Trek films are 'but where is the SCIENCE?!' not 'why isn't this making me think about the depth of emotion and intellectual thinking amongst the main characters?!'

Just sayin'. This is what I think about while I poop.

edit: to make subjects/verbs is now are totally in agreeingment.

 

[Insomniator]

Yes you can set to stun or kill. There is definitely an episode of TNG where the thing is set to full power and it just vaporizes the target. I assume thats for serious space monsters.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Kill and tickle are the two other settings

 

[SKORPI0]

http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Phaser

The phaser beam could stun, heat, kill, or disintegrate living creatures. Phasers could damage shields or other systems or even cut through a hull. Phasers could also be used to cut through walls and burrow through rock. The beam could be focused to a single spot or widened to impact a large area.

 

[mrjminer]

Stun and kill are the only two settings with names I remember ever hearing them explicitly say. I think everything else they just refer to as whatever action they are doing, such as "let's cut through the door with our phasers." Rarely did I hear some kind of setting / level (ie: "set phasers to power setting 4!" or something along those lines)

I *might* have heard a "vaporize" setting somewhere at some point, but that could just be my mind playing tricks on me from a movie or something. If that was said, I picture it coming from Riker or Kirk, and it would have only been like once-twice time throughout multiple Trek series.

Also, phasers do apparently have some sort of wide-beam setting that took out the entire bridge in one shot. I think I only saw that happen once, don't remember where, but I am leaning toward TNG or DS9 (leaning more toward Data doing it for some reason). They can also be set to self-destruct.

 

[MongGrel]

Kill always works, yeah.

 

[OCGuy]

<------- Highly Technical

 

[mrjminer]

Kill always works, yeah.

As long as you aren't the first Borg that gets shot, you have a chance

 

[OCGuy]

I don't know what is worse, OP. That you made this thread on a Friday evening, or that I have now responded to it twice during the same timeframe.

:hmm:

 

[SKORPI0]

In Star Trek why is there a kill setting in phasers? ^_^

 

[phucheneh]

I don't know what is worse, OP. That you made this thread on a Friday evening, or that I have now responded to it twice during the same timeframe.

:hmm:

Occasionally, there are important thoughts that I feel must be shared with those that I care about.

And more often, there are silly inane questions that I feel are suitably posed to an internet forum largely composed of teenage nerds turned awkward 20/30-something adults.

And I get bored easily.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Kill and tickle are the two other settings

There is also a heat rocks setting.

 

[Imp]

I've seen Data and Riker click through the settings on a phaser. Stun, kill, and vaporize are the definite three.

They can also change the beam, which makes some of the Deep Space Nine episodes during the Dominion Wars dumb. Hordes of Jem Hadar (sp?) and everyone's single shotting their phaser rifles.

 

[OCGuy]

Just checked.......mine only have "safe" and "fire". :hmm:

 

[techs]

 

[Paratus]

/thread

 

[MongGrel]

There is also a heat rocks setting.

he he

+1

 

[Jeff7]

In Star Trek why is there a kill setting in phasers? ^_^

In the creation of Star Trek Gene Roddenberry wrote the future society as a utopia. There is no need for money, there is no hunger and there is little to no violence inside of the Federation. I understand that there are weapons still - that doesn't seem contradictory to a Utopian society. Why is there a kill setting on phasers though?

Maybe it's like Switzerland - aim for peace or neutrality, but have mandatory military service.

"We're a peaceful people, but we will kill the hell out of you if we have to."

So, naturally you would have sidearms that have the destructive output of a 21st-century tank.
You know, just in case.

 

[Paratus]

 

[mmntech]

Kill and tickle are the two other settings

Along with Tickle, Kirk's has a special setting that vapourizes ladies' clothing.

 

[Paratus]

Along with Tickle, Kirk's has a special setting that vapourizes ladies' clothing.

 

[Gibsons]

Spaceman Spiff had more versatile weapons

 

[MongGrel]

I love things William Shatners nephew is a friend of ours, he gave them set of wine glasses on their wedding and they had a story about it after we had known em many years.

I guess he's actually, well I won't go there.

Is funny though every time we see him on TV, my wife and I used to look at each other and go "Look, there's Uncle Bill"

 

[Fritzo]

The stun thing with phasers goes back to Gene Roddenberry believing that humans evolved beyond killing, and therefore wanted a non-lethal weapon to defend themselves.

 

[BladeVenom]

There is also the overload setting for blowing them up.