Posted: 2003-01-19 10:48pm
(Edit) This is my most updated version of the essay.
Ok, this is my first essay of sorts on my analysis of the technology shown in Nemesis. For this particular essay I shall be detailing the Type-3 phaser rifle seen in the movie.
First some history is required. There are a variety of phaser rifles that have been shown in Star Trek since TNG and they have a variety of capabilities. The first rifle of note is the Type-3 rifle. This rifle was first seen in TNG and has made more appearances in DS9 then it did in TNG. This rifle seems to be an extension on the Type-2 design currently in use with the same firepower, but greater power storage. The main way to aim the rifle seems to be through a flip-up scope. To assist with aiming the rifle could also have a flashlight attached, though it conflicted with the scope. The somewhat strange thing is that most people did not seem to use this scope, but they still maintained a relatively high level of accuracy when firing against enemies even as far away as 100 meters. This is somewhat explained in the DS9 episode Return to Grace. Major Kira explains to Tora Zial (Dukats daughter) that the Cardassian phaser rifle is a very rugged but useful weapon to use with only two power settings. She then goes on to describe the Type-3 phaser rifle: “Now this is an entirely different animal. It's Federation standard issue. A little less powerful, but with more options... sixteen beam settings... fully autonomous recharge... multiple target acquisition... gyrostablized... the works..” It has 16 power settings as well as auto targeting features. This would indicate that the rifle can aim for itself and that would actually explain why beams fired from Type-3 rifles do not always line up on axis with the weapon itself. The last thing known about the Type-3 is that it is a relatively simple and rugged design. Simple in that it is smaller and uses fewer systems then newer rifles, rugged in that it seems capable of taking relatively high levels of abuse. This is shown when the weapon is used to deflect bladed weapons by both Klingons and Jem’Hadar. Because of these two high points it seems this is why the Type-3 is still in production or heavy use even with the existence of the Type-3a and Type-3b rifles.
The next rifle is that of the Compression Phaser Rifle. This rifle has been shown to fire both pulses and beams. For the purpose of this essay we will refer to it as the Type-3VGR because of its appearance on that series. We saw it for the most part on Voyager, limited views in VGR Message in a Bottle, and to an extent also on the Equinox as well. The USS Equinox was lost before Voyager (had to because it was also abducted by Caretaker). We see the Type-3vgr on the Equinox while we see the Type-3VGR as well as the Type-3a and Type-3b on Voyager. The Type-3VGR seems to be made with combat in mind while the Type-3 is more general use for not just in combat. Its rare use and only being put on certain ships indicates that this is possibly a prototype weapon.
Next is the Type-3a. This rifle was first seen in First Contact and has also been shown on VGR. This particular weapon is listed in the DS9 TM as a Compression phaser rifle. This is supported by the fact that we have only ever seen it fire pulse shots. However given that both the Type-3VGR and the Type-3b rifles fire both pulses and beams, it seems much more likely this rifle can fire both. It seems to be a much more heavily combat orientated design, possibly a production model over the Type-3VGR. The rifle features such things as a combo scope and flashlight as well as retracting sling and a trigger guard.
The newest rifle before Nemesis is the Type-3b. This rifle as stated by the DS9 TM “The type-3b also boasts a new seeker/tracker, possessing both passive and active EM and subspace detectors.” Combined with the previous information it would seem part of how Phaser Rifles work is that they use some sort of auto tracking capability and that the Type-3b has the best auto tracking capability. The rifle looks visually similar to that of the Type-3a, but has a different barrel to the weapon that is smoother and more rounded, also somewhat smaller. This rifle also has performance differences. In VGR this rifle has been shown to fire beams while in First Contact and Insurrection it fired pulses. At first I would have written this off to being a VFX mistake but then Nemesis changed this. The Reman rifle in Nemesis fired both pulses and beams. This is two completely different weapons have similar properties. I am inclined to agree now that the Type-3b is a multi use rifle that can fire both beams and pulses. This would also be why the Type-3b is not listed as a Compression rifle while the Type-3a was. It would seem that design properties were combined from the Type-3 and Type-3a into the Type-3b. It should be noted that the Type-3a, 3b, and 3VGR all had to have a similar design period and construction with maybe a few months separating them for Voyager to have had a stock of the 3b and 3VGR. Something else should be noted about the Type-3a and 3b designs. They can take sustained shock damage from close combat when smashing them against Borg drones with Klingon level strength or using them to smash combat drones like the Sona use while the rifle shows no visible damage.
The newest rifle shown is that in Nemesis. Upon first inspection the rifle seems identical to the Type-3b except it has a targeting sight. However there are enough differences that this should be considered a new subclass just as the 3b is to the 3a. This rifle for now will be called the Type-3c. The Type-3c has one immediately obvious difference from the 3b. This rifle now sports a red targeting sight positioned behind and slightly above the flashlight. Also the Flashlight is of a new and seemingly more powerful design as its shape has changed to allow a larger flashlight point. The less obvious changes are the power and charge indicators on top of the rifle just behind the flashlight. There also seems to be a battery charger handle that is pulled to “cock” the rifle. Possibly this has to do with the power clip or is merely a way to check that the rifle is fully powered. Additionally the rifle has a slightly altered emittion tip. First looking at the rifle one would think that targeting sight is for a backup somewhat similar to the Type-3 incase the targeting capabilities are compromised. However combat performance of the rifle indicates this is either untrue or the rifle has altered capabilities for that particular combat. Throughout the movie Nemesis the Type-3c was seen in combat twice and both times it had similar shown capabilities. The rifle was firing a slightly different looking pulse and had a different sound then the 3b did in Insurrection and First Contact. Additionally the rifle was firing at much higher rates of fire. The most shown was a three shot burst in the space of less then a second. The rifle also did not have the accuracy levels of ANY of the previous rifles. There are three possible explanations for this. The first is that the auto targeting feature was removed to allow for greater refire. This explains why the red sight was installed. The second is that auto targeting can not be used with the high refire rate, which again is why the red sight was installed. The third option is that the Type-3c is a shipboard model of the phaser rifle. Accurate fire is very important for longer range combat whereas close combat uses higher rates of fire. An example of this is the MP5 compared to the M-16. High rates of fire can cause the enemy to take cover allowing you to advance. Any option seems reasonable, though I am inclined to go with the third because the rifle is used for the most part on the ship itself. It seems they traded off one capability for another. If this is the case then its likely the 3b is still a main production model and this is merely another variant rifle for different uses. Another thing should be noted in Nemesis is that Picard used the 3c to hit a Reman over the head twice. The rifle broke cleanly in half and was bent at a bad angle. Possible explanations for this is a faulty weapon because of a random flaw in the construction. This seems plausible because faults do happen by accident. The other is that when the rifle went into main production cheaper materials were used. However the second is unlikely for two reasons. Compared to other governments the Federation seems obsessed with safety and they have an insane number of safety measures, like 2nd emergency coupling and the sort. It seems unlikely they would compromise the design this way. Secondly is that this is a new design variant off the other rifle and it does not seem to be in full production yet so the design can not yet be altered. Its possible this design is even in testing still.
As a end note there is one last rifle. This is the Type-3EVA as I call it. This rifle was also featured in First Contact. Its design follows the Type-3a more closely, except this rifle has been optimized for EVA type combat. It has a forward grip to allow for easier aiming and quicker use. The trigger guard has been removed. There is no sling, and the stock has been “hollowed” out. There are also two magnetic points on the rifle that allow it to be placed down in a zero-G environment. Other then the mostly cosmetic outer changes its operational patterns are identical to the Type-3a.
Further end note. The DS9 TM states that the Bajoran Phaser rifle are technologically similar to Starfleet units. Given that for the majority of DS9 the Type-3s were used and Bajoran weapons never fired pulses, the comparison seems clear. As stated by the DS9 TM: “The Rifle also contains a seeker/tracker, which operates primarily on IR and amplified biogenic fields. During the occupation, some early rifle units were outfitted with target discriminators: Bajoran fighters using coded biogenic transponders, in theory, would not be hit by friendly fire.” The implication of this statement is quite clear. Bajoran weapons used Friend/Foe systems as well as varying targeting programs. These rifles are stated similar to the Type-3s. The 3a, and 3b are more advanced then the Type-3 and likely have superior capabilities in this regard. This would explain the high accuracy of the 3a and 3b rifles even when fired from the hip.
Ok, this is my first essay of sorts on my analysis of the technology shown in Nemesis. For this particular essay I shall be detailing the Type-3 phaser rifle seen in the movie.
First some history is required. There are a variety of phaser rifles that have been shown in Star Trek since TNG and they have a variety of capabilities. The first rifle of note is the Type-3 rifle. This rifle was first seen in TNG and has made more appearances in DS9 then it did in TNG. This rifle seems to be an extension on the Type-2 design currently in use with the same firepower, but greater power storage. The main way to aim the rifle seems to be through a flip-up scope. To assist with aiming the rifle could also have a flashlight attached, though it conflicted with the scope. The somewhat strange thing is that most people did not seem to use this scope, but they still maintained a relatively high level of accuracy when firing against enemies even as far away as 100 meters. This is somewhat explained in the DS9 episode Return to Grace. Major Kira explains to Tora Zial (Dukats daughter) that the Cardassian phaser rifle is a very rugged but useful weapon to use with only two power settings. She then goes on to describe the Type-3 phaser rifle: “Now this is an entirely different animal. It's Federation standard issue. A little less powerful, but with more options... sixteen beam settings... fully autonomous recharge... multiple target acquisition... gyrostablized... the works..” It has 16 power settings as well as auto targeting features. This would indicate that the rifle can aim for itself and that would actually explain why beams fired from Type-3 rifles do not always line up on axis with the weapon itself. The last thing known about the Type-3 is that it is a relatively simple and rugged design. Simple in that it is smaller and uses fewer systems then newer rifles, rugged in that it seems capable of taking relatively high levels of abuse. This is shown when the weapon is used to deflect bladed weapons by both Klingons and Jem’Hadar. Because of these two high points it seems this is why the Type-3 is still in production or heavy use even with the existence of the Type-3a and Type-3b rifles.
The next rifle is that of the Compression Phaser Rifle. This rifle has been shown to fire both pulses and beams. For the purpose of this essay we will refer to it as the Type-3VGR because of its appearance on that series. We saw it for the most part on Voyager, limited views in VGR Message in a Bottle, and to an extent also on the Equinox as well. The USS Equinox was lost before Voyager (had to because it was also abducted by Caretaker). We see the Type-3vgr on the Equinox while we see the Type-3VGR as well as the Type-3a and Type-3b on Voyager. The Type-3VGR seems to be made with combat in mind while the Type-3 is more general use for not just in combat. Its rare use and only being put on certain ships indicates that this is possibly a prototype weapon.
Next is the Type-3a. This rifle was first seen in First Contact and has also been shown on VGR. This particular weapon is listed in the DS9 TM as a Compression phaser rifle. This is supported by the fact that we have only ever seen it fire pulse shots. However given that both the Type-3VGR and the Type-3b rifles fire both pulses and beams, it seems much more likely this rifle can fire both. It seems to be a much more heavily combat orientated design, possibly a production model over the Type-3VGR. The rifle features such things as a combo scope and flashlight as well as retracting sling and a trigger guard.
The newest rifle before Nemesis is the Type-3b. This rifle as stated by the DS9 TM “The type-3b also boasts a new seeker/tracker, possessing both passive and active EM and subspace detectors.” Combined with the previous information it would seem part of how Phaser Rifles work is that they use some sort of auto tracking capability and that the Type-3b has the best auto tracking capability. The rifle looks visually similar to that of the Type-3a, but has a different barrel to the weapon that is smoother and more rounded, also somewhat smaller. This rifle also has performance differences. In VGR this rifle has been shown to fire beams while in First Contact and Insurrection it fired pulses. At first I would have written this off to being a VFX mistake but then Nemesis changed this. The Reman rifle in Nemesis fired both pulses and beams. This is two completely different weapons have similar properties. I am inclined to agree now that the Type-3b is a multi use rifle that can fire both beams and pulses. This would also be why the Type-3b is not listed as a Compression rifle while the Type-3a was. It would seem that design properties were combined from the Type-3 and Type-3a into the Type-3b. It should be noted that the Type-3a, 3b, and 3VGR all had to have a similar design period and construction with maybe a few months separating them for Voyager to have had a stock of the 3b and 3VGR. Something else should be noted about the Type-3a and 3b designs. They can take sustained shock damage from close combat when smashing them against Borg drones with Klingon level strength or using them to smash combat drones like the Sona use while the rifle shows no visible damage.
The newest rifle shown is that in Nemesis. Upon first inspection the rifle seems identical to the Type-3b except it has a targeting sight. However there are enough differences that this should be considered a new subclass just as the 3b is to the 3a. This rifle for now will be called the Type-3c. The Type-3c has one immediately obvious difference from the 3b. This rifle now sports a red targeting sight positioned behind and slightly above the flashlight. Also the Flashlight is of a new and seemingly more powerful design as its shape has changed to allow a larger flashlight point. The less obvious changes are the power and charge indicators on top of the rifle just behind the flashlight. There also seems to be a battery charger handle that is pulled to “cock” the rifle. Possibly this has to do with the power clip or is merely a way to check that the rifle is fully powered. Additionally the rifle has a slightly altered emittion tip. First looking at the rifle one would think that targeting sight is for a backup somewhat similar to the Type-3 incase the targeting capabilities are compromised. However combat performance of the rifle indicates this is either untrue or the rifle has altered capabilities for that particular combat. Throughout the movie Nemesis the Type-3c was seen in combat twice and both times it had similar shown capabilities. The rifle was firing a slightly different looking pulse and had a different sound then the 3b did in Insurrection and First Contact. Additionally the rifle was firing at much higher rates of fire. The most shown was a three shot burst in the space of less then a second. The rifle also did not have the accuracy levels of ANY of the previous rifles. There are three possible explanations for this. The first is that the auto targeting feature was removed to allow for greater refire. This explains why the red sight was installed. The second is that auto targeting can not be used with the high refire rate, which again is why the red sight was installed. The third option is that the Type-3c is a shipboard model of the phaser rifle. Accurate fire is very important for longer range combat whereas close combat uses higher rates of fire. An example of this is the MP5 compared to the M-16. High rates of fire can cause the enemy to take cover allowing you to advance. Any option seems reasonable, though I am inclined to go with the third because the rifle is used for the most part on the ship itself. It seems they traded off one capability for another. If this is the case then its likely the 3b is still a main production model and this is merely another variant rifle for different uses. Another thing should be noted in Nemesis is that Picard used the 3c to hit a Reman over the head twice. The rifle broke cleanly in half and was bent at a bad angle. Possible explanations for this is a faulty weapon because of a random flaw in the construction. This seems plausible because faults do happen by accident. The other is that when the rifle went into main production cheaper materials were used. However the second is unlikely for two reasons. Compared to other governments the Federation seems obsessed with safety and they have an insane number of safety measures, like 2nd emergency coupling and the sort. It seems unlikely they would compromise the design this way. Secondly is that this is a new design variant off the other rifle and it does not seem to be in full production yet so the design can not yet be altered. Its possible this design is even in testing still.
As a end note there is one last rifle. This is the Type-3EVA as I call it. This rifle was also featured in First Contact. Its design follows the Type-3a more closely, except this rifle has been optimized for EVA type combat. It has a forward grip to allow for easier aiming and quicker use. The trigger guard has been removed. There is no sling, and the stock has been “hollowed” out. There are also two magnetic points on the rifle that allow it to be placed down in a zero-G environment. Other then the mostly cosmetic outer changes its operational patterns are identical to the Type-3a.
Further end note. The DS9 TM states that the Bajoran Phaser rifle are technologically similar to Starfleet units. Given that for the majority of DS9 the Type-3s were used and Bajoran weapons never fired pulses, the comparison seems clear. As stated by the DS9 TM: “The Rifle also contains a seeker/tracker, which operates primarily on IR and amplified biogenic fields. During the occupation, some early rifle units were outfitted with target discriminators: Bajoran fighters using coded biogenic transponders, in theory, would not be hit by friendly fire.” The implication of this statement is quite clear. Bajoran weapons used Friend/Foe systems as well as varying targeting programs. These rifles are stated similar to the Type-3s. The 3a, and 3b are more advanced then the Type-3 and likely have superior capabilities in this regard. This would explain the high accuracy of the 3a and 3b rifles even when fired from the hip.
Doesn't seem to be very accurate though, 
. But the one where the bald guy shoots down the hall is dead straight.
