andrew@orca.UUCP (06/22/83)
It's been fifteen years since I read "The Making of Star Trek", but,
what the hell, my soapbox is as good as anyone's ...
According to this officially sanctioned guide (they got Paramount's
permission to use the trademark), the function of a phaser is to
"phase" objects; that is, to cause their constituent molecules to
become more excited. Sort of like microwaves? The four settings are:
-- stun: "disrupt" the target's nervous system, causing temporary
loss of consciousness
-- kill: *really* disrupt the target's nervous system, causing death
-- heat: get those molecules excited enough that a rise in temperature
is observed
-- distintegrate: those molecules are dancing around so much that they
separate (vaporize?)
Remember, this is TV science fiction; don't let modern physics obscure
your perception of celluloid reality.
Of course, they invented the settings first, then did their best to fit
a single cause to the variety of effects. It made all great sense when
I was thirteen years old.
-- Andrew Klossner (decvax!teklabs!tekecs!andrew) [UUCP]
(andrew.tektronix@rand-relay) [ARPA]