Romulan Disruptors & Federation Phasers

[NecronLord]

Last night I was watching TNG on BBC2. Anyway, in that episode there was a romulan produced copy of a federation phaser rifle.

Data was reading off the statistics and he mentions that the projection crystal or some such was 9x% efficient, compared with the best federation version being 85% efficient.

Wouldn't this, and the fact that the Romulans clearly can make phasers, mean that the disruptor is a superior weapon?

I forget the name of the episode, so I can't look it up, but the Romulans kidnap Geordie and brainwash him to disrupt the fed-kling alliance.

It also mentioned that the output of the rifle power souce was approximately 1.5 MW (SW-v-ST sidenote. Phasers will clearly go through stormtrooper armour with no difficulty. Guess that ends that.)

Can anyone remember the name of this episode?

[Dark Primus]

Last night I was watching TNG on BBC2. Anyway, in that episode there was a romulan produced copy of a federation phaser rifle.

Data was reading off the statistics and he mentions that the projection crystal or some such was 9x% efficient, compared with the best federation version being 85% efficient.

Wouldn't this, and the fact that the Romulans clearly can make phasers, mean that the disruptor is a superior weapon?

Depends on how the Romulan disruptor rifles works.
Also does the quality depend on the projection crystals?

[seanrobertson]

Last night I was watching TNG on BBC2. Anyway, in that episode there was a romulan produced copy of a federation phaser rifle.

Data was reading off the statistics and he mentions that the projection crystal or some such was 9x% efficient, compared with the best federation version being 85% efficient.

Wouldn't this, and the fact that the Romulans clearly can make phasers, mean that the disruptor is a superior weapon?

I forget the name of the episode, so I can't look it up, but the Romulans kidnap Geordie and brainwash him to disrupt the fed-kling alliance.

It also mentioned that the output of the rifle power souce was approximately 1.5 MW (SW-v-ST sidenote. Phasers will clearly go through stormtrooper armour with no difficulty. Guess that ends that.)

Can anyone remember the name of this episode?

Yes: "The Mind's Eye."

I don't know that I'd say the disruptor is necessarily superior in all respects; the Romulans might've built those phaser mock-ups with more "care," for lack of a better word, than their own weapons.

But you're right...it does point to some kind of superiority, like in the refinement of the crystals used to help focus the beam, the energy bleed from the battery, and some such things.

One thing I wonder about is, do phaser rifles have the 1.5 MW setting available as maximum? As our own Sith Lord notes in the Canon Database, 15% inefficiency at that power would be very bad for the user.

What makes things worse is the fact that ENT-era guys evidently had TEN megawatt rifles, as per that Borg episode they did. Their weapons are much more crude, but there comes a time during which you NEED that raw power--that is, ALL OF THE TIME!

Equally puzzling is Kira's dialogue from "Return To Grace," wherein she mentions that a Cardassian disruptor rifle holds a "charge" of about 4 megajoules. (Apropos your thoughts on the Romulan disruptor, Kira notes that the Cardie version is actually superior to the Fed phaser in the field. The Fed weapon is a finicky piece of shit--no small reason they were all replaced a few years later.)

[NecronLord]

I don't know that I'd say the disruptor is necessarily superior in all respects; the Romulans might've built those phaser mock-ups with more "care," for lack of a better word, than their own weapons.

[/quote]True enough. Or they may just have real engineering standards. Unlike starfleet

But you're right...it does point to some kind of superiority, like in the refinement of the crystals used to help focus the beam, the energy bleed from the battery, and some such things.

One thing I wonder about is, do phaser rifles have the 1.5 MW setting available as maximum? As our own Sith Lord notes in the Canon Database, 15% inefficiency at that power would be very bad for the user.

Prehaps the crystal assembly comes into play after the 'nadions' have been generated, and for some reason if they are not projected in a beam they have no effect on anything (thus conviniently explaining why they aren't naturally occuring). They must be able to use that, otherwise where does it all go? (unless there's secretly a massive heatsink in there somewhere.)

4 megajoules

Those cardassian disruptors must suck ass. No wonder a galaxy can knock down their sheilds in two shots.

[Solauren]

The 4 megajoules was for a cardassian hand phaser rifle.

However, that does bring up a question about Federation vs Romulans.

I pointed out Romulan Warp core size and all that too.

Are the Romulans more advanced then the Federation? Is the only thing that stopped the Rom's from over-running the Fed's the klingon alliance and a lack of Warp drive until the movie era?

Have to wonder...

that would explain Section 31's parania over the Romulans

[NecronLord]

I think you underestimate the rapidness of the Romulan Rise to Power (TM) in TOS they are fairly primative. By ST:6 they've got an ambassador on earth who talks very much like the RSE is a major power.

Given their smaller territory (AFAIK) it's probable that it is either densely inhabited (not hard, the UFP claims space without exploring it first) or they have a technological edge.

[Death from the Sea]

I think you underestimate the rapidness of the Romulan Rise to Power (TM) in TOS they are fairly primative. By ST:6 they've got an ambassador on earth who talks very much like the RSE is a major power.

Given their smaller territory (AFAIK) it's probable that it is either densely inhabited (not hard, the UFP claims space without exploring it first) or they have a technological edge.

Why do you say that the Romulans are primative in TOS? they had cloaking tech and their new superweapon (plasma torpedo) there ship was not neccessarily poorer, it was just that Captain Kirk was too good.

[NecronLord]

Why do you say that the Romulans are primative in TOS? they had cloaking tech and their new superweapon (plasma torpedo) there ship was not neccessarily poorer, it was just that Captain Kirk was too good.

Because they control all of one system IIRC.

[Ronaldo]

Why do you say that the Romulans are primative in TOS? they had cloaking tech and their new superweapon (plasma torpedo) there ship was not neccessarily poorer, it was just that Captain Kirk was too good.

Because they control all of one system IIRC.

How could there have been a war between Earth and the Romulans if they were so "primitive" in the 22nd Century? It does not make sense that they did not have warp drive prior to the movie era. How could the bird of prey in Balance of Terror even made it to the Earth Outposts along the NZ if they didn't have warp drive? In order for Earth and Romulus to have engaged in interstellar war the Romulans had to be sufficiently advanced enough to cause Earth harm. The Romulans had to have had more than one star system in TOS, otherwise it doesn't make any sense. Why would Earth have agreed to establish a neutral zone that covered several light years if they only controlled one star system?

[TheDarkling]

Why do you say that the Romulans are primative in TOS? they had cloaking tech and their new superweapon (plasma torpedo) there ship was not neccessarily poorer, it was just that Captain Kirk was too good.

Because they control all of one system IIRC.

I think we simply have to put that down as being a fub because such a tiny empire makes little sense.