feasability of a new ST weapon

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2002-12-01 03:39pm

I got to wondering about this after one of the "Borg have no KE shields" debates. It seems to me that the most logical explaination for the "holographic bullets" in First Contact is that the holodeck is generating a force field from the gun, traveling at the speed of a bullet. It seems more reasonable than the holodeck making real bullets: that would be entirely too dangerous given the risk of piercing the hull. At any rate, here's the question: could a force field projected with enough speed function as a KE weapon (in essence giving you an energy-based KE weapon)? If it works it would seem the perfect assassin's weapon... no muzzle flash and no physical evidence left behind other than the wound itself.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-12-01 03:40pm

Provided you had a field generator neaby you could create a lethal "holo bullet". But since assassins usually can't pick the time and place of their hits it would be useless.

But it would amke a great security measure... Some fool comes in, you press a button and tear him to shreds.

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2002-12-01 03:57pm

I was thinking more along the lines of a rifle-sized field projector, one designed to project a small field roughly the size of a bullet at roughly the velocity of one. You'd still have the supersonic crack... I know you can't avoid that because the field is going to displace air as it moves. What I wasn't sure of was, since it's massless, whether it would penetrate a body enough to do any good.

Warspite · Post by **Warspite** » 2002-12-01 03:58pm

In one of Weber's books, they have that type of weapon, merely called force beam, it's short-ranged, but very efficient in tearing ships appart (along with crew...).

I wonder why the writers never thought on this? Oh, yes, it makes sense!

tharkûn · Post by **tharkûn** » 2002-12-01 04:01pm

It's just like the classic holographic spikes coming out of the wall. Why even bother with bullets? Some nice 5 cm spikes coming out of the walls with high momentum are much better.

The problem is either the feddies can't feild such weapons ... or are too stupid to do it.

It's like the thousand and one uses a fan can think up for the transporter, sure they SHOULD work, but for some reason nobody tries use them in the show.

Anyway I'm not overtly fond of giving the computer (which controls the holodeck) the ability to kill the crew at will. I'll take an machine gun firing from a precut hole in the bulkhead first. Nothing says "welcome aboard" like a lethal rain of bullets from a protect firing position.

Master of Ossus · Post by **Master of Ossus** » 2002-12-01 04:03pm

beyond hope wrote:I got to wondering about this after one of the "Borg have no KE shields" debates. It seems to me that the most logical explaination for the "holographic bullets" in First Contact is that the holodeck is generating a force field from the gun, traveling at the speed of a bullet. It seems more reasonable than the holodeck making real bullets: that would be entirely too dangerous given the risk of piercing the hull. At any rate, here's the question: could a force field projected with enough speed function as a KE weapon (in essence giving you an energy-based KE weapon)? If it works it would seem the perfect assassin's weapon... no muzzle flash and no physical evidence left behind other than the wound itself.

A lead bullet from a submachine gun presents a risk to the hull? What the hell is the hull made out of, Aluminum foil? Lead is one of the softest metals on the planet. When it hits something harder, the bullet will tend to deform, absorbing considerable amounts of the energy itself. That is why anti-tank rifles must fire bullets made of a substance as hard or harder than the armor plating of the tank. Further, the submachine gun fires pistol ammunition at a muzzle velocity only slightly higher than a pistol. Could a Colt .45 really punch a hole through the hull of the Enterprise-E? That would represent a spectacular lack of hull strength, meaning that everything in space from chips of paint on up would represent some danger to the hull itself!

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2002-12-01 04:16pm

Good point: how about "hitting the wall of the holodeck and riccocheting?" Or damaging the inside of the holodeck, for that matter. Either way I can't see the holodeck producing real bullets.

Evil Sadistic Bastard · Post by **Evil Sadistic Bastard** » 2002-12-01 04:17pm

It's not so much producing a bullet as it is generating a force effect mimicking that of a real bullet.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2002-12-01 10:20pm

beyond hope wrote:Good point: how about "hitting the wall of the holodeck and riccocheting?" Or damaging the inside of the holodeck, for that matter. Either way I can't see the holodeck producing real bullets.

Why not? I imagine bullets would be much simpler than plant life to replicate, and it's not like it has to replicate them already moving; they would have been replicated when the program was started, in the clip of the gun.

beyond hope · Post by **beyond hope** » 2002-12-01 11:12pm

it seems to me that it would be much easier to control the potential danger of a holographic image of a gun with a force field for substance, rather than an actual gun. I'm not the biggest fan of the holodeck to begin with: a modern day amusement park with a safety record that dismal would be shut down and the owners fined or imprisoned.

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feasability of a new ST weapon

feasability of a new ST weapon

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