Enterprise NX-01 vs Normandy SR-2 (Mass Effect)

[sonofccn]

While I don't wish to imply this is any way definative evidence in Fallen Hero (ENT season 1) Reed does mention it is a recoil issue, such as what is mentioned in Silent Enemy, which prevents the phase cannons from being fired at warp. Considering how it knocked the metaphysical stuffing out of the ship back then it certainly jives with not being warp friendly.

My two cents of course.

[Mike DiCenso]

Um, no, not exactly. Here's the dialog on that from "Fallen Hero":

REED: No effect. They're using some kind of energy shielding.
T'POL: Direct hit to Engineering, subsection 12. We've taken damage.
ARCHER: Would the phase cannons be more effective?
REED: Undoubtedly, but we can't fire them at warp.
ARCHER: What do you mean, we can't fire them at warp?
REED: Particle discharge, sir. It would destabilize our warp field and most likely blow out both our nacelles. I've been working on the problem, but I haven't quite
ARCHER: Drop to impulse. Deploy the aft cannon.
REED: I've got a lock.
ARCHER: Fire.
REED: (two shots and then

It's not recoil as much as it's particle discharge that would destabilize the warp field.
-Mike

[sonofccn]

My mistake. Sorry about that. :)

[Mike DiCenso]

Off, off to the Hall of Shame with you! Oh wait... nevermind that's another forum.
-Mike

[Jedi Master Spock]

And yet, after only a few shots, the phase cannons went offline. That's not something you want in the middle of a combat situation.

Yes. Now, it's quite likely that this was eventually fixed during three seasons of continuous upgrades, but not completely certain. There's also an additional complication; while the nominal yield is 5 terajoules on the 10x overload setting, the test firing unfortunately involves turning a large mountain into a crater.

This is, to say the least, problematic. See here for pictures.

However, ultimately, the question of phase cannon yield isn't the most relevant point. It's very well established that Klingon ships can laugh at phase cannons - but that photonic torpedoes are another question, even on a lower setting ("The Expanse"). They also have fifty times the range of spatial torpedoes - which, since spatial torpedoes are ordered ready at a range of six kilometers, is certain to be greater than the 100 kilometer effective range of the phase cannon.

So if the crew of the NX-01 is pulling no punches and has full upgrades, they'll be coming out blasting with photonic torpedoes, which have the full range to engage. It's something of a "blunt trauma" weapon; there's no indication it's a directional weapon, simply a multi-megaton explosion.

Now, Mass Effect actually looks to be fairly interesting to analyze. The use of mass driver weapons that are literally as long as possible suggests to me that length is quite possibly the limiting factor of Mass Effect kinetic weapons, and that would mean that we would expect a 250m frigate to have a 50 terajoule main weapon.

The SR-2 Normandy's Thanix Cannon is apparently superior to the basic mass driver, and fires a "beam" of molten metal instead of a solid slug, which AFAIK can engage at the full range here. The Normandy also has heavy armor and shields.

The NX-01 has 10 centimeters of duranium armor. This is polarized to somehow increase its defensive capabilities. That might actually be better vs a superheated Normandy blast than a cold pellet, but I don't think it's quite up to stopping a mostly conventional kinetic weapon several dozen times as powerful as a Romulan mine.

So the story is this, in principle (provided we ignore the giant mountain-demolition scene):

Photonic torpedoes > Thanix Cannon > Phase Cannon

The fact that the SR-2 has shields is important. The NX-01 doesn't. This may well make up for the fact that the photonic torpedo is a couple orders of magnitude more powerful than the Thanix Cannon.

[sonofccn]

I apologize if these are stupid question sbut since I know nothing of Mass Effect how manuverable are thier ships in general/the Normandy in particular?

I am correct in my understanding that thier main cannon run the lenght of the ship and they must physically turn the ship to fire said weapon or am I in error again?

[Roondar]

It will be interesting to see how the Normandy shields will react to a multi-megaton explosion. Mass Effect ships are (going by Codex and game dialog) limited mostly by how much heat they can store.

Their dreadnought main guns fire slugs impacting at 28KT (one every five seconds). Those are Earths most powerful ships, its main gun being many times more powerful than anything on the smaller ships, such as the Normandy.

Considering that the big-bad ship at the end of Mass Effect 1 didn't one-shot their dreadnoughts, but an encounter with a -presumably- less potent starship in Mass Effect 2 proved to be instantly fatal to the original Normandy.

The upgraded Normandy fares better, no doubt. But it's quite a stretch to assume that the firepower of the Normandy suddenly jumped into Dreadnought range and it's equally quite a stretch to assume their shielding went from <50KT = instadeath to laughing at megatons of firepower with a few in-spaceframe upgrades.

Upgrades that can be powered by their original, standard power core and cooling systems no less, which puts clear limits on just how much more power they can use.


Now, the NX-01's polarized hull is an enigma for sure, but there are some episodes during the end of the Xindi arc that show it's quite a bit stronger than the unpolarized hull. In one of them, we see combat endurance with hull plating up and then later when the hull plating is lost.

When the hull plating system was 'holding' (stupid we-have-fake-shields-stuff I know, but it's how the stuff works sadly) there where no real problems taking damage, the hull held together. But when the plating system failed, the NX-01 turned into, well, swiss cheese. The romulan mine that blew a bunch of hull away didn't show us polizared hull endurance.

[User1401]

Yes. Now, it's quite likely that this was eventually fixed during three seasons of continuous upgrades, but not completely certain. There's also an additional complication; while the nominal yield is 5 terajoules on the 10x overload setting, the test firing unfortunately involves turning a large mountain into a crater.

This is, to say the least, problematic. See here for pictures.

Indeed it is problematic. This may be evidence in support of the theory that phasers/phase cannons involve a chain reaction, dealing more damage than the power input would indicate.

However, ultimately, the question of phase cannon yield isn't the most relevant point. It's very well established that Klingon ships can laugh at phase cannons - but that photonic torpedoes are another question, even on a lower setting ("The Expanse"). They also have fifty times the range of spatial torpedoes - which, since spatial torpedoes are ordered ready at a range of six kilometers, is certain to be greater than the 100 kilometer effective range of the phase cannon.

So if the crew of the NX-01 is pulling no punches and has full upgrades, they'll be coming out blasting with photonic torpedoes, which have the full range to engage. It's something of a "blunt trauma" weapon; there's no indication it's a directional weapon, simply a multi-megaton explosion.

Interesting reasoning. The Thanix cannon's range is not directly defined, but we know it gives the Normandy cruiser-level firepower, and cruisers can begin firing at ranges of thousands of kilometers, so the Normandy should at least match the NX's photonic torpedo range.

Now, Mass Effect actually looks to be fairly interesting to analyze. The use of mass driver weapons that are literally as long as possible suggests to me that length is quite possibly the limiting factor of Mass Effect kinetic weapons, and that would mean that we would expect a 250m frigate to have a 50 terajoule main weapon.

The SR-2 Normandy's Thanix Cannon is apparently superior to the basic mass driver, and fires a "beam" of molten metal instead of a solid slug, which AFAIK can engage at the full range here. The Normandy also has heavy armor and shields.

Yes, length is stated to be the greatest limiting factor to mass accelerators, but that same length issue obviously does not apply to the Thanix cannon, as the cannon can give fighters firepower equivalent to a cruiser.

The NX-01 has 10 centimeters of duranium armor. This is polarized to somehow increase its defensive capabilities. That might actually be better vs a superheated Normandy blast than a cold pellet, but I don't think it's quite up to stopping a mostly conventional kinetic weapon several dozen times as powerful as a Romulan mine.

So the story is this, in principle (provided we ignore the giant mountain-demolition scene):

Photonic torpedoes > Thanix Cannon > Phase Cannon

The fact that the SR-2 has shields is important. The NX-01 doesn't. This may well make up for the fact that the photonic torpedo is a couple orders of magnitude more powerful than the Thanix Cannon.

The Normandy's kinetic barrier shielding is a tricky issue. Normal kinetic barriers do nothing to stop particle weapons and radiation from nuclear explosions; however, the Normandy has upgrade shields, and there are indications that it could in fact stop radiation. Tali says that the shield upgrades had a chance of stopping the Collector ship's particle beam, which tore apart the first Normandy.

Whether or not kinetic barriers stop photonic torpedo detonations, the barriers are not the Normandy's only line of defense. The other is its GARDIAN defense lasers, lasers supposedly accurate and efficient enough that their use has eliminated ship-to-ship missiles as viable weapons in the Mass Effect universe. Using GARDIAN, the Normandy could detonate photonic torpedoes a good 10 kilometers away, avoiding damage. If the NX closed in, the detonations would then likely be closer to the NX than the Normandy.

It will be interesting to see how the Normandy shields will react to a multi-megaton explosion. Mass Effect ships are (going by Codex and game dialog) limited mostly by how much heat they can store.

With the Normandy's extra heat sinks for its stealth systems, I doubt overheating will be an issue.

Their dreadnought main guns fire slugs impacting at 28KT (one every five seconds). Those are Earths most powerful ships, its main gun being many times more powerful than anything on the smaller ships, such as the Normandy.

38 kilotons every two seconds, to be precise. A dreadnought gun is likely stronger than the Normandy, but not incredibly so- the Normandy should at least have high-end cruiser level firepower, which would be in the single-digit kiloton range.

Considering that the big-bad ship at the end of Mass Effect 1 didn't one-shot their dreadnoughts, but an encounter with a -presumably- less potent starship in Mass Effect 2 proved to be instantly fatal to the original Normandy.

Sovereign was one-shotting cruisers, and apparently no Alliance dreadnoughts were directly present at that battle.

The upgraded Normandy fares better, no doubt. But it's quite a stretch to assume that the firepower of the Normandy suddenly jumped into Dreadnought range and it's equally quite a stretch to assume their shielding went from <50KT = instadeath to laughing at megatons of firepower with a few in-spaceframe upgrades.

Granted.

Upgrades that can be powered by their original, standard power core and cooling systems no less, which puts clear limits on just how much more power they can use.

The Normandy's Tantalus drive core is by no means standard, and the core of the SR-2 is stated to be larger than the core of the SR-1.

[Roondar]

It will be interesting to see how the Normandy shields will react to a multi-megaton explosion. Mass Effect ships are (going by Codex and game dialog) limited mostly by how much heat they can store.

With the Normandy's extra heat sinks for its stealth systems, I doubt overheating will be an issue.

It apperantly is an issue for the Mass Effect ships during any form of combat, I doubt the Normandy will be an exception. Obviously they'll fare better than other ships in their size category, but it remains to be seen just how much better ;)

Besides, I see no real reason to think better heat sinks translate into a (roughly) three orders of magnitude improvement dealing with heat.

Their dreadnought main guns fire slugs impacting at 28KT (one every five seconds). Those are Earths most powerful ships, its main gun being many times more powerful than anything on the smaller ships, such as the Normandy.

38 kilotons every two seconds, to be precise. A dreadnought gun is likely stronger than the Normandy, but not incredibly so- the Normandy should at least have high-end cruiser level firepower, which would be in the single-digit kiloton range.

My memory on the yield of the Thanix gun is sketchy, I'll admit, but from what I remember it upgraded the Normandy to cruiser level firepower. I'm pretty certain it wasn't 'high-end' cruiser level. Not that it should make much of a difference, we're looking at a few KT max.

Considering that the big-bad ship at the end of Mass Effect 1 didn't one-shot their dreadnoughts, but an encounter with a -presumably- less potent starship in Mass Effect 2 proved to be instantly fatal to the original Normandy.

Sovereign was one-shotting cruisers, and apparently no Alliance dreadnoughts were directly present at that battle.

Apart from the one the council was on, naturally. And Sovereign couldn't one-shot it IIRC.

The upgraded Normandy fares better, no doubt. But it's quite a stretch to assume that the firepower of the Normandy suddenly jumped into Dreadnought range and it's equally quite a stretch to assume their shielding went from <50KT = instadeath to laughing at megatons of firepower with a few in-spaceframe upgrades.

Granted.

Upgrades that can be powered by their original, standard power core and cooling systems no less, which puts clear limits on just how much more power they can use.

The Normandy's Tantalus drive core is by no means standard, and the core of the SR-2 is stated to be larger than the core of the SR-1.

I meant standard as in 'standard for the Normandy'. It's a big core, that is stated to cause all sorts of heat issues in the game. The limitation I meant is that their new guns or shields cannot be using more energy than the core already delivered.

Meaning that the upgrades won't be using much more power than the original weapons and shields (this is mostly supported by the game dialog/codex about the new shields - the new shields are not really stated to draw more power for instance, they are stated to be more efficient due to a different design. I'm not entirely clear on this, but I think the same went for the Thanix cannon)

[User1401]

It apperantly is an issue for the Mass Effect ships during any form of combat, I doubt the Normandy will be an exception. Obviously they'll fare better than other ships in their size category, but it remains to be seen just how much better ;)

Besides, I see no real reason to think better heat sinks translate into a (roughly) three orders of magnitude improvement dealing with heat.

I don't see why three orders of magnitude improvement would be necessary. Overheating is more of a problem in Mass Effect when battles are closer to stars, at inner planets; battles at the edges of star systems or in deep space can be quite slow-paced.

My memory on the yield of the Thanix gun is sketchy, I'll admit, but from what I remember it upgraded the Normandy to cruiser level firepower. I'm pretty certain it wasn't 'high-end' cruiser level. Not that it should make much of a difference, we're looking at a few KT max.

The Thanix can give a frigate or a fighter cruiser level firepower. I'm pretty sure that a Thanix-armed frigate will be more powerful than a Thanix-armed fighter, so that puts the Normandy at high-end cruiser firepower.

Apart from the one the council was on, naturally. And Sovereign couldn't one-shot it IIRC.

Sovereign was never shown firing upon the Destiny Ascension. All the other ships, the Destiny Ascension included, were just nuisances to it.

I meant standard as in 'standard for the Normandy'. It's a big core, that is stated to cause all sorts of heat issues in the game. The limitation I meant is that their new guns or shields cannot be using more energy than the core already delivered.

Meaning that the upgrades won't be using much more power than the original weapons and shields (this is mostly supported by the game dialog/codex about the new shields - the new shields are not really stated to draw more power for instance, they are stated to be more efficient due to a different design. I'm not entirely clear on this, but I think the same went for the Thanix cannon)

The Tantalus drive core is never stated to cause extra heat issues, just maneuverability issues on the SR-1 due to size, but Joker had that covered.

Also, the shields do use a new design, but they are also more powerful. The codex entry on the SR-2 states:

"Potential upgrades are numerous: the airframe could support additional armor and an axial mass accelerator, the thrusters could support recent advances in fuel technology beyond H2/O2 chemical rockets, and the hull can mount double the standard number of kinetic barrier projectors, leaving space for stronger shields, easily sustainable via the new eezo drive core."

So actually the upgrades on the SR-2 can draw more power than the previous systems, because those did not push the SR-2's drive core to its limit. Tali also states when giving the upgrade that it strengthens the shields.

[Jedi Master Spock]

Indeed it is problematic. This may be evidence in support of the theory that phasers/phase cannons involve a chain reaction, dealing more damage than the power input would indicate.

Well, the question of whether phasers involve some sort of odd, partially self-sustaining reaction is a wholly different question than the relationship between yield and power.

The former is almost dead certain. Phasers do something very strange. The latter, though, has limited support and some contravening evidence. In general, I prefer to quietly ignore TDIC, and treat the test-firing of the NX's phase cannons as having a very hyperbolic description; the former we could hope involves specialized bombardment cannons, and the latter is hard to justify. A photonic torpedo on maximum yield would have trouble flattening Mount McKinley.

Interesting reasoning. The Thanix cannon's range is not directly defined, but we know it gives the Normandy cruiser-level firepower, and cruisers can begin firing at ranges of thousands of kilometers, so the Normandy should at least match the NX's photonic torpedo range.

Likely. We're not too sure what spatial torpedoes range should be (beyond at least 6 kilometers), but it's not likely to be much more than the maximum effective range of the phase cannons (100 km).

The Normandy's kinetic barrier shielding is a tricky issue. Normal kinetic barriers do nothing to stop particle weapons and radiation from nuclear explosions; however, the Normandy has upgrade shields, and there are indications that it could in fact stop radiation. Tali says that the shield upgrades had a chance of stopping the Collector ship's particle beam, which tore apart the first Normandy.

That doesn't sound especially optimistic. None of the NX's weapons are really kinetic, and having a chance of deflecting a particle beam doesn't really suggest that it would attenuate the gamma-ray pulse of nuclear weapon (or a photonic torpedo).

The wiki seems to also indicate that after deflecting the first few shots, the Normandy's advanced shields degrade to "normal" ME shields, at which point they will be essentially useless against the NX's weapons; no effect on phasers, and a photonic torpedo detonating in very close proximity to the SR-2 is not going to be much less devastating than the occasional direct impact would be.

Whether or not kinetic barriers stop photonic torpedo detonations, the barriers are not the Normandy's only line of defense. The other is its GARDIAN defense lasers, lasers supposedly accurate and efficient enough that their use has eliminated ship-to-ship missiles as viable weapons in the Mass Effect universe. Using GARDIAN, the Normandy could detonate photonic torpedoes a good 10 kilometers away, avoiding damage. If the NX closed in, the detonations would then likely be closer to the NX than the Normandy.

Firing full-yield photonic torpedoes at close range indeed is risky for the NX. Here we have another key point: The NX-01's photonic torpedoes are probably not shielded, unlike more advanced photon torpedoes.

(There's some indications the photonic torpedoes may have been simply exported to Earth as black-box technology by the Vissians; they also display the characteristic torpedo glow of later photon torpedoes, which has often been assumed to be an effect of their shields. Against a more advanced opponent - such as a 22nd century Klingon ship - the GARDIAN system becomes quite a bit less useful.)

At a 10 km premature detonation, the SR-2 is probably going to get hit by about a tenth of a kiloton for a maximum yield photonic torpedo. That brings us to a pertinent question: Which ship is going to be able to control the range of engagement?

I'll note, that ship-to-ship torpedoes do exist in Mass Effect (disruptor torpedoes); they simply are short range weapons. As with the kinetic deflector, the effectiveness of the GARDIAN system degrades over time, in this case as the lasers (and ship) heat up. The longer the battle lasts, the more vulnerable the SR-2 becomes.

[User1401]

That doesn't sound especially optimistic. None of the NX's weapons are really kinetic, and having a chance of deflecting a particle beam doesn't really suggest that it would attenuate the gamma-ray pulse of nuclear weapon (or a photonic torpedo).

The wiki seems to also indicate that after deflecting the first few shots, the Normandy's advanced shields degrade to "normal" ME shields, at which point they will be essentially useless against the NX's weapons; no effect on phasers, and a photonic torpedo detonating in very close proximity to the SR-2 is not going to be much less devastating than the occasional direct impact would be.

I’ll admit the evidence that the SR-2’s barriers could stop radiation and particle weapons is not strong. We’re probably better off assuming that the shields are just ineffective against the NX.

Firing full-yield photonic torpedoes at close range indeed is risky for the NX. Here we have another key point: The NX-01's photonic torpedoes are probably not shielded, unlike more advanced photon torpedoes.

(There's some indications the photonic torpedoes may have been simply exported to Earth as black-box technology by the Vissians; they also display the characteristic torpedo glow of later photon torpedoes, which has often been assumed to be an effect of their shields. Against a more advanced opponent - such as a 22nd century Klingon ship - the GARDIAN system becomes quite a bit less useful.)

The Vissians and the NX’s crew hardly parted on the best of terms- not a good situation to assume a technology exchange. Also, the glow does not indicate shields. Why? The Mutara Nebula. The Mutara Nebula completely disables shields, so if torpedo glow was caused by shields, that glow would disappear within the nebula. Yet in the battle between the Enterprise and the Reliant inside the nebula, torpedoes fired by both ships retained the signature red glow of photon torpedoes.

At a 10 km premature detonation, the SR-2 is probably going to get hit by about a tenth of a kiloton for a maximum yield photonic torpedo. That brings us to a pertinent question: Which ship is going to be able to control the range of engagement?

A tenth of a kiloton spread out over the ship- coming down to a handful of kilojoules per square centimeter. Against the SR-2’s Silaris armor, that’s likely not going to do much more than scratch the paint.

I’m not sure which will be in control of the engagement range, but I’d wager on the SR-2. First of all, the sublight engines are the same as the ones used for FTL, antimatter thrusters, as opposed to the NX’s fusion torch STL-only impulse engines, suggesting higher sublight acceleration. Also, Joker graduated top of his class in flight school, better than even his instructors, and also has EDI’s analytical support, while Mayweather…was on a freighter for most of his life?

I'll note, that ship-to-ship torpedoes do exist in Mass Effect (disruptor torpedoes); they simply are short range weapons. As with the kinetic deflector, the effectiveness of the GARDIAN system degrades over time, in this case as the lasers (and ship) heat up. The longer the battle lasts, the more vulnerable the SR-2 becomes.

Yes, GARDIAN lasers are subject to overheating, but that’s only brought about in fleet combat situations where swarms of fighters are launching torpedoes at target ships. The NX doesn’t have the rate of fire with its torpedoes to wear out the SR-2’s GARDIAN system.

[Jedi Master Spock]

The Vissians and the NX’s crew hardly parted on the best of terms- not a good situation to assume a technology exchange.

I'll take someone else's summary:

When Archer returns from his adventure with the Vissian captain, he is furious at Trip for interfering in Vissian affairs. However, he knows that he must take the cogenitor's plea for asylum seriously. After a meeting with the Vissians and further thought on the matter, he eventually decides that he must send the cogenitor back to the Vissian ship. As the captains bid farewell, the Vissian captain mentions that he hopes the incident won't tarnish the two species' future relationship.

Politically positive, marred by personal tragedy. The Vissians are the prime candidates for having given Earth photonic torpedo technology; it doesn't seem likely that Earth developed the technology to maturity from nothing in four months.

It's usually not a relevant point in VS debates, but in the event that photonic torpedoes do carry some of the first shields deployed by Earth, that would change things dramatically here.

A tenth of a kiloton spread out over the ship- coming down to a handful of kilojoules per square centimeter. Against the SR-2’s Silaris armor, that’s likely not going to do much more than scratch the paint.

Well, we're talking about a flux of, say, 0.3-3 kJ/cm^2 of gamma rays. It may not sound much, but that is a lot by the standards of (say) Hiroshima. I agree it won't do much damage to the armor. We still might ask if the sudden brilliant intensity will overload sensors/emitters or exposed equipment, though.

I’m not sure which will be in control of the engagement range, but I’d wager on the SR-2. First of all, the sublight engines are the same as the ones used for FTL, antimatter thrusters, as opposed to the NX’s fusion torch STL-only impulse engines, suggesting higher sublight acceleration. Also, Joker graduated top of his class in flight school, better than even his instructors, and also has EDI’s analytical support, while Mayweather…was on a freighter for most of his life?

The NX-01 has made a close pass of a black hole ("Singularity"), has managed the baffling feat of FTL impulse travel common to ST ships ("Doctor's Orders"), and can go to warp quite readily. I'm not sure either. Information about the NX's mobility is limited.

Yes, GARDIAN lasers are subject to overheating, but that’s only brought about in fleet combat situations where swarms of fighters are launching torpedoes at target ships. The NX doesn’t have the rate of fire with its torpedoes to wear out the SR-2’s GARDIAN system.

Possibly; but the GARDIAN system is also limited by the overall heat of the ship and subject to combat damage. The laser needs to track accurately, and hit for long enough to detonate the torpedo. The faster the torpedo is moving, the closer it will come before detonating.

Certainly this is one of the major differences between the NX and anything using more advanced photon torpedoes; the shields on photon torpedoes are quite strong, and detonating them prematurely is both very difficult and very energy-intensive.

[Mr. Oragahn]

Oh oh oh! If we're talking about Earth's first shields and torp shields, I feel absolutely compelled to dig a link to that SFJN thread were I more or less recently (a few months ago) exposed my views about this. Or perhaps it was at SBC.
I'll have to find it. What I can say right there, although it's just a bit of the whole paint, is that I totally agree about the Vissian origin of the photonic torpedoes.

[Mr. Oragahn]

And yet, after only a few shots, the phase cannons went offline. That's not something you want in the middle of a combat situation.

Yes. Now, it's quite likely that this was eventually fixed during three seasons of continuous upgrades, but not completely certain. There's also an additional complication; while the nominal yield is 5 terajoules on the 10x overload setting, the test firing unfortunately involves turning a large mountain into a crater.

This is, to say the least, problematic. See here for pictures.

Erm, I keep seeing that one creep up, but how do we know it even was of the size of a mountain. It seems to be nothing more than the little mound left in the middle of some couple kilometers wide crater. Like, you know, nothing to brag about much.

However, ultimately, the question of phase cannon yield isn't the most relevant point. It's very well established that Klingon ships can laugh at phase cannons - but that photonic torpedoes are another question, even on a lower setting ("The Expanse").

They were on lower setting?
They also were effective only because the Klingon ship had minimal shielding on aft. Considering that we see ships use phasers a lot, even after the NX got photonic torps iirc, wouldn't that mean that there's not so much of a big advantage with torps?

They also have fifty times the range of spatial torpedoes - which, since spatial torpedoes are ordered ready at a range of six kilometers, is certain to be greater than the 100 kilometer effective range of the phase cannon.

So if the crew of the NX-01 is pulling no punches and has full upgrades, they'll be coming out blasting with photonic torpedoes, which have the full range to engage. It's something of a "blunt trauma" weapon; there's no indication it's a directional weapon, simply a multi-megaton explosion.

I doubt it could be shaped, but you never know.
In TNG, the E-D still used vanilla omnidirectional torps, and it took quite some time for Data (I think it was him), like hours, to make sure the torpedo could be specially modified in order to be shaped. Considering that if Data could make such a modification rapidly, yet the UFP didn't come with shaped torps, it seems the modification had a significant cost. One could be less guidance, much smaller range, lower velocity, weaker shields or less firepower. I haven't seen the episode though so I can't tell if any of those suggestions would fit.

Now, Mass Effect actually looks to be fairly interesting to analyze. The use of mass driver weapons that are literally as long as possible suggests to me that length is quite possibly the limiting factor of Mass Effect kinetic weapons, and that would mean that we would expect a 250m frigate to have a 50 terajoule main weapon.

The SR-2 Normandy's Thanix Cannon is apparently superior to the basic mass driver, and fires a "beam" of molten metal instead of a solid slug, which AFAIK can engage at the full range here. The Normandy also has heavy armor and shields.

Oh there's been a huge discussion about what Mass Effect shields can stop, and it's been messy when we started talking about the Mass Effect fields themselves, and just how exactly they affected mass, over what distances, etc. It's quite complicated. There's also been a discussion about the shields of different types and the whole question of do they stop particles yes or no and at what speeds.