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Weapons of TOS may be divided into three categories: Unbelievably advanced, normal, or primitive. Primitive weapons by and large are well explored modern and pre-modern weapons, while the unbelievably advanced capabilities of such as Organians defy analysis.

Among the most impressive normal weapons in TOS is the Romulan enveloping plasma torpedo. It is capable of disintegrating large asteroids and hardened installations. It moves warp speed. It dissipates several seconds after it fires for millions of kilometers of range. The total energy yield of the enveloping plasma torpedo is incredible.See Details

A single UFP starship is capable of devastating an entire world.See Details This capability is split between photon torpedos and phasers. Phasers appear to have yield of no more than 1-10 gigatons at the most, and are the primary weapon; they may be fired while at rest or at warp and can be very accurately used from orbit.See Details Photon torpedos have pinpoint accuracy at 90,000 km, while phasers may be used effectively at 40,000-75,000km; See Details by comparison with the Romulan plasma torpedo, we can guess the standard yield of a photon torpedo as potentially ~225 megatons.See Details

Hand weapons are particularly impressive; a target over a half mile away is considered dangerously close to the user for a photon grenade. See Details An overloading hand phaser may endanger people in a wide radius; fired ordinarily, a phaser may stun, kill, or utterly disrupt a humanoid.See Details

Back to topThe plasma torpedo, seen in "Balance of Power," disintegrated quite thoroughly the fourth UFP outpost it attacked; this outpost was  "a mile deep on an asteroid. Almost solid iron." With the first shot, the Romulan ship took out the deflectors and damaged the station severely; the second shot then disintegrated the asteroid and outpost into "dust and debris" - by "forcing an implosion." To crush a two mile diameter asteroid mostly comprised of iron into dust using glowing hot plasma requires a great deal of work. Considering the presence of some debris, the yield could be guessed at being perhaps only a hundred gigatons or so - a truly impressive sum, particularly for a ship as small as the Romulans'. It is not surprising in the least that the ship appears to have the capability to fire only 5-10 (probably 9) shots before needing to refuel.

The ability to travel for more than 10 seconds at warp speed puts the range of the plasma torpedo well beyond that of any other conventional weapon in TOS - in all probability falling somewhere between an AU and a substantial fraction of a light year. It is worth noting that a phaser blast is thought to be able to disperse the plasma torpedo in mid-flight, rendering it less useful against battle-prepared starships. This may explain why it is not seen frequently.

Back to topIn "A Taste for Armageddon," Kirk states bluntly: "In two hours, the Enterprise will destroy Eminiar 7." In this particular context, it appears as though the Enterprise has quite enough firepower to level all civilization of Eminar 7, which has been fortifying and stockpiling weapons for the past 500 years, in a fairly short span of time. Similar reference to this capability occur in "Bread and Circuses" and "Operation: Annihilate!" Kirk agonizes over obliterating a human colony with a million people in order to destroy the neural parasites that have infested it in the latter, while in the former, an ex-captain, worried, notes that the Enterprise would be able to wipe out the 20th century version of a planetary Roman Empire.

Incidentally, we could use this to check our yield estimates. We may estimate that destroying Eminar 7 involves levelling reinforced concrete buildings over perhaps a total of 1-25% of the planet's surface; with efficient thermal weaponry, this may be somewhere around ~20kt per square kilometer. With a surface area for an Earthlike planet of about a half billion, this gives us - very generally - 100 gigatons to perhaps 2.5 teratons or so that the U.S.S. Enterprise is expected to deliver in short order. This is generally agreeable with our rough estimates of phaser and photon torpedo yields from various episodes.

Back to topIn "The Alternative Factor," we are treated to a view of the Enterprise firing from a reasonably high orbit (see images below). As most of the planetary disc is visible in this shot, taken from a perspective just behind the Enterprise, this episode establishes that the Enterprise can fire several thousand miles and through an atmosphere without appreciable beam dispersal or accuracy problems. Note the crystal clear, narrow, and apparently undispersed beam striking the craft on the ground. In "A Piece of the Action," the Enterprise makes a very effective wide-beam stun strike from orbit.

Orbital Strike by Enterprise                                           The Strike Lands
Phasers are seen firing, readied to fire, or otherwise implied to be able to fire at warp speed in "Obsession," "Arena," "The Carbomite Maneuver," "The Ultimate Computer," and "Balance of Terror."

Back to top"The Paradise Syndrome" shows Spock trying to split into pieces an asteroid stated to be nearly the size of Earth's moon using phasers after failing to deflect it sufficiently using the ship's deflector screens. Even considering that he was attempting to take advantage of a "weak spot" in the asteroid, as well as the asteroid being somewhat less than actually moon-sized, this would require zettajoules of imparted energy if not yottajoules to pull off - i.e., the equivalent of gigatons to teratons of TNT. The actual effect achieved is somewhat less impressive; the first normal phaser blast used on the asteroid produces a splash of glow about a third the diameter of the asteroid; a full broadside with the phasers only causes a small square of the asteroid to glow molten red.
Rock
If the asteroid's longer dimension is a bit over 1700 km, then the area melted is about 70 km across and roughly square. The heat of fusion for lava is generally similar to the energy required to heat the rock ~300 kelvins; granite generally melts at about 925 kelvins; if we approximate it as being granite chemically and having a bulk density of 2 tons per cubic meter, melting a 70 km cube out of the asteroid gives only ~130-160 exajoules for a full power broadside by the Enterprise. With four phasers being fired on full power here, that's a maximum strength blast of 30-40 EJ per phaser - 7-10 gigatons. Considering that it may not have truly been an entire 70 km cube melted, but likely a smaller fraction, we should call it perhaps 1-10 gigatons for a ship's phaser on full blast.

Back to top In "Changeling," the order to fire is given along with a range of 90,000 kilometers, resulting in a direct hit on a target smaller than a typical human. In "Obsession," we learn that even while moving at high warp, phasers cannot fire 0.04 light years. In "The Tholian Web," the Tholian vessel stands off at a range of 90,000 km, producing immediate threat to the Enterprise. In "Spectre of the Gun:" phaser crews are ordered ready before a slowly approaching vessel reaches 45,000 km.  In "Spock's Brain," phaser crews are standing by before the range to an unknown approaching vessel closes to 43,000 km. In "Journey to Babel," phasers are fired just after closing to 75,000 kilometers. In "The Deadly Years," Romulan vessels are stated to be at 50-100,000 km from the Enterprise while attacking it.

Back to top In "Changeling," the energy capacity of the Enterprise's shields against Nomad's attacks is shown as 450 times the yield of a photon torpedo. If we assume that the plasma torpedo had very roughly the amount of energy required to blow the Enterprise's shields in one shot, then it is roughly 450 times as strong. This would give us about 225 megatons per torpedo with a very wide margin for error. This could very easily be an overestimate even if the plasma torpedo really is ~100 gigatons, as it is suggested that the plasma torpedo would outright destroy the Enterprise, while the energy of 450 photon torpedos took down the shields without destroying it. The difference in effect may also represent the plasma torpedo being a very effective weapon for its yield against the defensive technologies of Starfleet rather than a strict yield disparity between the two. However, the 225 megaton yield does not, in light of the phaser power above, appear particularly excessive; its relatively diminuative nature may explain very well the considerably rarer use of photon torpedos than phasers, as phasers will generally suffice.

Back to topIn "Arena," we are treated to a rare weapon, a small blue ball identified as a photon grenade. Whatever they are, 1200 yards and just on the other side of a solid rock ridge is "pretty close for one of these little jewels," which is rather unusual; 1200 yards is almost a safe firing distance for a kiloton nuke on flat ground (first degree burns out to radii of up to 1320 yards). This suggests that those small blue balls may have as much as a kiloton yield.

Back to topHand phasers are observed to effectively disintegrate people on numerous occasions. They may also be overloaded to great effect, as in "The Conscience of the King"- to quote: "This is the captain. There's a phaser on overload. If it blows, it'll take out the entire deck." Phasers may also be used to stun. They may also be used to heat or blast rocks, walls, and most normal substances; certain exotic substances and creatures are resistant to light phasers.