A phaser is a type of directed-energy weapon used by many galactic governments, and was most commonly seen in use by Starfleet. Phasers could be hand-held or ship-mounted.
In One Possible Timeline Starfleet Began using Ship Mounted Phaser Weapons in 2195 as a Replacement of the Phase cannon and the Laser Bank, However in 2242, a New Type of Laser weapon known as the Phased laser took over as the main Directed-energy weapon in the entire fleet before being replaced by a More Powerfull Phaser Weapon in 2257. Old Hand Held Phaser Weaponry was Introduced in the 2200s, However Laser Pistols Replaced Phaser Pistols in 2242, However by 2257 Starfleet Created A Better Version of the Phaser Pistol however The Phaser Pistol wouldn't be The Main Hand Held Weapon until 2265.
The Hydran Kingdom operated two versions of a shipboard rapid-fire phaser that could fire four times as fast as normal shipboard phasers. While useful for point-defense, it acted more like a pulse phaser in regards to targeting other capital ships. (Star Fleet Battles)
External links
- Phaser article at Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
- Phaser article at Memory Beta, the non-canon Star Trek wiki.