Laser pistol

Starfleet laser sidearm (2254) laser pistol
Type:	laser weapon
Output:	Beam
Manufacturer:	Federation Starfleet
Era:	2250s

The laser pistol was a hand-held laser weapon used by the Federation Starfleet during the 2250s and the early 2260s. They were the successors to the previous phase pistol technology and the immediate predecessor to phasers. They were in use until at least 2266.

In 2254, Captain Christopher Pike of the USS Enterprise used a laser pistol to escape captivity beneath the surface of Talos IV by burning a hole through his translucent prison wall. Shortly afterwards, on the planet's surface, his first officer, Number One, set a laser pistol to overload to show the Talosians that humans would rather die than be imprisoned. (TOS: "The Cage")

Spock and other members of an Enterprise landing party were armed with laser pistols when they transported to the planet Delta Vega to maroon a dangerous Gary Mitchell in 2265. (TOS: "Where No Man Has Gone Before")

In 2266, laser pistols were standard equipment for the Crater expedition to M-113, as well as the Korby expedition to Exo III, both of which were outfitted in 2261. (TOS: "The Man Trap", "What Are Little Girls Made Of?") Template:LaserTechnology

Appearances

• TOS:
  • "The Cage"
  • "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
  • "The Man Trap"
  • "The Menagerie, Part I"
  • "The Menagerie, Part II"
  • "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

Background

Gene Roddenberry was made aware by a technical adviser of the fact that lasers could not do the things he wanted his fictional weapons to do and invented the term "phaser" to use instead.

The laser pistol was seen in use in "The Cage" (and "The Menagerie"), but it can also be seen as part of the landing party's arsenal in "Where No Man Has Gone Before". However, the phaser rifle was also used in that episode, indicating that phaser technology had already been introduced, but suggesting that it had not yet replaced the older hand-held laser weapons.

In "Obsession", it was stated that Lieutenant James Kirk manned the phaser station aboard the USS Farragut in 2257, suggesting that ship-mounted phaser banks were in use at least by that time.

Since the Earth Starfleet of the 22nd century utilized plasma weapons and phase weapons, it is odd that Starfleet would issue a more primitive weapon such as a laser in the mid-23rd century. One explanation could be that the 23rd century term "laser" might mean something more complicated than the lasers we know of today. It is possible, too, that the term "laser" might be the shortened colloquial use of a more complicated technological name, such as "phase laser" or "multiphasic laser," and that these laser weapons represented a mid-point between the earlier phase pistol and the phaser commonly used in the mid-to late 23rd century and beyond.

File:Weapon, circa 2265.jpg

Modified pistol, circa 2265

The original prop was designed and produced by Wah Chang's shop in 1964 for the pilot production, "The Cage". Close examination reveals the controls on the side are painted typewriter keys. The prop was slightly modified for its later appearances in "Where No Man Has Gone Before", "The Man Trap", and "What Are Little Girls Made Of?". They contained a tiny flip-up sight on top and the barrel could be extended with a twisting/ratcheting motion for greater power. (TOS: "The Cage", "What Are Little Girls Made Of?")

This prop was modified by the addition of a wheel-like attachment on the back of the body of the weapon and a textured grip. While no dialog in any episode after "The Cage" indicates whether the pistols were lasers or phasers, a stage direction on page 18 of the revised final draft of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" called for an old-style phaser to be used by Brown. It is noteworthy that this weapon vaporized the android Kirk in a manner more consistent with phaser technology than lasers.