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Compression phaser rifle, 2373

Kathryn Janeway with a compression phaser rifle

Janeway armed with compression phaser rifle

Kathryn Janeway holding a compression phaser rifle

Ayala leads security team

Ayala holding a compression phaser rifle

The Compression phaser rifle was a type of Starfleet phaser rifle carried on some Starfleet starships in the 2370s. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Equinox", "Message in a Bottle")

History[]

The USS Voyager was equipped with compression phaser rifles as a standard part of its weapons inventory. They were first used by the away team that transported to the Caretaker's array in 2371. (VOY: "Caretaker")

When set to wide beam, a compression phaser rifle could take out a large group of individuals in one shot. (VOY: "Worst Case Scenario")

The USS Equinox was also equipped with compression phaser rifles in 2371, as several were still used in 2376 shortly before the ship's destruction. (VOY: "Equinox", "Equinox, Part II")

Starfleet security personnel boarding the USS Prometheus in 2374 carried compression phaser rifles. (VOY: "Message in a Bottle")

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See also[]

Appearances[]

Background information[]

In the original pencil drawings by Rick Sternbach of the compression phaser rifle, it was designated as a type IV phaser. [1] According to TNG: "The Outcast", type IV phasers were normally used as ship-mounted weaponry on Type 6 shuttlecraft.

According to DS9: "Field of Fire", normal phaser weaponry was useless inside a dampening field. In the episode VOY: "Night", Captain Janeway utilized a compression phaser rifle inside the USS Voyager, while the ship was trapped and defenseless in the Night Alien dampening field. So at least in this regard the compression phaser rifle appeared to be more advanced.

In the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual, the rifle was classified as type-3a. According to the book, the weapon features a durable twin power cell and a split emitter resonator for tuning and focusing the phaser beam. While the other new phaser rifle seen in Star Trek: First Contact and the third and fourth season Star Trek: Voyager are identified in the text as the type-3b assault rifle, an image of that weapon on page 88 presumably mistakenly identifies it as the type-3a compression phaser rifle. Both rifle types are identified in the Star Trek Encyclopedia (4th ed., vol. 2, p. 136) as compression versions of the phaser rifle.

The other rifles first seen in First Contact are usable weapons in Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force and Star Trek: Elite Force II and are identified as compression phaser rifles in the game.

External link[]

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