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Published Aug 9, 2018
The Power of the Starship Enterprise At Your Command
“The power of the Starship Enterprise is at your command. Cross the galaxies with Warp Drive and Impulse Power. Defend the Federation with Photon Torpedoes and Phasers. Ward off the treacherous attack of the Klingons, the villians of the cosmos!” --
TI-99/4A Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator Manual
The 1970s and 1980s were pioneering days for the video game industry. Paralleling the innovations of home gaming and computing systems was the return of Star Trek in the form of new movie adventures. This parallel makes more sense when considering that it was Star Trek that helped inspire some of the real-world technologies that produced the video game revolution. The shared history of home video game systems and Star Trek is fascinating, and one of the earliest and most popular examples was the porting of SEGA’s 1983 Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator (SOS) vector game to home systems like the TI-99/4A.
Inspired by the Kobayashi Maru sequence from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and sporting visuals related to that training sequence, SEGA released the SOS to local arcades about a year after the film’s premiere. Available in both standing and sitting cabinet designs, the game had the unusual feature of both two-dimensional and three-dimensional graphics on the same screen. Starting with the voices of James Doohan informing players that “You are the Captain of the starship Enterprise” and Leonard Nimoy saying, “Welcome aboard, Captain,” the game challenged players to navigate around space, mines and other anomalies, while protecting starbases from Klingons, UFO flying saucers and Nomad. The game proved popular enough with fans that it was offered for the new desktop computer market (Commodore VIC-20, Commodore 64, Apple, and the TI-99/4A are some examples) and the new home video game console systems (ColecoVision, as an example).
The TI-99/4A was the first personal computer available to consumers with a 16 bit processor. Debuting during June 1981 and manufactured by Texas Instruments Inc., this early PC was a breakthrough in technology, especially because of its advanced solid state speech synthesis capabilities. Not only could the TI-99/4A’s games speak, but users could purchase a special headset that allowed speech-to-text and the control of certain game features via voice only. When a user said “run,” for example, an avatar in a baseball video game did as instructed.
Those kinds of futuristic features made the pairing of Star Trek and the TI-99/4A inevitable, especially considering the TI-99/4A’s speech capacities. Unfortunately, technology limitations of the era did not allow for Doohan or Nimoy’s actual voices to be used, but a synthesized voice spoke the same lines and introduced each section of the game with warnings such as “Entering Sector 1.6. Avoid mines, Captain!” The TI voices did have emotion and inflection, adding to the drama of the game.
The TI-99/4A graphics were a close approximation to its arcade inspiration, although not as detailed, with three boxes on screen. One screen provided information about shield capacity, photo torpedo inventory and warp power, and the other two boxes were two- and three-dimensional views of the action.
Interestingly and for no discernable reason, the game manual that is included with the TI-99/4A flips the image found on every other company’s manual and box version using the Klingon perspective-themed artwork. In all other versions, the Klingon phasers are firing from the left, yet with the TI-99/4A version, the phaser beam is from the right. Looking closely, then, the name of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 is clearly backwards on the hull.
None of that distracts from the fun of the Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator , one of the first games that allowed players to immerse themselves in the world of Trek and a herald of modern games like the virtual reality Star Trek Bridge Crew. One of this article’s authors, John, had a TI-99/4A and the Star Trek: Strategic Operations Simulator during the early 1980s. Amazingly, his computer still functions and the game works fine after more than 30 years.
That is engineering that would make Scotty proud!
Maria Jose and John Tenuto are both sociology professors at the College of Lake County in Grayslake, Illinois, specializing in popular culture and subculture studies. The Tenutos have conducted extensive research on Star Trek’s history, and have presented at venues such as Creation Conventions, ReedPOP's official Star Trek 50th Anniversary Convention, St. Louis Science Center, and to the towns of Riverside, Iowa, and Vulcan, Alberta, Canada. They've appeared in episodes of the Netflix show The Toys that Made Us and written for the official Star Trek Magazine. Their research has been featured on BBC Radio, WGN News, CBS News, and in USA Today and WIRED Magazine. Contact the Tenutos at [email protected]
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Screen Rant
Star trek: discovery’s pilot just joined enterprise’s legacy.
Keyla Detmer hasn't had a lot to do in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, but episode 5 did allow her to become part of the USS Enterprise's legacy.
Warning: This Article Contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 5 - "Mirrors"
- Keyla Detmer piloted the ISS Enterprise in Star TrekL Discovery season 5, joining the ranks of Enterprise helmsman in the process.
- The USS Enterprise has had other notable helmsmen like Sulu and Geordi La Forge across different versions.
- Discovery provided Detmer with the chance to pilot a version of the Enterprise, filmed on the set of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 enabled the show's pilot, Keyla Detmer (Emily Coutts) to join an important legacy for the USS Enterprise. Detmer has been the helmsman of the USS Discovery since season 1, and an integral part of Discovery 's cast of characters up through season 5 . Although she has largely been a supporting character on Discovery , Detmer has still enjoyed some important moments, including a few memorable subplots in both seasons 1 and 3.
Despite Detmer not appearing in Discovery season 5, episode 5 , the show bestowed an important milestone on her off-screen. Episode 5 saw the retrieval of the Mirror Universe's ISS Enterprise after a clue in the search for the Progenitor's technology led Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Cleveland Booker (David Ajala) to a heated confrontation with L'ak (Elias Toufexis) and Moll (Eve Harlow) on the abandoned ship. Discovery managed to save the Mirror Enterprise from interdimensional space , and Captain Burham assigned Lieutenant Commander Detmer and Owosekun (Oyin Oladejo) to take it back to Federation Headquarters.
5 Ways Star Trek: Discovery’s Mirror Enterprise Is Different From USS Enterprise
Star trek: discovery’s pilot commander detmer is the latest enterprise helmsman, detmer flew the iss enterprise in discovery season 5.
Thanks to episode 5, Detmer has joined the ranks of those who had piloted a version of the Enterprise in Star Trek history . Detmer could have had the opportunity to pilot the USS Enterprise during Discovery season 2, especially considering that its Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) , was a main character on the show. Discovery 's time jump to the 32nd century made any further encounters with the Prime Universe's Enterprise impossible, but season 5 finally gave Detmer the chance to be included in the category of legendary Enterprise helmsman.
It seems Discovery has given Detmer the chance to pilot the only Enterprise she will likely ever get to during the rest of the show's run.
Although the ISS Enterprise is different from the Prime Universe's USS Enterprise, the two are similar enough that Discovery filmed episode 5's Enterprise scenes on the set for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds , which is set on the USS Enterprise in Discovery 's old time period, the 23rd century. It seems Discovery has given Detmer the chance to pilot the only Enterprise she will likely ever get to during the rest of the show's run. Of course, Detmer piloting any version of the USS Enterprise is still a huge honor, considering which characters she shares the distinction with.
Star Trek’s Enterprise Helmsmen Explained
The uss enterprise has had some notable helmsmen.
The various versions of the Enterprise have had some incredible helmsmen, and the ship has the interesting distinction of being piloted by two father-daughter teams at different times . The most famous Enterprise Helmsman is, of course, Hikaru Sulu (George Takei) from Star Trek: The Original Series . Sulu and his other versions, including his Mirror Universe counterpart, faithfully piloted the Enterprise for many years of the franchise's timeline, and Sulu's daughter, Demora (Jacqueline Kim) took on the task years later during Star Trek Generations .
Sulu isn't the only famous character to have been an Enterprise helmsman, however. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) was the initial helmsman for the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation , and like Sulu would share the honor with his daughter, Sidney (Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut) who took on the role in Star Trek: Picard season 3. More recently, Strange New Worlds introduced Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) as the helmsman under Captain Pike. Ortegas has proved to be one of Star Trek 's best pilots and a memorable addition to the Enterprise pilot ranks , similar to Detmer on Star Trek: Discovery .
New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Discovery
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Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
Phaser bank
- View history
Phaser banks referred to the phaser weapons mounted aboard Federation starships . ( Star Trek: The Original Series ; Star Trek: The Animated Series ) They were utilized by Starfleet as early as 2233 . ( Star Trek )
Technical journal diagram of a Constitution -class primary phaser
Each bank contained one or more phaser emitters from which the beam energy was actually released but which shared common power sources and targeting systems.
Mid- 2260s Starfleet phaser banks consisted of one emitter each, and drew power from rechargeable sources separate from a ship's main power systems. ( TOS : " The Doomsday Machine ")
In the 2260s , Constitution -class starships were equipped with six phaser banks, though they tended to be fired in pairs. ( DIS : " Brother " display graphic )
The main banks were located on the lower half of the starship 's saucer section , forward of the sensor dome. Additional banks were located on the ship 's stern , above the shuttlebay . Port and starboard banks covered the ship's flanks. ( TOS : " Arena "; TNG : " Datalore "; ENT : " In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II ")
The forward phaser bank, depicted in Constitution -class schematics
In the 2270s , a new system was developed during the refit to Constitution II -class , which tied the phasers directly into the main reactor. While increasing phaser power, it had the disadvantage of cutting off most of or all phaser power if the warp core suffers an antimatter imbalance or if the reactor was damaged. ( Star Trek: The Motion Picture ; Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan )
By the 24th century , the number of emitters in each bank had been increased to the point where they were laid out in long strips called phaser arrays . ( Star Trek: The Next Generation )
On a schematic of the Galaxy -class USS Enterprise -D , the location of the phaser banks was labeled. The dorsal of the primary hull featured an upper phaser bank. The dorsal secondary hull had two phaser banks located on either side of the aft torpedo launcher. The ventral secondary hull had a lower engineering phaser bank and, aft of this bank, more phaser banks. ( TNG : " New Ground ")
However, the term "phaser bank" was still used, particularly in reference to units with smaller numbers of emitters. ( DS9 : " The Maquis, Part I ")
A small Federation phaser bank could be powered by a 4.2 gigawatt power generator. ( TNG : " Who Watches The Watchers ")
External link [ ]
- Phaser bank at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- 2 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)
IMAGES
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** New updated version now available here: https://youtu.be/j2DEo305CXk **Compilation of every time the USS Enterprise 1701-D fires its phasers and launches ...
Phaser rifle, 2260s. Phaser technology used by Starfleet was preceded by phase-modulated particle weapons in the mid-22nd century, including such weapons as the hand-held phase-pistol and ship-mounted phase cannon. Laser weapons, such as the laser pistol, were also used before phasers became the standard-issue weapon in the Starfleet arsenal.(Star Trek: Enterprise, all; TOS: "The Cage")
Star Trek (Original) ~ USS Enterprise NCC-1701 Firing Phasers.. (Balance of Terror)
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Star Trek's phasers have taken many shapes and sizes throughout its six-plus decades, from the tiny "cricket" seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation to the very large and powerful ones on the Enterprise. They have also had a lot more functions and settings that just "stun" and "kill."
The Constitution-class U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 was equipped with state-of-the-art weaponary and defensive systems. Phasers. The phaser is a directed energy weapon that came into general use on Starfleet vessels between 2254 and 2265. Ship's phasers had an effective range of 300,000 kilometers and were used in sublight combat.
According to Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, the Galaxy-class arrays were designated Type-X. StarTrek.com however uses a picture of the Enterprise-D firing its phaser array to depict the phaser type-8. The Sovereign-class arrays were designated Type-XII according to the Star Trek: Starship Spotter.
The Weapons of Star Trek. 2150 Enterprise: 2260 Star Trek: 2280 Motion Pictures: 2360 Next Generation: 2370 Deep Space 9 & Voyager
In the TOS episode "A Piece of the Action" the main phasers of Kirk's Enterprise fire on stun setting and knock out people in several square blocks of city on the planet Iota below the ship. Does the Enterprise D retain that useful feature? In the first TNG episode "Encounter at Farpoint": PICARD: Thank you. That was the missing part.
Phasers are common and versatile phased array pulsed energy projectile weapons, first seen in the original Star Trek series and later in almost all subsequent films and television spin-offs. Phasers range in size from small arms to starship-mounted weaponry.. Though they seem to discharge in a continuous "beam", close observation reveals that phasers actually discharge a stream of pulsed ...
In all other versions, the Klingon phasers are firing from the left, yet with the TI-99/4A version, the phaser beam is from the right. Looking closely, then, the name of the U.S.S. Enterprise 1701 is clearly backwards on the hull.
Compilation of every time the USS Enterprise 1701-D fires its phasers and launches photon torpedoes in Star Trek.**Updated version**This updated video replac...
The Enterprise might be seen firing phasers or photon torpedos out of the frame, and then they might cut to the enemey ship being hit by the weapons fire coming from out of the frame. Or there might be a shot of the enemy ship firing its weapons out of the frame, and then it cuts to a shot of the exterior of the Enterprise being hit by the ...
#pike#spock#snw#phasers#newepisode
A simple mistake made by the CG department, could often be seen in the other TNG era shows, too. Mistake was "erased" in the TNG-R version by simply changing the scene to the one where the Enterprise fires the main dorsal phasers from "Best of both Worlds". VFX department, there was hardly any CG in this show at all.
This is the unofficial community subreddit for Star Trek Online, the licensed Star Trek MMO, available on PC, Playstation, and Xbox. ... Omni Phasers are powerful due to a 360° firing arc. But you can only have two mounted on your ship. ... The Krieger wave weapons canonically are from the enterprise era, along with a lobi set I forget the ...
The phaser range was a facility aboard some starships that allowed Starfleet personnel to practice aiming and firing their phasers. It consisted of a circular stage set in a large empty area. The area around the stage was illuminated, but every other area of the room was dark. Flashing spheres of light of different colors and moving at various speeds served as the targets. Two people could be ...
Yes. Totally yes. As many people have said, there are many examples of ships firing phasers at warp. The most well-known one: The U.S.S. Vengeance firing on the Enterprise at warp. Another is in Star Trek: Voyager, "Message In A Bottle," when the U.S.S. Bonchune (Nebula Class) is pursuing the U.S.S. Prometheus.
Fire phasers! Whether it's against the Planet Killer, the Borg, or the Dominion, ship-mounted phasers are key components on Starfleet vessels. Although not i...
In many Star Trek, we have heard references to weapons ranges. For example, a Nebula class starship has a weapons range of roughly 300,000 kilometers. We can reliably predict that a projectile weapon (like a photon torpedo) could possibly almost continue on forever, unless, miraculously (or unfortunately), it hits an object in space.
Phase cannons firing. A phase cannon was a phase-modulated directed energy cannon weapon, a type of particle weapon which served as a successor to plasma cannons and as a precursor to the phaser of the 23rd and 24th centuries. The prototypes of ship-mounted phase cannons were first introduced by Starfleet in the mid- 22nd century, designed as ...
This lenticular print displays the Enterprise firing its Phasers. The print features breathtaking sharpness and color and measures 10-inches tall x 17-inches wide. The prints is suitable for wall display. Initially one of only twelve Constitution-class heavy cruisers constructed by Starfleet, the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 went on to become one ...
COVID-19 got me down but not out... I'm still determined to get this project finished in time for the Star Trek 55th anniversary this September. This video s...
Although the ISS Enterprise is different from the Prime Universe's USS Enterprise, the two are similar enough that Discovery filmed episode 5's Enterprise scenes on the set for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which is set on the USS Enterprise in Discovery's old time period, the 23rd century.It seems Discovery has given Detmer the chance to pilot the only Enterprise she will likely ever get to ...
The best diplomat I know is a fully-activated phaser bank.Montgomery Scott Phaser banks referred to the phaser weapons mounted aboard Federation starships. (Star Trek: The Original Series; Star Trek: The Animated Series) They were utilized by Starfleet as early as 2233. (Star Trek) Each bank contained one or more phaser emitters from which the beam energy was actually released but which shared ...