Type 2 phaser A type - 2 phaser or phaser pistol was a typical hand - held directed - energy phaser weapon used by Starfleet and United Federation of Planets personnel during the late - 22nd , 23rd , 24th and 29th centuries . More powerful and generally larger in size than the type 1 phaser , type 2 phasers were kept aboard Starfleet and Federation starship s , starbase s , space station s , and at planet ary facilities . General specifications . A descendant of the EM weapon s and phase - pistol s of the 22nd century , the type 2 phaser was introduced before the mid - 23rd century and was standard issue aboard Starfleet vessels by the 2260s . Since their introduction to Starfleet personnel , several models and makes have been produced . Utilized primarily in defensive situations , the phaser type - 2 had several applications , from use as a weapon to use as a cutting tool , explosive device , or energy source . Storing considerable energy , most phasers were distinguished by a roughly pistol or gun - type configuration , firing a focused energy discharge in the form of a beam or steady stream . ( ) Models and variations . 22nd century . In the early 2160s , following the formation of the Federation , phase pistols were discontinued and a new weapon was used by Starfleet . ( ) 23rd century . The type 2 phaser was also preceded by laser pistol s , which were in use by Starfleet in 2254 . ( ) By 2256 they were replaced in frontline use by the Phaser II Mk . 2 ( As early as the 2260s , Federation type 2 phasers were characterized by an unmistakably gun - like appearance . Varying in color from black and white , gray and black , and gray and copper combination , the 2260s model featured identifiable barrel and trigger structures , with an elongated handle / power pack capable of being quickly swapped out and " reloaded " . Unlike the majority of its progeny , the type 2 phaser of the 2260s – and later the 2280s – featured an integrated companion , top - mounted type - 1 hand phaser . ( ) Type 2 phasers of this period were , like later models , capable of power adjustment . Beam intensity and even speed and motion could be altered , depending on the intended function . They could be utilized to produce a cutting beam , capable of slicing through a bulkhead , or to generate a phaser " spread " . The energy from a 2260s model could also be drained ( a process which took several hour s ) and used as a power source . The energy from six phasers was capable of launching a small vessel or shuttlecraft into an unsustainable orbit around a planet for several hours . Adjustments could be made by a small knob at the rear of the device , and one on the front of the left side . ( ; ) . When overloaded , a 2260s type 2 phaser had the capacity to destroy a significant portion of a starship . ( ) The destructive power of the phaser type - 2 of this era has been measured in thousands of lives , when large numbers of Yang s were killed on the planet Omega IV in 2268 . Proconsul Claudius Marcus , of planet 892 - IV ' s equivalent of the Roman Empire , noted that 100 men armed with hand phasers could " defeat the combined armies of Rome . " At its maximum setting , it could disintegrate an object up to the size of an average humanoid . ( ) During the period ranging between the late 2270s and the early 2290s , at least three phaser type - 2 variants were put into service aboard Federation starships and space stations . Consisting of single - piece and phaser type - 1 and type - 2 combination units , most phasers of this time were characterized by a dark - gray coloration , some with a number of control buttons allowing adjustments to be made for the desired affect . Functioning similarly to the 2260s - style type 2 phaser , the phaser - 2 models of this period were powerful enough to vaporize targets up to the size of an average humanoid and could throw a stunned individual several feet in certain circumstances . ( ; ) By 2287 , type 2 phasers had become sleek , black models with removable clips at the handle . They were stowed in equipment lockers aboard Federation starships and shuttlecraft , though they would trigger an alarm if fired at certain settings . A phaser of this design , fired on stun at close range , was lethal . ( ; ) " In the alternate reality created in 2233 by Nero , the alternate 2250s version of the type 2 phaser became silver , albeit with a body reminiscent of the original design , with a rotating barrel for switching between stun and kill settings . " ( ) Karnas of Mordan IV displayed several weapons on a wall behind his desk in 2364 . Among them were two phasers , one a Starfleet type 2 phaser . ( ) Phasers of this type remained in sporadic use into the 24th century ; Dirgo carried several 23rd - century type 2 phasers aboard his shuttle in 2367 . ( ) 24th century and beyond . By the 2360s , the type 2 phaser had evolved past the pistol - like configuration , becoming a sleek , silver - colored device with a handle flowing into the form of a muzzle cowling and emitter . With two small buttons for beam width and intensity control and a large one to fire the device , the phaser type - 2 of this period featured a large , illuminated power level readout . The phaser of this time retained the functionality of the previous designs , but increased the power and versatility . Like their predecessors , these units could be adjusted for use as cutting tools or power sources . They could also be set to overload , becoming a powerful explosive device . ( ) By the 29th century , Starfleet utilized pistol - style phasers again . ( ) The type 2 phasers of the 24th century were capable of achieving sixteen settings , ranging from mild stun to disintegration . They were as follows : In addition to variable power settings , type - 2s could be set for a narrow ( affecting a single target ) or " wide " beam ( affecting two or more targets over a certain area ) . The frequency of the beam may also be adjusted to make it more effective against certain types of shields and / or force field s . ( ; ) Type 2 phasers could also cause severe to deadly phaser burns . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Lieutenant Malcolm Reed in explicitly states that phase - pistols have only two settings , while several TNG - era episodes have established phasers as having up to sixteen . Aside from this , no data or even lip service has been given as to just what differentiates a phase - pistol from a phaser – it is quite possible that little or no difference exists beyond settings . A possible difference would be that phasers , unlike phase pistols , could be raised in intensity and power for either setting to have an even stronger effect , resulting in the stun setting lasting longer ( or even lethally shocking a target ) or the kill setting burning through and destroying a target completely . This difference is suggested in , while is shown handling a 2269 - style phaser . The " " describes phasers operating on a " modified version of the rapid nadion effect " which " produce a pulsed proton ic charge . " In an ultimately omitted scene extension from the script of , Spock gave Captain Kirk a phaser just before Kirk left the bridge of the in order to search the ship for Benjamin Finney , who Spock speculated might already be armed . Though Kirk checked the phaser and started to make an adjustment on it , Spock notified him the weapon was already on the stun setting . Kirk then thanked Spock for the weapon . In the final edit of the episode , the subsequent scene shows Kirk carrying a type 2 phaser through a corridor , with no indication as to how he obtained the weapon . Although never shown on - screen , production illustrations suggest that the type 2 phaser used in had removable type - 1 components , like the model used in and the model used in . The design of the " assault phaser " from and also included a removable type - 1 , located beneath the cowling . For TNG , the type - 2 phaser was intentionally differentiated from the style used in TOS . In a interview , Rick Sternbach explained , " " We ' ve gotten away from the pistol look of the handheld phasers . We have based the new design on the fact that there are many ways for the Human hand to grip one . " " ( " " issue # 125 , p . 48 ) Sternbach included a complete version of the TNG design of type - 2 phaser in a series of sketches which were dated and which he prepared for construction bidders interested in building the props required for the show . ( " " 3rd ed . , p . 11 ) Ed Miarecki has noted that the TNG type 2 from season 1 was nicknamed the " dustbuster " . The term " type 2 phaser " was not officially associated with this weapon until the sixth season episode ( the term was later also used in the VOY Season 3 installment ) . A sleeker version of the type 2 phaser debuted in and was used both in " Star Trek : Voyager " and " Star Trek : Deep Space Nine " , although there was never any canon explanation of how " Voyager " , cut off from the Federation , was able to procure the new design . As shown in the It ' s A Wrap ! sale and auction , a number of type 2 phasers created were intended for background purposes only , and thus were made out of foam and molded directly into their holsters . One was sold in week 5 of the auction for US $ 425 . 00 . A phaser holster for this type was also sold off . Type 2 phasers from TNG Season 3 were also seen in the Warner Brothers movie " Stay Tuned " . The assault phaser from " Star Trek V : The Final Frontier " and " Star Trek IV : The Undiscovered Country " is seen in the " MadTV " skit " The Captain Kirk Show " . The alternate reality type 2 phaser seen in was fabricated by Ken Palkow . In , the barrel sides of the sidearm phasers are flat , similar to the phasers seen in " Star Trek : The Motion Picture " and " Star Trek II : The Wrath of Khan " . Also , both barrels shoot blue bolts and deal no physical damage , while the setting is instead shown by the barrel tips being colored blue and red . In addition , there is a second version of the sidearm that is bunker , completely metallic and without coloring , and without double - sided barrels . The style of Starfleet hand phaser used in was based on the TOS hand phaser but was given a " tougher " appearance because the show ' s creative staff wanted the resultant prop to indicate a more militaristic functionality . The phasers were produced and painted in Los Angeles , California , and were 3D printed . ( " Star Trek Exhibition " at screening , Millbank Tower , London , UK , ) One of these phasers was featured at " " in Blackpool , UK , and is now on a world tour . In , Starfleet personnel were equipped with a Type 2 phaser , Mk . 2 . The specifications for this phaser type were revealed at the official Star Trek : Discovery Twitter account on February 26 , 2018 . " " Apocrypha . The Ninth UK Story Arc suggests that the version of this phaser , in use in the 2260s , did not function when submerged in liquid . In the novel " Vendetta " , it is stated that a type 2 phaser has enough power for ten shots at setting level sixteen . Also , every time the phaser is fired at level sixteen , there is an automatic six - second cool - down period ; otherwise , the phaser will overheat and possibly explode .