Plasma weapon A plasma weapon was a type particle weapon that used plasma as a means of inflicting damage to the target . ( ) Specifications . Ship - mounted and hand - held directed energy plasma weapons fired plasma bullet s , ( ) disruptor burst s , ( ) modulating plasma pulse s , ( ) concentrated plasma charge s , ( ) or a beam similar to phase weapon fire . ( ) Some types of phaser s that fired a forced plasma beam were also classified as plasma weapons . ( ) Plasma weapons were also used as torpedo es , bomb s , and explosive s . ( ; ; ) History . In the late - 15th century , the Turei and their allies used plasma bomb s to destroy the surface of the Vaadwaur homeworld . ( ) During the early - to mid - 22nd century , Earth Cargo Service freighter s were commonly equipped with low - yield plasma cannon turrets , often referred to as " popguns " , designed only to break up asteroid s and meteor s . The captains of these freighters , however , would often upgrade the cannons for more powerful ones the first chance they got . ( ) Plasma rifle s were a common hand - held plasma weapon used by many species in the 22nd century . These weapons were used by Human civilians and carried on Earth starship s even after the advent of phase weapons . While not particularly high - yield , they were capable of killing a target . The Jem ' Hadar and the Na ' kuhl made use of more powerful plasma rifles several centuries later . ( ; ) In the 23rd century , the plasma torpedo was an extremely powerful torpedo weapon composed of high - energy plasma used by Romulan forces on their Bird - of - Prey ships . They were first encountered by Starfleet when a Romulan ship destroyed several of the Federation ' s outpost s near the Romulan Neutral Zone with these torpedoes . ( ) In the 2270s , extremely powerful plasma weaponry was used by " V ' ger " during its journey back to Earth . " V ' ger " generated plasma energy devices of variable yields of which the exact composition or guidance system could not be determined . The weaponry could be set to destroy starships and space stations , or to be set to a level hundreds of times more powerful to devastate the entire surface of a planet . ( ) According to Captain Kathryn Janeway , the fact that Starfleet ships were equipped with plasma weapons was taken for granted in the year 2373 . While , in the year 2293 , this plasma weaponry was not yet in use and the technologies were still in the early stages of development . ( ) These 24th century plasma weapons included plasma charges and plasma warhead s . ( ; ) Plasma torpedoes were still used by the Romulans in the 24th century . ( ) Kazon warship s and Cardassian orbital weapon platform s also used them . ( ; ) Cardassian missiles were equipped with an omni - directional plasma wave weapon to defend themselves from destruction before they had completed their mission . ( ) The hand phasers used by the Ferengi and weapon implants used by the Borg drones , who in 2369 murdered the entire staff of the Ohniaka III Research Station , emitted a forced plasma beam . ( ) A plasma phaser was also being developed by Starfleet as an anti - Borg weapon in 2366 . ( ) Improvised uses . Plasma could also be used as a weapon in several improvised ways .