Tractor beam A tractor beam or stabilizing beam was an attenuated linear graviton beam used by starship s and space station s to control the movement of external objects . The tractor beam placed spatial stresses on the object in specific areas , allowing it to hold the " tractored " object in a fixed location or alter its position and / or trajectory . While tractor beams were normally used to pull objects towards the beam source – usually to tow objects – conversely , they could also be set to " repel " objects . They were most often employed to tow a disabled or vulnerable ship to safety , or sometimes , used by an enemy ship to control the movement of the target vessel . ( ; ; ; ) Tractor beams were generally only used at sub - warp velocities . To safely tow a vessel at warp speed , the target vessel ' s engines had to be deactivated to avoid shearing forces against towing vessel . A tractor beam could be used at warp speed only if both vessels ' speeds were exactly matched . ( ; ) Before the development of the tractor beam , Earth starships such as instead used the more primitive grappler s . Other species like Vulcans or Klingons already used tractor beams by the mid - 22nd century . ( ) The First Federation vessel " Fesarius " was capable of towing a vessel at high warp for prolonged periods without stressing the hull of the target ship . ( ) Borg vessels also had the capability of holding starship s securely while traveling at warp speed . ( ) Wesley Crusher created a model of the type of tractor beam that the used as a science project , before Geordi La Forge inadvertently infected him with the Psi virus brought over from the . While under the infection ' s influence , he seized control of engineering and was able to reconfigure the ship ' s tractor beam into a repulsor beam , allowing the " Enterprise " to push itself away from the " Tsiolkovsky " and avoid a stellar core fragment from a nearby collapsing red giant . ( ) If a vessel ' s tractor beam is strong enough , its graviton field can reinforce the structural integrity of a target vessel , keeping its hull from succumbing to stresses normally exhibited by a tractor field . ( ) When using a tractor beam to force another vessel out of warp speed , otherwise known as a " warp tow " , both vessels needed to match velocity at the time of the tractor beam initiation . This brought tremendous risk to both vessels . However , if both vessels ' hull s were strong enough to withstand the stress , they could both be brought out of warp with the tractor beam still engaged if the towing vessel carefully disengaged the warp drive while engaging the impulse engine s . ( ) Most Federation vessels were equipped with a tractor beam emitter on the aft ventral hull , as it was the best location for towing objects . Secondary emitters were also placed in other locations . Smaller emitters were installed within shuttlebay s to assist in docking and landing maneuvers . ( ) A low frequency tractor beam projected against a planet ' s tectonic plate s was capable of producing minor earthquake s . ( ) The stress of a Romulan tractor beam caused sub - microscopic deformations in the structural integrity , specially the nose section and aft thruster s , of the Type 15 shuttlepod " Onizuka " , when used in an effort to stop a target craft . ( ) The Borg favored the use of a considerably more advanced tractor beam when engaging in combat . The Borg beam was capable of rapidly draining a vessel ' s shields while holding the vessel in place , rendering it virtually helpless against the cutting beam that it was often used in conjunction with . Furthermore , the sheer size of the Borg cube permitted the tractor beam to be used with considerable effectiveness against even ships as large as the USS " Enterprise " - D . They also had the ability to utilize tractor beams at warp velocities . ( ; ; ) In 2369 , the Klaestron s disabled the tractor beam aboard Deep Space 9 when they kidnapped Lieutenant Jadzia Dax by creating a residual charge in the graviton generator . ( ) The same year , Deep Space 9 ' s tractor beam was holding the Federation freighter " Norkova " after it was hijacked by Rao Vantika , Durg , and two Bajoran mercenaries . Later , Lieutenant Dax sent an electromagnetic pulse via the tractor beam to free Doctor Julian Bashir from the consciousness of Vantika . ( ) A carefully modulated tractor beam could be used to affect ship - to - ship weapon ry . In 2372 , Lieutenant Commander Worf of the suggested using such a beam against a attack cruiser . When put into practice , his plan was successful , deflecting some of the vessel ' s disruptor fire and reducing its effectiveness by fifty percent . ( ) In 2371 , B ' Elanna Torres devised a plan to create a subspace tractor beam , which was a standard tractor beam modified to match subspace interference . This modification required more power than a standard tractor beam and could cut through subspace interference . This tractor beam was also able to project long distances . ( )