A death ray was a term sometimes used to describe a powerful directed-energy weapon. In particular, it was the name of the fictional metaweapon invented by Doctor Chaotica in the 20th century Earth science fiction series The Adventures of Captain Proton.
History and specifics[]
Chaotica's metaweapon[]
The device required two people to operate, one to aim the device using handgrips and the other to adjust power levels. Its base prevented recoil movement. It discharged powerful lightning-like energy bursts capable of damaging a planet or spacecraft. Chaotica described it as the most powerful weapon in the universe. (Star Trek: The Magazine vol. 2, Issue 11: "Briefing: Captain Proton")
Chaotica constructed the device in his Fortress of Doom on Planet X. Chaotica captured a large number of Earth spaceships to defend his planet while building it. (VOY novella: The Adventures of Captain Proton, Chapter Two: Death of the Patrol)
Chaotica brought the death ray with him aboard his spacecraft while traveling to the Soltair system. He used the death ray to disable Captain Proton's rocket ship. Eventually Proton escaped and disabled the weapon. (VOY - Strange New Worlds V short story: "The Difficulties of Being Evil")
Captain Proton stories were often envisioned as holodeck programs by Tom Paris aboard USS Voyager. In 2375, while playing Chapter 18: "The Bride of Chaotica", Lonzak fired the death ray to disable Captain Proton's rocket ship, forcing it to land on Planet X.
When manifested on the holodeck, the death ray was real to visiting photonic aliens. Chaotica killed several of them with it, thinking them to be "invaders from the fifth dimension". (VOY episode: "Bride of Chaotica!")
In 2378, the holodeck program was run after Voyager fractured into different time periods. During the scenario, Chaotica defended his Fortress and powered up the death ray. (VOY episode: "Shattered")
Other uses[]
In July 1947, the time traveling Quark called his pointed finger a death ray to General Rex Denning, threatening to disintegrate his "hostage" Faith Garland if he didn't withdraw. (DS9 episode: "Little Green Men")
On 5 July 1986, Shannon O'Donnel defended herself from an apparently armed intruder (actually Roberta Lincoln) in Area 51 with Pavel Chekov's confiscated Klingon communicator. Not knowing the true function of the device, she wondered if it was a death ray or a pencil sharpener. (TOS - The Eugenics Wars novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2)
In 2268, chief engineer Askade joked to Arizhel that he could rewire some green sticks into a death ray. (TOS - Worlds Apart novel: How Much for Just the Planet?)
In December 2270, during a trial in Versailles, France, Samuel T. Cogley responded facetiously to an earnest objection by Alexander Warren by suggesting he must have been aiming a death ray at Warren, which prompted laughter from the jury. (TOS novel: The Case of the Colonist's Corpse)
In 2280, Lilian Coates described as a death ray Vellyngaith's exciter beam weapon. It had been fired at Belle Terre and was capable of destroying the planet's surface when it hit in four days. (TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow)
In 2368, Counselor Deanna Troi inquired to Krann engineer Wiggin about a weapon stored in the shuttle bay of the USS Enterprise-D, asking if it fired a death ray. (TNG novel: The Last Stand)
In 2371, Tolian Soran described Borg weapons that destroyed his homeworld El-Auria as death rays. (TNG novelization: Generations)
In 2373, confiscated Tiffnaki weapons included a force beam projector, which Benjamin Sisko and Quark both thought of as a death ray. It was capable of wiping out a kilometer-wide region of a planet's surface. (DS9 - Rebels novels: The Conquered, The Courageous)
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
- VOY episode: "Bride of Chaotica!"
- VOY - Strange New Worlds V short story: "The Difficulties of Being Evil"
References[]
- VOY episode: "Shattered"
- TOS - Worlds Apart novel: How Much for Just the Planet?
- TNG novelization: Generations
- TNG novel: The Last Stand
- TNG - The Q Continuum novel: Q-Strike
- TOS - The Captain's Table novel: Where Sea Meets Sky
- DS9 - Rebels novels: The Conquered, The Courageous
- VOY novella: The Adventures of Captain Proton, Chapter Two: Death of the Patrol
- TOS - New Earth novel: The Flaming Arrow
- Star Trek: The Magazine vol. 2, Issue 11: "Briefing: Captain Proton"
- TOS - The Eugenics Wars novel: The Rise and Fall of Khan Noonien Singh, Volume 2
- TOS novel: The Case of the Colonist's Corpse
- VOY novel: Children of the Storm
External link[]
- Death ray article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.