: : : I always had an image of a group of red shirts sitting in the "Security Lounge" chain smoking and sucking down coffee stale coffee from grey-colored styrofoam cups, just waiting for the intercom to go off and request one or two of them to meet Kirk in the transporter room. Then they would draw straws or cast lots, one guy would hang his head in dispair, the others would clap him on the back, shake his hand, and hand him a phaser belt, for all the good it would do for him. ;)

: : Rob, you are either one sick puppy or a Star Trek scriptwriter. 'Fess up! LOL!

: Well, there's that and also the seeming randomness of phasers. At times they can be so precise that aiming them at a door will only vaporize the door. On the other hand, sometimes they will also take out a chunk of the surounding wall as well, or leave scorch marks on the ground. I always wanted to hear Kirk say, "Spock . . . set phases on . . random and . . . Fire!"

: I truly must be sick!

: -RR

The ship's phaser banks were variably stated as being capable of destroying half a continent, or half a world. I always wanted to see the episode where, through some sort of computer error, mutiny, hostile takeover, whatever, they actually 'phasered' a planet to dust.

So, who's your 'sick puppy' *now*??? LOL