Editing Weapons in Star Trek (section)

===Laser===
Lasers are a sidearm in the original ''Star Trek'' pilot "[[The Cage (Star Trek: The Original Series)|The Cage]]", and laser pistols appear in several ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' (''TOS'') episodes, although later episodes in ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' (''TNG'') indicate that the laser's use as a weapon is outdated. In one instance, the ship-mounted lasers of two spacecraft were incapable of overcoming the navigational shields of the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D)|USS ''Enterprise''-D]],<ref>{{cite episode| episode-link=The Outrageous Okona (Star Trek: The Next Generation)| title=The Outrageous Okona| series=Star Trek: The Next Generation}}</ref> though on two other occasions it is threatened with destruction by a laser-armed spacecraft.<ref>{{cite episode| episode-link=Loud as a Whisper| title=Loud as a Whisper| series=Star Trek: The Next Generation}}</ref><ref>{{cite episode| episode-link=Suddenly Human (Star Trek: The Next Generation)| title=Suddenly Human| series=Star Trek: The Next Generation}}</ref> The [[Borg (Star Trek)|Borg]] cutter weapon is a laser, as mentioned in the ''TNG'' episode "[[Q Who]]" and is capable of quickly disintegrating the hull of a Federation starship, as seen in the pilot episode of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', "[[Emissary (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)|Emissary]]". At lower power levels, it is capable of making "surgical" incisions into a ship's hull.

According to ''The Making of Star Trek'', [[Gene Roddenberry]] claimed that production staff realized using laser technology would cause problems in the future, as people came to understand what lasers could and could not do. This resulted in the move to phasers on-screen, while letting lasers be known as a more primitive weapon style.