2.12 Tractor Beams
Describes the tractor beam as a focused beam of polarized gravitons used to pull objects toward the ship, with notes on its limits and how it is ordered.
In brief: Starfleet’s equivalent of the grappling hook and towing line. A focused beam of polarized gravitons which acts as a linear forcefield to pull objects toward the ship. In general, you can pull a fairly large object (about the size of Voyager) if it’s fairly close to the ship. Smaller objects can be pulled, even at distances of several thousand kilometers. Objects the size of a moon or even an asteroid are extremely difficult (and often impossible) to move, even with full warp-equivalent power and a lot of time. See “Tractor Beam Operation” under Technical Memoranda.
How to use it: The captain will normally order the Tactical Officer to “Put a tractor beam on the object and bring it within transporter range,” or “take the alien ship in tow.”