2.28 Personal Phasers
Describes the personal phaser sidearm, its stun/cut/disrupt settings, how it is used, and the Type I, II, and III phaser types.
In brief: Personal phasers are the normal sidearms used by the Voyager crew. Phasers have a variety of settings ranging from “stun” (which renders a person briefly unconscious) to “cut” (which acts as a cutting torch) to “disrupt” (which actually vaporizes the target.)
How to use it: Just point and shoot. Phasers are normally set to “stun,” but have controls which permit adjustment to other settings and power levels.
Phaser types: The smallest, Type I, is about the size of a keychain, carried when our people want to be inconspicuously armed. Although a potent weapon, the Type I phaser is only good for a few shots. The next size up is Type II, carried when trouble is suspected. Larger phasers include the Type III phaser compression rifle, which until now were only rarely carried aboard Starfleet vessels.