Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!bernie
From: bernie@watarts.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: YASTF (Yet Another Star Trek Flaw)
Message-ID: <1944@watarts.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 14-Jul-83 12:40:15 EDT
Article-I.D.: watarts.1944
Posted: Thu Jul 14 12:40:15 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 15-Jul-83 00:32:11 EDT
References: rocheste.2111
Lines: 9

The phaser beam travelling at "one foot per nanosecond" makes sense; that's
approximately the speed of light in a vacuum.
If it were one foot per *millisecond* as the original poster suggested, then
it would take one million times as long for the beam to reach the Klingon
ship (for example).  Over even interplanetary distances this can be signifi-
cant; in particular, it would make it possible for them to detect the beam
using their sensors and easily dodge it.
				--Bernie Roehl
				...decvax!watmath!watarts!bernie