Sorry Data, but Geordi’s right. The Tractor Beam literally never works. We need to start giving new ships grapplers like the NX-01
I know it’s for the plot but yeah, when xyz doesn’t work because of “atmospheric interference” or whatnot they could fall back onto more primitive technologies. Tractor beam not working? Use a grappler. Phasers not working? Bring down a gunpowder firearm.
Phasers don’t work?
“PORT SIDE CANNONS, FIRE!!”
(Can you imagine what a broadside attack from a Galaxy-class starship would look like?)
Forget gunpowder though. With tech like tractor beams, inertial dampeners, and gravity plating, you’d think The Federation would have more armaments in the way of mass drivers, rail guns, and other physics based attacks. Heck, even an chaotic orbiting swarm of meteorites would do a lot to disperse phaser fire.
I was so happy to see this thinking in action during the last season of Picard.
If nuclear weapons are considered at most a nuisance, what good would rail guns do?
I recall those working once on Enterprise, but I can’t remember the context… maybe I’m misremembering and it never worked?
They had grappling hooks on Enterprise. The Vulcans had a tractor beam though.
Yeah, my comment was about the grappling hooks. They weren’t very reliable either.
I’m sure the tractor bean on TNG worked way more often. And I don’t remember what they had on TOS.
