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So, any guesses how many posts this is going to stay on-topic for?

Apparently, "zero."

To be fair, it's topic was really, how long before it goes off topic? So it's really still on topic...

I'd love a cheese pie right now. There... *fixed it*.

You've got a highly effective weapon that could conceivably allow a defensive force to huddle in their walls and never expose themselves in any way yet still lay waste to their attackers like no one's business... so obviously Starfleet tosses it out.

Never really cared for this episode, then again it Ezri centric.

Tyyr wrote:You've got a highly effective weapon that could conceivably allow a defensive force to huddle in their walls and never expose themselves in any way yet still lay waste to their attackers like no one's business... so obviously Starfleet tosses it out.

I doubt it would ever be highly effective infantry weapon compared with the FC phaser rifles - too big, too complicated, too small a magazine capacity, and the integrated transporter would probably be even more vulnerable to interference/jamming than the usual types. As a weapon developed specifically for assassinations, on the other hand, it would be very good indeed. I bet Section 31 loved it.

Indeed - did we ever even see it capable of semi-automatic, much less automatic, fire? Great sniper rifle, not so much a battle rifle.

I'm not entirely sure about that. You're talking about a weapon that would let you stand on one side of a 2 meter thick chunk of tritanium and shoot through it to the other side. You don't have to duck, hide, take a quick look, pop off a burst and pray you get back in cover before you get dead. Instead you and the rest of your squad stand there in perfect cover and just execute the people attacking you. The only real defense against it would be a transporter jammer.

It's not perfect but compared to their regular phasers it would be a significant improvement a lot of the time.

Tyyr wrote:You're talking about a weapon that would let you stand on one side of a 2 meter thick chunk of tritanium...The only real defense against it would be a transporter jammer.

You're assuming that said chuck of tritanium wouldn't be an effective block itself. Even starship transporters can be jammed by everything from EM fields to funny rock, and the micro-transporter built into the weapon would inevitably be far weaker and more susceptible to jamming. I can't see any weapon reliant on transporters to operate to be anywhere near reliable enough to be a standard-issue infantry weapon.

I'm not assuming the thing be standard issue, and I'd hope the people designing the fortification are smart enough to not make it out of something your primary weapon can't shoot through.

Tyyr wrote:I'm not assuming the thing be standard issue

If it's being used routinely on the battlefield I'd consider it standard issue, be it as assault rifle or sniper rifle.

I'd hope the people designing the fortification are smart enough to not make it out of something your primary weapon can't shoot through.

It was an example, although given that this is Starfleet, what are the odds? They've been known to surround the computer cores of science vessels with transporter-proof materials.

First off... this episode hurt my head. The level of stupidity just flowed like a raging river out of it, I can put up with Transformers, I can put up with Lord of the Rings (Films), but this just broke my naturally forgiving temper.

As to the weapon. Nice for an assassin in a pre-plotted area/target. But when it comes to sniping I'd much rather a M1903.

I don't remember the episode exactly and haven't watch the review yet. Was the rifle originally equiped with the trnasporter device?

I agree it would make for an excellent spiner weapon but not a soldier proof battle weapon. But why not go the next step and start creating grenade launchers with that transporter device?

IIRC, the microtransporter was a later addition.