The Romulan disruptor rifle was a type of Romulan technology delivered in the form of a disruptor rifle, used by Romulan military personnel as a larger alternative to the Romulan disruptor pistol. This type of weapon was classified by Starfleet as a Type 3 disruptor, based on the type of blast pattern it left. (Star Trek Generations)
Spock aiming a Romulan disruptor rifle at Sela
In 2368, the rifle was small and thin in design, and fired a clear-blue beam. (TNG: "Unification I", "Unification II") That year, while on Romulus, Spock acquired a disruptor rifle from a soldier he incapacitated. He later aimed the same rifle at Sela, and said apologetically, "I'm afraid I don't know too much about Romulan disruptor settings…" prompting her immediate surrender. (TNG: "Unification II")
By 2371, the rifle was enlarged and given a much sleeker design. The soldiers who served aboard Lovok's warbird carried the revised type of rifle as they escorted Odo and Garak to the ship's ready room. (DS9: "Improbable Cause")
By 2387, it had been modified with a more conventional shoulder-braced configuration. In the alternate reality in 2258, Hikaru Sulu and James T. Kirk fired these "future" prime reality rifles to sabotage the Narada's drill after Chief Engineer Olson, who was carrying their explosive charges, had died. (Star Trek)
Those used in 2399 did not include a stun setting. (PIC: "The End is the Beginning")
Appendices[]
Appearances[]
- TNG:
- DS9:
- Star Trek
- PIC: "The End is the Beginning"
- LD:
- "Veritas"
- "Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus" (holographic)
Background information[]
The original Romulan disruptor rifle began life as the rifle used by the Ferengi Sovak in "Captain's Holiday" and later the Ferengi Morta in "Rascals". It was in turn, used by the Talarians in "Suddenly Human", before it found a new life as a Romulan rifle for both parts of "Unification" and "Gambit".
According to the script for "The Chase", the Romulans involved in "the chase" appeared with "heavy-duty disruptor rifles", however, in the filmed episode they were all carrying disruptor pistols.
The second type of Romulan disruptor rifle first appeared in "Improbable Cause", and would later be reused again, as another Ferengi rifle in "The Magnificent Ferengi", then finally, by the Nakan in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Memorial".
It was designed by Jim Martin. (The Art of Star Trek (pp. 126-127)) In all, twelve copies of this prop were sold as part of the It's A Wrap! sale and auction, eight described as "Romulan disruptor rifle"/"Romulan disruptor carbine", and four described as "Ferengi disruptor rifles". All measured approximately 19 x 9 x 2.75 inches in length. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Apocrypha[]
According to the novelization of Unification, Sela was prompted to lay down her weapon by the knowledge that Romulan disruptors have no stun setting: high settings will vaporize the target, while lower settings will cause their organs to explode.
In the video game Star Trek Generations, a further model of Romulan disruptor rifle can be seen, very similar in appearance to the Romulan pistol from the 24th century, being found throughout a secret Romulan base on the planet Galorndon Core II.