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File:LaserBeacon.jpg

Laser beacon

The laser beacon was a mechanism used in the late 23rd century for shore to ship communications when communicators were unreliable. The beacon generated a high energy laser beam, powerful enough to penetrate an atmosphere and reach an orbiting starship.

In 2267, a landing party on Gothos attempted to use such a beacon to communicate with the USS Enterprise when their communicators did not function. The beacon was ineffective in this case; all forms of communication were blocked by mechanisms operating at the direction of the alien Trelane. (TOS: "The Squire of Gothos")

This prop appeared in other episodes, generally with different functions. In "The Doomsday Machine", Kirk uses it as a soldering device. In The Making of Star Trek and the Star Fleet Technical Manual, it is identified as a "ray gun" with both offensive and defensive capabilities.

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