Star Trek: Deflector Shields, Explained

Summary

Deflector shields in Star Trek protect against space debris and enemy attacks by emitting gravitons to shield the ship.
Deflector shields can be overwhelmed by solar flares and photon torpedoes, as they are designed to deflect rather than absorb damage.
Star Trek and Star Wars shields both protect from physical matter and energy, but Star Wars favors simplicity over technical details.

Star Trek arguably wears the crown when it comes to gifting the sci-fi genre with high-concept ideas, such as phasers, transporters, warping, and replicators. The foremost sign of standard equipment on any starship since the 23rd century, deflector shields — “shields,” “screens” or “deflectors” (they are used interchangeably) — are one of the most iconic and essential pieces of technology to exist within Star Trek lore.

These force fields surround either a planet, space station, or starship to protect against space debris or enemy attacks. However, there seems to be a problem with one of sci-fi's most iconic space defense systems. The somewhat ambiguous nature of their functionality and deployment has made them one of many inconsistencies plaguing the Star Trek franchise — one that is worth digging into.

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By Alice Rose Dodds

How Do Deflector Shields Work?

There’s Some Actual Science To It

Think of deflector shields as parry tools, deflecting damage impact at both impulse and warp velocities. The actual deflectors are always at the ready, protecting the ship against micro and macro space particles that it would otherwise have collided with. Meanwhile, shields are only deployed in combat. Without deflector shields, many starships would be turned into a pile of space junk, and fast.

The mechanics behind how they operate are closer to real-world physics than meets the eye. They emit gravitons that surround the ship —or parts of it — like a screen. They then illuminate upon contact, shielding the ship from foreign matter or concentrated energy. Projector grids around the ship’s hull shape the field to its oval shape. Through a customized frequency range, a deflector shield can welcome or reject certain energy types and matter, depending on the estimated impact. Likewise, starships often create a resonance matching the frequencies of both their shields and weapons to ensure the former does not come in the way of outgoing fire. Deflector shields are theoretically feasible in the real-world — that is, if anyone can figure out the particle density needed for such an energy barrier.

Activation speed varies, though. A Constitution II-class starship needs exactly 13.5 seconds to activate while trying to onboard its tractor beam. A Nova-class starship could fully recharge theirs in 45 seconds, but with a temporary compromise. Scoring a point on the versatility board, deflector shields — by matching another shield’s emitter frequencies — could lend a hand to weaker ships or those unable to deploy shields. This happened in The Next Generation episode “The Next Phase”. However, this extension comes with the added drawback of straining the power system onboard the aiding ship and weakening the shield as a whole

Why Don't Deflector Shields Fully Defend Against Attacks?

Solar Flares and Photon Torpedoes Are a Shield’s Nightmare

As effective as the deflector shields are, they are not foolproof or impregnable. Some attacks are only partially prevented, leaving eventual damage to the starship. Other hazards, such as solar flares and phased polaron blasts , easily cut through the defenses. But the detail is in the name. Deflector shields are designed to deflect and dissipate rather than absorb. Thus, even at full percentage, complete damage negation is not a given, especially against extremely potent weapons like photon torpedoes. Moreover, deflector shields depend on the balance of power on most ships. Since the power supply on a ship is finite, operators must balance it with the ship's systems mid-battle to avoid overloading the shields. This still means a deficit in other areas of the ship.

More than once, solar flares have gotten the better of these shields. Famous victims include USS Enterprise and Captain Kirk in The Original Series episode “The Empath,” as well as two Klingurn Birds-of-Prey in The Next Generation’ s “ Redemption II.” It has also happened to the USS Enterprise D on multiple occasions. To be fair, solar flares’ electromagnetic pulses are so powerful that they threaten planets and civilizations.

Aside from their minor flaws, deflector shields do a solid job of keeping what they protect in good shape. It's quite impressive, considering the immense lethality of incoming energy attacks which are capable of wiping out an entire ship. For example, a Constitution-class starship shield once tanked the combined force of 90 photon torpedoes, a weapon so powerful that it puts even the firing ship at risk.

The most reasonable — and ultimate — explanation for the inconsistencies in these mechanisms is plot armor. It's the same lesson to be drawn from Batman's ability to take hits that should shatter every bone in his body. Sci-fi technicalities must often play second fiddle to the narrative. In other words, writers usually utilize their creative liberty to bend their own rules to fit the story they're aiming to tell.

How Do Star Trek Shields Compare To Star Wars?

As far as the sci-fi genre (specifically space sci-fi) is concerned, there will always be a debate between Star Trek and Star Wars fans about which is the pioneering franchise. While this argument may tilt in favor of the former, there’s no denying that both worlds share similar concepts. One such is the deployment and performance of space shields.

Functionality-wise, both Star Trek and Star Wars deflector shields are designed to provide protection from physical matter or energy. However, a (not-so-noticeable) distinction may be that shields in Star Wars seem to favor simplicity and cinematic elegance over the somewhat-defined technicalities of Star Trek, which is embedded into the scientific framework of its fictional universe . Thus, the "how" gets a little fuzzy in Star Wars.

Another distinction is that Star Wars’ ships are actually equipped with different (though not necessarily all) types of shields. Many ships have ray shields for energy impacts, particle shields for torpedoes and missiles, planetary shields as the ultimate blocker, concussion shields for space debris, and even thermal shields for heat and other elements.

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