>>>And when engaging a Robotech-style ships stands off and sniggers,
>>>phasers having a range 6 times that of a reflex cannon
>>
>>Reflex weaponry has a considerably longer range than you give it
>>credit for, I think; but trying to hit a Starfleet ship in heavy
>>maneuver with one is akin to trying to squash a housefly with the
>>opposite end of a telephone pole. :)
>
> I have the sneaking hunch Gryphon is right in both counts on
>this...going by the Robotech and Macross RPG books (which, admittedly,
>are based on Macek and therefore arbitrary, but the numbers make
>-sense- and are the most detailed writeup on these ships I've seen),
>the Reflex Cannon beam of the SDF-1 and 3 is 1 mile high, 2 miles
>wide, and 60,000 miles long. Them's some ridiculous numbers, sure, but
>even if they're totally wrong, the -scale- would still make
>sense...ie, the ratio of width to height to length. That kind of range
>still beats photorp range all to heck, particularly given the
>course-correction-maneuverings-only nature of photorps mentioned
>earlier in the thread.

The 'offical' range of a photon torpedo in Star Trek is up to 3,500,000 km. Probes built on the same chassis can travel 120 light years at warp 9 - although I seriously doubt if they could be aimed at anything smaller than a planet even if a warhead was fitted.

drakensisthered

"Range 60,000 miles? That isn't close quarters? That's Nukes at ten paces!" J.Random military officer.