Phased Polaron Beam

Canon Facts Backstage Info Speculation

One of the most distressing features of the Federations first battle with the Dominion was the ease with which the Dominion weaponry was able to penetrate Federation shielding. The Dominion attack ships used a Phased Polaron Beam which passed through the shields as if they were not even there, no matter frequency nutation was used. This forced the Odyssey to drop her shields completely, transferring the power to the weapons systems instead.

The destruction of the Odyssey prompted an intense flurry of activity on many fronts within Starfleet. Ship production was ramped to a maximum and starship designs were altered to increase their combat effectiveness, while the academy training program was speeded up massively to provide crews for the new ships. By themselves, however, these projects would be of little use so long as the Dominion was able to defeat Federation ships so easily.

Perhaps the most important project the Federation embarked on was that of shield enhancement. Between 2371 and 2373 the Federation put huge emphasis on the development of new shield technology. The capture of a Dominion vessel in 2373 gave the Federation an operational Dominion weapons system. This proved to be a crucial step towards the development of an effective polaron shield.

The first real test of the system came at the end of 2373, when the Dominion launched an all out attack on Deep Space Nine. The stations shields proved to be highly effective, holding off the fleet and allowing the station to destroy over fifty enemy ships. Federation ships and stations continued to be resistant to Dominion weaponry for the remainder of the war.

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