Shield frequencies

[Phoenix-D]

Just keeping this out of the SE5 thread.

"Damn that Star Trek for perpetuating so much junk science... There would be no such thing as shield frequencies in reality. There is no reason for an energy field to have to shut completely off and back on again so many times per second as Star Trek implies. Certainly, you could design your shields to do this, but it would be monumentally stupid... Read this site for more information: *link* "

Its never specified -what- frequency they are talking about, and there is another rather important frequency type you aren't mentioning.

Namely, electromagnetic radiation's frequency. Each photon has a characteristic wavelength and frequency. Each object reflects or absorbs certain photons in a certain way, giving it its color. White reflects most of the photons hitting it, black absorbs most of them (most because if it reflected all you'd never see it!)

ALL of Star Trek's beam weapons are visible. If those weapons are using light as a weapon, then the frequency of the shield becomes critical. A white shield will reflect the most energy, by nature, but ST shields might not have enough power to reflect light from all ends of the spectrum. So they cover specific areas they expect the enemy to use, leaving 'gaps' in others. The shield's color is a combination then of all the energy it reflects and absorbs.

The frequency setting won't do anything against non-photon weapons or physical impacts, though.