Star Trek: 11 Incredible New Technologies That Were Immediately ABANDONED

8. The TR-116 Rifle With Transporter Tech

With the outbreak of war in the 24th Century, Starfleet was faced with a fundamental shift in its existence. It was founded to seek out new life and new civilisations - now it had to find a way to stop them in their tracks. When going up against an enemy that makes the Klingons look tame, what's the best course of action?

Inventing a new long-range weapon seemed perfect for ground assaults. The Siege Of AR-558 remains a chilling chapter in Federation history, one marred with huge loss of life, exposure to insidious anti-personnel miles, and an ongoing slog to hold the fort. The soldiers in place relied on standard Starfleet weapons, though even those were usually short-range.

The TR-116 rifle was introduced in Field Of Fire, depicting a weapon that could now fire over much greater distances. By attaching a micro-transporter to the barrel, the shooter could pinpoint targets several kilometres away. As Chu'lak and Ezri Dax demonstrated it was at least capable of firing across the width of Deep Space Nine.

That this weapon is introduced and so quickly removed from Starfleet suggests a flaw in the design, though it seemed frighteningly capable of doing its job when the grieving Vulcan began his murder spree.