Deflector Shields: Difference between revisions
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How much protection they offer is usually [[Tim Taylor Technology|proportional to their power]]. This also makes for yet another reason you are boned if the energy runs out. They may also be subject to [[Phlebotinum Overload]] if they get hit by too many [[Energy Weapons]].
An energy barrier can zap or repel anyone who touches it, or can simply behave like an impenetrable wall. It's often represented in the form of a [[Beehive Barrier]] or another [[Hard Light]] construct. In practice, this is somewhat less scientifically feasible than [[Energy Weapons]], but not by much, at least in the way it is usually depicted—a strong electromagnetic field really can be used to deflect [https://web.archive.org/web/20100528134109/http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3x.html#particle particle beam] weapons or railgun/coilgun slugs. A better example is the Earth's magnetic field which safeguards us from charged particles in the solar wind. NASA and ESA are actually researching how to reproduce the effect on future interplanetary spaceships, to protect Mars travellers from cosmic radiation.
Unfortunately, the alternative is not much better; though many writers choose to omit energy fields these days, they neglect that, without some kind of continuously regenerating barrier, a ship traveling at relativistic speeds (say, more than half the speed of light) isn't going to get very far before micrometeors and particulate matter punch holes through its armor, however thick it is. There are feasible alternatives though—self-repairing armour seems to be a common feature of bioships, or, since the ship only needs to be well-protected at the front, a ''fountain'' can be used while the ship is accelerating—most of the voyage may be spent accelerating at .01g, and then when you arrive you just need a way to decelerate quickly while your armour lasts.
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Note: one possibility is to put a beryllium shield in front. Beryllium has a high melting point and a VERY high specific heat capacity. It takes well over 2/3 its mass in TNT just to go from near absolute zero to the melting point. That should be enough for the small constant impacts. For the bigger ones, a layering of dust particles a hundred kilometers or so in front can be used to eliminate large objects.
Note that if a shield deflects not just [[Frickin' Laser Beams|rays]] but massive objects, Newton's third law kicks in, as it requires the force stopping the projectile to be equally applied ''to the shield''—and if it has negligible mass, this means ''directly to the shield generator'', bypassing armor and everything. So if the shield is not ''very'' thick and/or does not distribute load over a ''very'' large area, its not a missile-stopper: any massive object moving at a modest (on an orbital scale) speed will pass through the shield if their interaction is limited to the safe level or crush the shield emitters and ''then'' pass through if it isn't. So bonus points if the shield either mostly disintegrates incoming projectiles [https://web.archive.org/web/20120520161314/http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/spacegunconvent.php#Kinetic_Kill_Weapons~Effects so that armor deals only with dust] (i.e. acts as a rechargeable sort of [https://web.archive.org/web/20081211000227/http://hitf.jsc.nasa.gov/hitfpub/shielddev/basicconcepts.html Whipple Shield]) or it's ''not'' a main defense against missiles and that pesky iron-nickel gravel, or both. Usually in these cases [[Kinetic Weapons Are Just Better]]. Unless, of course, the shield is [[Handwaved]] to stop kinetic energy as well.
Other issues involve a shield's interaction with the same effects passing ''from inside''<ref>it would need to either be asymmetric or able to open "windows" for firing weapons and any non-inertialess propulsion, with all problems this entails</ref> and lower-grade effects.<ref>if it blocks lasers, there would need to somehow be a method to only block radiation above a certain energy level or it would block visible light</ref>
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* ''[[Schlock Mercenary]]'' has "unifield shields" that use [[Artificial Gravity]] to distort the paths of incoming attacks. Warships invariably use "breacher missiles" that emit a gravity pulse to try and push back. The author [[The Rant|expounds at length in a]] [[Foot Note]] about how shields would realistically be best portrayed,<ref>since they are designed to obstruct energy attacks of all forms, including visible laser light, they should technically obstruct the view of the ships they enclose entirely, leaving battles fought between blobs of darkness where the stars are obscured</ref> [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2007-12-14 and how he portrays them with a distinct amount of artistic license.] He's also suggested that, if he doesn't have time, he would portray them realistically...
* The current ''[[The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob|Inexplicable Adventures of Bob]]'' story involves [[Gadgeteer Genius|Galatea]] [http://bobadventures.comicgenesis.com/d/20100413.html inventing a force field] powerful enough to deflect [[Wave Motion Gun|borfomite beams.]]
* In ''[[Drowtales]]'' the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111204100715/http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20060208c12p022.JPG Sarghress] have developed this technique to compensate for being indvidually fairly weak [[Barrier Warrior|barrier warriors]]. Done with a more powerful individual [https://web.archive.org/web/20111204082418/http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20060217c12p025.JPG here]. Although powerful, even she has to upgrade from [[Barrier Warrior|personal barrier]] to deflector shield with the help of the two mana specialists behind her (white cloaks) to deflect a cannon ball.
* ''[[Drive (webcomic)|Drive]]'': Mostly averted, but armada ships do have an energy field which vaporizes small debris.
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=== Web Comics ===
* In ''[[Drowtales]]'' potentially all fae, depending on their skill and strength in mana. [https://web.archive.org/web/20111204082011/http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive//20070731c0p018.jpg Seen in the last panel here].
=== Web Original ===
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