ST Shields

Most starships in Star Trek use defensive shield technology to protect against enemy attacks. As the shields take damage, they become weakened and effects from enemy attacks bleed through with greater frequency.

Nature

Shields are usually depicted as a bubble surrounding a starship that is visible only when actively resisting an attack. During the Dominion War, shields seemed to conform to the hulls of the starships projecting them.

Most transporters cannot beam through combat-grade defensive shields.

Capability

The shields of Star Trek starships are typically capable of withstanding several attacks from opposing ships of similar size and technology. Blocking incoming fire steadily depletes the protective capacity of shield, the reduction usually being described as a percentage of its full capacity.

Shields often perform poorly against new threats. For instance, Federation shields performed poorly against the phased poleron beam weapons used by Dominion warships during early battles, but Federation engineers were able to modify their shield systems to provide protection in later encounters.

The size, shape, and operating frequency of a shield is typically adjustable. All of these factors can affect a shields performance against various types of attack.

Star Trek shields handle radiant energy far more effectively than collisions with massive objects.

See Also

• Metaphasic shield