Trekkies aren't the only ones sportin' phasers - soon the military will too. Developed by the Air Force, the PhaSR (personal halting and stimulation response) is a non-lethal illumination technology weapon. It was designed to protect troops and to control hostile crowds. The weapon employs a laser system that temporarily blinds its targets. The contract to build this weapon has been awarded and the first complete prototypes will come out in March of 2006.
And it dawns on me, the age of weapons being used to control rather than kill. After all, people are more useful alive.