Ever since my first week in STO, back in April -09, I've had a major issue with the STO Tractor beam.

A tractor beam is supposed to link the emitter to the receiver, but in STO it does NOT. In STO it links the target to space, just like pinning a note to the wall. In STO, TB is just a glorified "disable engines" ability.

I wish they would give us the "real" tractorbeam. Then the tractored ship would be linked to you, and both ships would be moving as one, their movement being dictated by the engine output and maneuvring of both objects. (with whoever has most engine umpf affecting movement most)

This issue resurfaced when yesterday I saw a mine pinning a Neghwar to space. It looked completely idiotic.

In Star Trek, we see ships tractoring each other and pulling each other along. This would be really nice if it could be done in STO also. We could pull enemies out of the enemy group, pull friends away from explosions etc.

I think this is the one ability that could be changed to add a completely new dynamic to STO space combat.

(Also, Tractor Beam Repulsors should push the dealer equally hard in the opposite direction! For EVERY action, there is a equal and opposite reaction, damnit! )

couldnt agree more i hate the tractor beams as they are. i wish they would fix this

I'm afraid if would overstrain the devs too...

Cool idea, I like it! Though, I think smaller ships attempting to tractor a larger ship should take some minor damage. But eh, I like your idea just fine.

energy beam never inplicate an oposite reaction otherwise you would be push back each time you fire with beam or cannon at anything too.
In the show, in my opinion, they added 'special effect'' to be more interesting like to shake ship and making some 'boom' sounds instead of people standing arms crossed watching other vessel while tractor beam is working or not.

Energy never link anything phisicaly unlike the NX class with his graplor.

The only realistic things to add would be a drain on engine power or auxilary power, the more other ship is trying to get free the more power you need to ad to emiters.

What I found realy odd is that part of the way you want it to work is already in the game but only borg do that... like cubes are using tractor beam to remove you from their top to send you heavy torpedo

Are you sure they move you and not themselves to get a clear shot?

Ah, but there's a difference in energy types! Cannons, beams and photons do not create recoil cause they have no tangible mass.

A graviton beam on the other hand, is linkning two object together like two magnets. Like magnets, the polarity can be reversed to create a repulsion effect. Regular tractor beams can be used just like a grapplor, to hold someone relative to your position. Not relative to a point in space.

I have to agree with the OP, with one added thing on top.

The effectiveness of the tractor beam should be directly affected by the effective mass and engine output of both ships. For example, a shuttle should not be able to stop a Galaxy-class starship moving under full power (but in STO it can).


By the same token, a Galaxy-class should not only eliminate whatever motion the runabout had before, but should drag it along with it (regardless of whether the Galaxy is the emitter or the target).


The only time we've ever seen a runabout move a starship was when Dukat's Galor got disabled. Key word there... "disabled". the Galor wasn't under power, so the Runabout could act as a tugboat and pull it along. But if they had tried it while the Galor had power? good luck.

the problem is, we've never seen a towee drag a tow ship by it's tractor beam, the tow ship has always exerted complete control over the ship it's towing on the show. Think about it, we aren't throwing a line to the other ship and tying the two together, these are big-ass graviton beams! Beams that manipulate gravity, that means that things like mass and inertia don't matter as long as the tow ship has a big enough power supply. while I agree that we should be able to tow other ships with them, rather then pinning them in place, the mass of either ship shouldn't make a difference.