Unlike a single bullet, the beam of light from a high-power military laser acts more like a directional, narrow strip of extreme heat. A bullet drills a hole through flesh, the exit hole generally markedly bigger than the entrance wound. Not so with a laser. It is precisely the same size as it exits the human body as when it entered. Also, light has no mass, so there is no impact. As the laser struck Finnegan, it didn't lift him off his feet, or throw him backward, nothing initially as dramatic as that.
But the power was so awesome that in the instant the blaster came to life its vivid blue beam had penetrated clean through the helpless Finn, hitting the wall only a couple of paces to the left of J.B., who immediately threw himself flat on the floor, hands over his head as chunks of liquid concrete and charred wood fell from the side of the corridor. Stinking smoke erupted from the front and back of Finn's coat, tiny flames flaring red and yellow. Every staggering movement of the dying man only increased his horrific suffering. His skin was scorched black, the flesh broiled by the immense power of the blaster. The heat was so intense that the wretch's intestines began to explode and melt, and his blood boiled instantly where the laser had touched him.
— Death Lands, "Crater Lake"
Khrima: You know the old saying: any job worth doing with a laser is worth doing with many, many lasers.
Argent: You're the only person who has ever said that.
Argent: You're the only person who has ever said that.
The Angel’s eyes flashed again and Rei threw herself to the side. The beam missed her by bare meters and vaporized another building behind her with a cross-shaped blast.
"I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate."
— Roy Batty, Bladerunner
Scientifically incorrect: Energy-plasma bolts could not be photon in nature.
— Writers/Directors Guide for Star Trek: The Original Series
