Metal Planet Laser as catalyst for Gas Giant > Star.

How punny, amiright?

Anyway, I saw this in a post in another thread and... What if you fire the lazur at a gas giant it'd start a reaction that'd inevitably super heat it's atmosphere and begin the fusion process and create a teeny star. This star would have a radius around it in which any planets nearby will either become covered in molten rock, or the trees begin to burn, etc... Also it could theoretically melt the nantes holding units together, killing them slowly.

All these effects depend, of course, on how close you are to said gas giant (teeny) star.

Thoughts of this ridiculous idea of awesome?

I don't think that's how physics works.

Hypothetical physics?

Hey! At least I didn't say you could have units walking all over the sun! Man that was an odd idea...

http://www.tubechop.com/watch/3939463

We'd need precedent for units or planets too close to the sun getting messed up... which, while potentially fascinating, isn't currently supported. The engine supports "pasting" craters, sometimes as large as half a planet, onto an existing surface, but not dynamically altering biome brushes or water levels mid-game.

Which bites, because melting an ice planet to be all water would be incredible.

Orbital units on the gas giant, not to mention you could take out at least two birds with own stone if the gas giant has a moon or planets are in a close enough orbital path to be effected.

Realistically speaking...

Make sure to measure the actual output of the laser, to be capable of causing a planet's destruction by punching a whole straight through, and calculating the effects of that onto a superdense gas giant. Seriously, physics is out the window here, if the laser was that strong, it would melt the metal planet trying to fire it, and would be capable of dispersing a star if it shot it, causing a supernova and possibly a black hole. You can't be realistic when talking about an Annihilaser.

actual, the laser may not, as it seems to originate from the center of the catalysts, not touching the actual metal planet. if it has no atmosphere, then it would not necessarily overheat. i doubt the catalysts would survive (hint hint balance) without damage. however, a gas giant would probably not have enough mass to sustain a fusion reaction, and it would die down over time, probably only fusing hydrogen, and maybe a bit of helium.