> like in Star Trek where the most powerful weapon is obviously the teleporter but no one acknowledges that.
I'm not sure if that's universally the case in the Star Trek universe. At least in TNG, it seems to be recognized that teleporters (and similar technologies) can be used for military gain (such as covertly beaming away teams into hostile situations, beaming said away teams out of hostile situations, etc.), and the implication is that teleporter technology is not used very often as a direct weapon because of Starfleet's desire to explore rather than conquer.
I'm not sure if that's universally the case in the Star Trek universe. At least in TNG, it seems to be recognized that teleporters (and similar technologies) can be used for military gain (such as covertly beaming away teams into hostile situations, beaming said away teams out of hostile situations, etc.), and the implication is that teleporter technology is not used very often as a direct weapon because of Starfleet's desire to explore rather than conquer.