A Call to Arms: My Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Weapons

The Glaive – Krull

giphy the-glaive

Throughly impractical and frankly, a little goofy looking, the Glaive from the movie Krull still holds a special place in my childhood heart. The Glaive is a magical weapon with five bladed sides. It is designed to be thrown and magically controlled by the user, so hand to hand combat is almost impossible. The fact that most of the movie is about the heroes quest to obtain the Glaive because it is, of course, the only thing that can kill the beast that invaded the planet Krull means that the weapon itself has to be the most convenient plot device in existence.

Lightsaber – Star Wars

giphy (1)

lightsaber

We all know what a lightsaber is. If you’re reading this site, I can’t imagine that you don’t. The lightsaber is an energy sword which consists of a metal hilt which projects an energy blade. Lightsabers are usually built by the Jedi him or herself as part of their training. Most Jedi travel to the ice world of Ilum, where they search for kyber crystals which they use to power their saber. The saber is an extension of the Jedi who wields it and that Jedi’s skills determine the sabers ultimate usefulness.

Identity Disc – Tron

giphy (2)

TronLegacy0956-1-

The Identity Disc makes up all the information that a program experiences. Every sensation, memory and feeling are located on it. They are used not only for storing data, but can also be used as both a ranged and close combat weapon. It is normally carried on the upper back.

The Auto-9 – Robocop

giphy (3)601px-RoboCop_074

The Auto 9 is a select fire machine pistol with a 50 round magazine. It is usually used in three round bursts, but its ammunition is selectable with Robocop’s targeting interface. Some of the more unique types of ammo that it uses are non-lethal, high explosive, armor-piercing and Flechette or pointed steel projectile.

Proton Pack – Ghostbusters

giphy (4)original-proton-pack-06302015

The proton pack is a nuclear powered mobile nuclear accelerator worn on the back. The pack uses a hand-held  “Neutrona Wand” to release a stream of positively charged ions at a ghost that can be used for attack, to repel or to capture. It uses a miniature cyclotron to concentrate protons by channeling through a “positron collider”.  In conjunction with a ghost “trap”, the beam can be used to hold a ghost in place and position them over the “trap” for capture. The power cells have a half-life of 5,000 years. PS: Do not cross the streams.

Duncan MacLeod’s Katana – Highlander

giphy (5)Duncan1

This next weapon on my list isn’t there because it is powerful. I’m putting Duncan’s katana on the list for its beauty. Most immortals tend to use one specific sword throughout their lives and that sword becomes an extension of the user. Duncan is over 400 years old and the katana that he received from his mentor Hideo Koto in 1778 has been his constant and consistent companion. An immortals sword is their first line of defense and their conduit to the Quickening.

M41-A Pulse Rifle – Aliens

giphy (6)pulserifle_e4x3.1920

Employed by the Colonial Marines, the M41-A entered service in 2171 and is the primary infantry weapon for the military. Created with ultra-light alloy and high-impact, temperature resistant plastic, the rifle is sealed against corrosion, dirt and moisture and because most of its components are internal, it can be used effectively in the vacuum of space. It carries a selector switch that lets the user choose between a four round burst or fully automatic. It stores 99 rounds per magazine and also contains a underbarrel grenade launcher.

Phaser – Star Trek: The Next Generation

giphy (7)MRST102lg

Although I enjoy the pistol like version of the phaser from the original series, the Next Generation version is the one that I grew up with. The Type II hand phaser is a hand-held directed energy weapon used by the United Federation of Planets. It is designed primarily for defense with ever-increasing stun settings up to the kill setting using a focused energy discharge in the form of a steady stream.

The Good Samaritan – Hellboy

giphy (8)600px-HellboySamaritan-2

Given to Hellboy by the Torch of Liberty when he was 12, the Good Samaritan is an oversized large-caliber, four-round revolver. It fires custom-made bullets that can pierce most materials. The guns grips are made from pieces of the “True Cross” (the cross that Jesus was crucified upon) and the metal of the gun is forged from irish church bells, blessed silver and other materials. The primary ammunition used are called “Whoppers”, which are custom-made by Hellboy and are tipped with shells that contain white oak (trees sacred to Zeus), holy water, garlic and silver shavings.

Sword of Omens – Thundercats

giphy (9)Swordofomens

A highly reflective blade (just ask Mumm-Ra) extends from the hilt, taking the sword from the size of a dagger to a full-length broadsword. It can shoot blasts of energy using the source of its power, the Eye of Thundera. The eye is in the form of a red stone that contains an all-powerful energy source that is sentient. While most of its powers are ill-defined, it can do almost anything like generate heat or cold, levitate the user and allow for flight and limited teleportation. 

Anduril – Lord of the Rings

giphy (10)Anduril

Anduril or the Flame of the West was forged from the shards of Narsil, the sword that cut the one ring from Sauron’s hand. The scabbard, created by Galadriel of Lothlorien is enchanted so that the blade drawn from it will not be stained or broken. Anduril is the symbol of the King of Gondor’s power and his lineage as a descendent of Isildur.

The Vorpal Sword – Fables and Through the Looking Glass

vorpal sword

The Vorpal Sword was used in the Lewis Carroll novel Through the Looking Glass in 1871. The tale of the sword is told by Alice as she reads the poem Jabberwocky and learns of how the sword defeated the creature:

One, Two! One, two! And through and through

The Vorpal blade went snicker-snack!

He left it dead, and with its head

He went galumphing back.

In the Bill Willingham comic series “Fables”, the Vorpal Sword is defined as an enchanted sword that can cut through anything with one cut and makes a distinctive “snicker-snack” sound when it cuts.

The Elder Wand – Harry Potter series

giphy (11)Dumbledore_and_Elder_Wand

The Elder Wand is one of the Deathly Hollows. If you don’t know what they are or don’t know “The Tale of the Three Brothers”, leave now and read…I’ll wait.

Welcome back!

It is the most powerful wand in the history of wizardkind. It can mend other wands and perform feats that are considered impossible.

So these are a few of my favorite weapons. Let me know what some of yours are.

Deron

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.