Favorite sci-fi hand weapon?

[Cybrludite]

Yeah, another of my polls. If there's a more suitable forum for these, please let me know...

[Silverthorne]

Slasher.. from Phantasy Star. thrown missle weapon that can attack multiple targets. can be edged with monowire.. or steel..

[AslanC]

I loved the weird horseshoe pistols they used on Space 1999

[Phantom]

Voted for the Lightsaber, a joining of the ancient sword with sci-fi effects. However, I do like most of the other options;

"Nothing like a good blaster at your side..."

Nothing like the explosive evaporation that a laser causes win it hit some thing soft.

Blades are always a favourite as well.

[Cybrludite]

Originally posted by AslanC
I loved the weird horseshoe pistols they used on Space 1999

Given the assortment of settings those had, I'd call them phasers. Really crude ones from the BBC props department, but phasers nonetheless.

[C5]

Phasers. I love a weapon that can stun a guy for a couple of minutes as well as blowingb a hole in a stonewall (with all the intermediary settings). Plus, a visible beam makes it easier for dexterity challenged people to aim

[Cdr Scot II]

I like blasters, though more the B5 PPG type than the Star Wars laser-bolt.

Other favourites:

- Those pistols in EE Doc Smith's Skylark books that fired bullets with the copper-energy-conversion stuff in it. IIRC the more powerful bullets had explosive power in the kiloton range

- Zaphod Beeblebrox's gun in Life the Universe and Everything, the Kill-oZap: "The Kill-O-Zap™ gun is a long, silver mean-looking device, the designers of which decided to make it totally clear that it had a right end, and a wrong end, and if that meant sticking blacked and evil-looking devices and prongs all over the wrong end, so be it."

- Judge Dredd's Lawgiver - "Heatseeker!" 'Nuff Said

[Robbert Raets]

Ooh, didn't think about the Lawgiver....

I voted Phaser for it's versatility, but I like the Swashbuckler-style Lightsaber and the crude and random Blaster has my name written all over it

[Ramage]

Bah! We don't even have my favourite on the list -- Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe's Smith-Hitachi Selectric Godzilla Blaster

Barring that, how's about a good 'ol sword, a la John Carter and Flash Gordon

[Ineti]

I voted for the lightsaber. Just can't go wrong with it.

Though I do like the pulse rifles from Aliens and the Glaive from Krull (it's an impractical design, but it's neat).

[StyroFoam Man]

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[tmutant]

I voted Gauss weapon. I saw a test target for a actual Gauss gun in Discover or Scientific American, can't remember which. An aluminum cube about 30 cm an a side was hit by a 1 gram pellet at some stupid velocity like 2000 m per second. It looked just like those high speed photos of splashes, only frozen in aluminum. The metal flowed under impact like water. I just thought that was cool. Of course they only exist now as devices the size of a train engine. This is where the fi part of sci-fi comes in.

[Liz Not Beth]

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[Perrryyy]

Went with the light saber...

Until a sci-fi series takes me up on my offer to reproduce Transwarp Perrryyy's Painstick canes (constructed of cortenide and duranium, of course)

[Balok]

Of the choices, I'd have to go with the phaser. The lightsaber and monowire swords are good, if you've got the Force skills / training to use them well.

But if I can go off list -- Gary Seven's pen.