All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster - io9 Comments

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

CarrerCrytharis — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:29:35 PDT

...Megatron?

CarrerCrytharis

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

the_wiggle — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:27:06 PDT

@wishnevsky: road trip :)

the_wiggle

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

the_wiggle — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:23:24 PDT

@Thud: want!

the_wiggle

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

darthsodomizer — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:37:00 PST

No Vera?

darthsodomizer

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

fwi1298 — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 23:34:56 PST

any of the bolter series from 40k for projectile use, namely large and loud(they fire 20mm hx rounds as standard ammo), plasma type, standard earth force security issue sidearm,from babalon 5,useful damage in small, concelable package that won't fry the user like the 40k version,for your best death ray type, the 1cm power gun from the book hammer's slammers, david drake was the only one to get that one right, the 40k impperial lasgun just plain sucks,(us players call them "flashlights" for a reason). best multi-use weapon type, system lord hand device from stargate sg-1. chainsaw bayonet? this is about guns not melee weapons.

fwi1298

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

kraffft — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 16:02:13 PST

Any gun that fires circular saw blades. The pen and paper rpg HOL had a good one, bladeSlinger5000 or something. That rule book is a great read in general.

kraffft

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Twisted-not-Shaken — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 15:08:08 PST

OK comic book fans, you forgot one real bad ass set of side arms!!! Garth Ennis and Steve Dillons' "Preacher" comic features the end all, be all of side arms. The Saint of Killers twin Walker Colts. Anybody who's read the comic / graphic novel knows that these are no ordinary Colts. They were forged by the devil himself from the sword of the Angel of Death, whom wanted to "retire from being the Angel of Death" in the comic. The pistols never needed reloading, they would never miss their target and would never misfire. Given they were in the hands of the most evil gun slinger to ever have been invented, these two pistols caused more destruction and blood shed in a modern comic than I have ever seen. If you've never read the comics (you can buy the trade paper backs on E-Bay or local comic store) at least get the #4 trade paper back, this one gives the story of the Saint of Killers and will explain him and how the pistols came to be. That paticular issue also gives the story of a few other chracters if you're interested, but the Saint turns out to be one of the most hate filled, cold hearted killers ever!

Twisted-not-Shaken

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

nutbastard — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:50:24 PST

Trigun: Pretty much every gun... Good God.

Theres of course vash's revolver
Millies Huge knocker-downer
The Cross Punisher
That crazy 100 foot long telescopic sniper rifle
Vash's hidden Gun
Vash And Knives Angel Arms

nutbastard

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

oldandintheway — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 11:07:04 PST

Well, by far the BEST weapon to have , is the LANCER
from GEARS OF WAR. Not only can you shoot your oponent
but you cna slice him up with the Chain Saw Bayonet.
TRULY AWESOME WEPONRY.

oldandintheway

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

scfaulkner — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 21:49:48 PST

I can't believe that no one's mentioned the elusive Phase Plasma Rifle, in the 40 watt range.
A weapon so devestating that Cameron couldn't afford to put it in any of his movies.

scfaulkner

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Chiper — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:46:19 PST

Also, while not futuristic per-say, Constantine's holy shotgun was pretty rad.

Chiper

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Chiper — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 14:45:07 PST

I'll also throw in a vote for Robocop's sidearm, and I find the absence of any form of phaser rather insulting.

Chiper

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Klebert L. Hall — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:58:05 PST

"What about Jesse Ventura's minigatling in Predator?"

That wasn't a sci-fi weapon, since it's *real*. [en.wikipedia.org]

Never put into service, because it was an answer looking for a question. Still funny though.
-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

kcquestor — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 09:09:45 PST

@Thud: I think you are referring to a different Harry Harrison series: "Deathworld". In the series, the Pyrrans use a weapon in a spring-loaded holster that leaps into the hand as the user points at the target. The owner has to hold his hand just right, so the gun fits in properly -- otherwise he can have his fingers broken as the powerful weapon slaps into his hand.

kcquestor

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

MrThunderfield — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:52:54 PST

This says nothing about movies-only, right? Well then what about the TAC cannon from Crysis, which you used to destroy the alien mothership? I thought that was kinda cool...

MrThunderfield

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Spakkenkhrist — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 05:44:18 PST

Hellsing - Alucard's hand cannons are fantastic.

Spakkenkhrist

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

idoru45 — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 01:01:07 PST

I always had a soft-spot for Gunner from Rogue Trooper...

idoru45

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

urukhaifive — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 22:21:47 PST

@super_bryant: I didn't want to be the one to bring it up. Thank you, Bryant, you truly are super.

urukhaifive

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

wishnevsky — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:46:16 PST

A E Van Vogt "The Weapon Shops of Isher" The Finest Energy Weapons in the Known Universe. My fave was the assassin's ring, that materialized into an invisible ray gun when you crooked your finger the right way. Fired a heart attack needle beam, if memory serves

wishnevsky

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

FunkyJ — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 19:53:52 PST

The laser pistol found in the Alien Crash site in Fallout 2. link

And you forgot Jay and Kay's guns from MIB, Han Solo's blaster from Star Wars.

FunkyJ

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Jonn — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 18:57:52 PST

"# The Sandman guns from Logan's Run"
Later more or less ganked for XXX.

Jonn

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Mr_Wiz4rd — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:35:18 PST

@Thud: That gun was the "Power Gun" from Harrison's Deathworld series. The Pyrran's all carried them. They were settlers from a sentient planet that was trying to kill them. They started training to use the guns as kids. It was classic! You just pointed at the target and as you made the motion to pull the trigger the gun jumped into your hand!

Mr_Wiz4rd

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

chuloallen — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:14:19 PST

is it only me or is the layout of this story really bad? having to see a set of pics then read the whole story and at every new gun, scroll up and try to figure out which gun they are talking about..

hey! heres an idea!!!
one pic, then the write up, then another pic and another write up!!!

whachya think!!?

chuloallen

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Aethelred — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 16:02:21 PST

Glad someone finally mentioned Mal's pistol from Firefly ... a true classic.
But what about Jessie Ventura's minigattling in Predator? That has to be the baddest gun ever since they brought it back for T-2 and T-3.

Aethelred

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

CyberKender — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 14:20:13 PST

As cool as many of those guns are, and I really like the ZF1, and *everyone* listens to Reason, they don't even come close to my favorite. Nick Polotta and Phil Foglio wrote a little bit of fluff called "Illegal Aliens" that contains my choice: The Stop That Gun. No flash, no damage. It just shoots out an extremely powerful, telepathic blast of "Stop that!" The Presidential version, the Shut Up Gun ranks up there too.

Oh, and if you're going to use Niven, the tasp is very good, but then so is the Slaver Digging Tool.

CyberKender

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Lars — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:56:34 PST

1. I can't believe you went with a picture of the movie lawgiver instead of the comic book lawgiver.

2. I can't believe noone's mentioned the tasp used by Pierson's Puppeteer.

Lars

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

comp_wiz101 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:51:42 PST

*Ouch* Double post-ish

comp_wiz101

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

comp_wiz101 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:51:09 PST

Mal's pistol from Firefly. Clean, reliable, and deadly accurate. Bonus points for looking like its 600 years old 800 years in the future.
Honorable mention: The modern laser pistol carried by a baddie in Firefly. When it runs out of power, actually flashes "Low Battery" :)

comp_wiz101

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

comp_wiz101 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:48:23 PST

Mal's Pistol from Firefly... clean, old fashioned, and deadly accurate. Bonus points for looking like its from the 1800s when you're 500 years in the future.

comp_wiz101

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

badthing — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:44:52 PST

We need non-lethal weapons like this one:

[www.hostingphpbb.com]

badthing

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Bancho — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:34:37 PST

I love samaritan personally.

"I'm not the best shot, but the samaritan here shoots really big bullets"

Bancho

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Ptarmigandalf — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:33:28 PST

@sir_eccles: Gah, you piped me to it... The only known weapon with a sense of humour.

Ptarmigandalf

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Gyrus — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:22:17 PST

Never understood phasers. Now a sensible weapon for Star Trek would be to hook a transporter up to a targeting sensor and simply dematerialize whatever is bothering you. No mess, no fuss and if you want you can store the most recent pattern in the gun and rematerialize the victim/object later, in a holding cell.

Or, for a more lethal and messy version, you use the targeting mechanism with a replicator and simply beam slugs of antimater into the center of your target.

Gyrus

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

zafner — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:14:29 PST

Oh: and what about the ray guns from Blake's 7? Weird little plexiglass wands, held like television remote controls, that could basically shoot whatever the effects budget could afford that week.

zafner

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

zafner — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 13:12:27 PST

Let's not forget Joe Piscopo's gun from Johnny Dangerously, the .88 magnum.

"It shoots through schools."

zafner

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Counterglow — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:59:40 PST

For the way it was used, I've always had a weak spot for the rocket pistol in the original Rollerball. A bunch of "beautiful people", drunk out of their minds, stagger out back of the house into a field with the thing and start incinerating trees. It's one of the best exhibitions of massive firepower in the hands of idiots you'll ever see.

Counterglow

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

tetracycloide — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:58:47 PST

the shoulder mounted plasma cannon from predator? i guess the gun itself really wasn't so cool without the targeting system but still.

tetracycloide

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

sir_eccles — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:55:38 PST

Hey, no one mentioned the "Lazy Gun" from Iain Banks' "Against a dark background".

sir_eccles

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

grimmtooth — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:53:07 PST

The Phaser.

Pedestrian? Perhaps. But that's the POINT. Star Trek is totally embedded in our culture.

+1 on the ZF-1, though. That whole spiel is a classic of SF.

@gomi: Didn't Stainless Steel Rat predate Gibson?

grimmtooth

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

NefariousNewt — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:31:26 PST

@mumblingmynah: Gotta love the ZF-1. Given all the fancy gadgets, it's your basic weapon of destruction.

I miss the Space: 1999 comlock guns; four different nozzles depending on the setting. And looked snazzy too.

NefariousNewt

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

SuperUnison — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:29:37 PST

@Lab_Cat: Seconded, for the obvious reason.

SuperUnison

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Thud — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:26:17 PST

What about Arnie's awesome rail gun from Eraser? The movie kind of stunk, but the see-through-walls scope was kinda cool, as were the little smoke ring trails...

And, as long as the Stainless Steel Rat is mentioned, what about the gauss gun he uses in one of the stories that has some kinda smart holster lanyard that straightens and curves to nearly instantaneously slap the weapon in your hand whenever you curl your fingers...

Thud

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

SeeingI — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:19:34 PST

I always liked the flesh gun in "Videodrome," the Biker Scouts' compact little sidearms in "Return of the Jedi," and the "V" Visitors' guns with funky -(and very 80s) clear plexiglass tubes. "Doctor Who" also recently featured guns that senselessly-but-awesomely combined Dalek weapons with Tommy guns.

SeeingI

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

E0157H7 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:18:37 PST

Of all of the futuristic weapons out there, I would want the bowel disruptor more than anything. Also worth mentioning is the railgun from Red Faction. Pith your opponent with depleted uranium from the other side of the wall.

E0157H7

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

deckard97 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 12:06:28 PST

Vera. The stuff of legends. How many guys out there have named a favorite Vera... so many.

Anyhow I'll go old school; how about the phaser 2? It's a classic!

deckard97

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

honkeybot5000 — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:59:13 PST

Although futuristic guns in anime could comprise an entire article, I have to mention the Cerebus series of guns from the anime Gungrave. The protagonist, Grave, carries two huge handguns called the Left Head and Right Head. The Center Head is carried by a Frankenstein-like monster due to the fact that no human can hold, much less fire it. The character designer also created TriGun, another series where exotic handguns feature prominently.

honkeybot5000

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

HokieGeek — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:59:03 PST

@Lab_Cat: oh, very good mention!

HokieGeek

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Gomi — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:58:44 PST

@Niteowl: Yes, Jayne's favorite gun really should be mentioned.

The needler from Stainless Steel Rat (another series for my reading list, thanks) sounds a lot like Molly's flechette pistol from Gibson's Sprawl series. He probably drew inspiration from Harrison, all the way down to the different ammunition types.

Gomi

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

HokieGeek — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:58:39 PST

Anybody read John Scalzi's Old Man's War? The MP 35 is something to drool for. Not only encoded to the specific user, it would hook up to their brain pals - computers in their heads - and would nanoassemble the ordinance that the user requested. Not only that, it was scriptable!

HokieGeek

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Lab_Cat — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:58:33 PST

How about the thoroughly entertaining Bowel Disruptor pistol in Transmetropolitan, by Warren Ellis? Tons of gastrointestinal fun...

Lab_Cat

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

superbryant — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:55:44 PST

sorry for blabbing on about this but does the farsight from perfect dark count? Its a rail gun with an x-ray scope that lets you see and shoot through walls!

superbryant

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

MongoLikeCandy — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:55:37 PST

I remember another gun from DS9 - a projectile rifle with a head-mounted scanner and a mini-transporter on the end that let you shoot someone from the other side of the station.

Here it is the TR-116 Projectile Rifle.

MongoLikeCandy

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Niteowl — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:53:03 PST

Oh, if you are going to pick a weapon from Firefly, why wouldnt' you pick Vera? Oh, sweet Vera.

Niteowl

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

mumblingmynah — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:50:41 PST

It's hilarious that in the Fifth Element, Zorg spends so much time describing all the special functions of the gun, setting the movie up for awesomeness, and then he NEVER uses anything but the most basic setting.

mumblingmynah

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

superbryant — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:50:13 PST

O yeah did anybody mention the portal gun from Orange Box/Portal? I'd love that one =)

superbryant

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Horselover Fat — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:48:23 PST

I made a lawgiver from wood scraps and duct tape with a friend when we watched the movie. Awesome.

Horselover Fat

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

hdiggity — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:42:04 PST

almost forgot, how about the loogie gun. a non-leathal that was in neal stephenson's novel "Snow Crash". i also swear that it was in the bruce sterling novel "Islands in the Net", but i can't find any references to it online. anyone?

hdiggity

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

superbryant — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:38:50 PST

Agent J's gun The Noisy Cricket from "Men in Black"!

superbryant

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Chris Barrus — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:36:56 PST

Don't forget Robocop's "Auto-9" machine pistol. Also, the "state-of-the-art bang bang" Cobra Assault Cannon

Chris Barrus

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

Bal-Cleric — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:35:12 PST

If were playing the video game angle then allow me to introduce .. The Cerebral Bore.

From the rather pants yet classic Turok 2, Seeds of evil. This baby fires a homing projectile that locks onto brainwave activity. No poncey kind of projectile either, an absurd buzz saw screams around chasing its victim only for sets of hooked prongs to be thrust deep into the victim's skull upon impact, thus draining their brain fluid and then finally detonating a small charge sending dino cranium flying through the badly pixelated corridors.

Bal-Cleric

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

hdiggity — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:28:45 PST

what about the point of view gun from the hitchhiker's guide movie? sure, not in the original book, radio show, etc..., but still a very great addams-like creation.

hdiggity

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

xint — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:20:58 PST

@ManchuCandidate: YES!

xint

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

BioHzrd — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:18:00 PST

I can't help but be reminded of the organic, tooth shooting gun from eXistenZ - creepy and icky!

BioHzrd

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

ManchuCandidate — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:16:32 PST

BFG from Doom.

ManchuCandidate

All the Best Futuristic Guns for Your Holster

QMech — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 11:14:50 PST

Can't forget about the Qualta blade and good ol' Winona from Farscape.

QMech