<![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction - io9 Comments]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction - io9 Comments]]> http://io9.com Sat, 10 May 2008 15:03:49 PDT Sat, 10 May 2008 15:03:49 PDT http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c5635131 Mua Ha Ha!!! Kneel before the might of the 'Blaster' from David Weber's 'Apocalypse Troll' story. The story's based on the 'Terminator' storyline with a cyborg from the future and a lone warrior coming back to destroy/save humanity. The difference being that the human brought her gun with her this time. The Blaster. Persona-locked to its owner with an accurate 4-mile range and a firing capacity rated in KILOTONS PER SECOND! The device is a portable tactical nuke, capable of deploying (not firing per-se) pulses of plasma through multi-dimensional space.

MarkTBSc

]]> 8:371411:c5635131 Sat, 10 May 2008 15:03:49 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4872566 You forgot professor Calculus' sonic disintegrator weapon in "The Calculus Affair" and on a more realistic level you forgot about the 60s research by the French army on the use of infrasonic waves as man-killing weapons which leave buildings and equipement intact.

[en.wikipedia.org]

ndgmtlcd

]]> 8:371411:c4872566 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 01:49:57 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4863333 Ahem!
As I was saying one rotation of Mongo ago, you can see one of the backhand-blasters at :
[flashgordon.ws]

Best wishes from the Universe's most beloved Emperor

EmperorofMongo

]]> 8:371411:c4863333 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:46:23 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4861665 The Nazis had a 'lightning gun' for anti-aircraft use, that may or may not have worked.

They also had a 'vortex cannon' for the same purpose, that fired compressed air. There is one anecdotal report of that one possibly hitting a bomber.

Too bad they were such scum, they definitely had a mad-science groove on.
-Kle.

Klebert L. Hall

]]> 8:371411:c4861665 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:53:43 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4860350 Obvs my favorite post ever. Thank you so much for the gorgeous pics and links, esp. the one to WETA.

Ray Gunn

]]> 8:371411:c4860350 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:07:18 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4855441 "Death ray" and "Peace beam" is the same thing? Who ever said Tesla was crazy.

Wandel

]]> 8:371411:c4855441 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:55:36 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4852084 The immortal DL-44, but no E-11? No collection of directed energy weapons is complete without an E-11. When I was a kid I had a plastic DL-44 replica and my friend had an E-11. Probably the two funnest toys that we had. I never found phasers scary or cool enough to have a replica of. They look like some sort of power tool, which I guess they are in a way.

E0157H7

]]> 8:371411:c4852084 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 23:51:33 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4849715 The "Han Solo Blaster" on the left in the sixth row is a P-96 Mauser pistol, called a "broomhandle" from the shape of the grip. It was often copied for Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon lithographed toys in the 30's and 40's.
The bracket holding the 'scope on makes it impossible to load, but I suppose it has an eternal atomic power source.
For exotic looks, the "knuckleduster" pistols of Space:1999 were really inventive.

Nothing can compare, however, with the TRULY exotic ray guns of "Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars". They looked like blimpy little space-sausages which were held and fired in a backhand grip over the knuckles and fired with a thumb trigger.
See Flash use one to get the drop on Ming at:

EmperorofMongo

]]> 8:371411:c4849715 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:32:07 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4849349 I just read and issue of 8 Ball called Death Ray - a comic book by Daniel Clowes. Man oh man is it good stuff. The death ray is left to this kid by his father who was some sort of superhero-scientist. Pop culture at its most cultured.

Nahsm

]]> 8:371411:c4849349 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:11:43 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4849234 Nothing beats a pair of DeLameters strapped to your sides, so says Wild Bill William, Meteor Miner.

NefariousNewt

]]> 8:371411:c4849234 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:05:57 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4847715 Oh man, I'm making the ray gun assortment pic my new desktop. Soooooo prettyyyyyy...

laughingacademy

]]> 8:371411:c4847715 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 17:10:45 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4847198 The Buck Rogers novel, "Armageddon 2419" has a lot of tactical stuff with disintegration rays, and impervious shields, and so on.. The counter to the disintegration rays were bullets coated with the Impervion, or what ever they called it.

Fun book, not too racist for it's time, and pretty snarky in spots.

codydog

]]> 8:371411:c4847198 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:35:07 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4846890 Er, the Heat Ray incinerated things. Modern lasers however are for cutting. Not incineration.

Modern SCI-FI lasers are for incineration :P

El_Bandito

]]> 8:371411:c4846890 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:13:27 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4846358 I think they should have pasted in DEVO's
"Through Being Cool " video here too.

"Eliminate the ninnies and the twits!"

dOk

]]> 8:371411:c4846358 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:40:38 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4846079 @GenXCub: Jamie and Adam are gods among men (especially Jamie, with his devestating berret/handlebar combo). I seem to recall Archimedes getting a "Plausable" from them.

Rus

]]> 8:371411:c4846079 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:23:58 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4845965 Alrighty, now you've done it: "Teenagers From Outer Space"!
[io9.com] What an adorable piece of schlock.

gods-n-clods

]]> 8:371411:c4845965 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:18:46 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4845932 "laser gun #3" at the top looks to be a nearly stock Calico 9mm "Liberty" pistol. [calicolightweaponsystems.com]

Lost_Thought

]]> 8:371411:c4845932 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:17:03 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4845694 @Rus McLaughlin:

Mythbusters' death ray episode, For the win!

GenXCub

]]> 8:371411:c4845694 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 15:06:35 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4845134 I always assumed the origin was Archimedes' Death Ray... whether it was real or not.

Rus

]]> 8:371411:c4845134 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:44:30 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4844758 I'm robbin' a liquor store so I can get my hand on some of the WETA creations.

And the link to www.toyraygun.com is indispensible.

Plague

]]> 8:371411:c4844758 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:28:18 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4844710 This is the kind of stuff I like reading here. Getting a little brush up on my scifi/retropop roots. Also, ray guns = awesome.

Spiral

]]> 8:371411:c4844710 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:26:32 PDT <![CDATA[The Secret Origin of the Ray Gun in Science Fiction]]> http://io9.com/371411/the-secret-origin-of-the-ray-gun-in-science-fiction#c4844479 In before "my girlfriend is an 'active Denial system'" joke. (but cool video!)

GenXCub

]]> 8:371411:c4844479 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:17:35 PDT