A weapon is an item designed to inflict harm to another human being. Almost any object can qualify as a weapon.

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Feasability of a torch missile [on hold]

I'm currently working on a realitivly realistic short story that is meant to be a space opera, but with plausable science. The only handwavium element is the use of 'red mercury', allowing the ...
15
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3answers
2k views

What is the weapon that Yondu wields in Guardians of the Galaxy?

In Guardians of the Galaxy, Yondu is seen using a floating arrow as a weapon which he controls by whistling. This arrow is shown to be extremely powerful as it kills a whole squad of soldiers, ...
2
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5answers
382 views

What work of science-fiction first introduced the concept of “Glassing” or Alpha-Striking a planet?

From the Halo Wiki: The term glassing, also known as plasma bombardment, is used to refer to the act by which Covenant ships bombard a planet from orbit using heavy plasma weaponry. This ...
4
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2answers
588 views

Would putting a grenade down the barrel of the tank really blow up the cockpit? [closed]

In The Walking Dead, S4E8: Too Far Gone, Daryl takes a grenade and tosses it down the barrel of a tank. After a few seconds when you hear it bouncing around, some people abandon the cockpit and then ...
23
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5answers
5k views

Are the shields and hull of the USS Enterprise-D capable of withstanding a direct nuclear strike?

I'm watching the season two episode of TOS "Patterns of Force" where a nuclear missile is on an intercept course with the Enterprise, but is destroyed by the ship's weapons. This got me thinking as to ...
2
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1answer
107 views

Why did Beleg choose the sword, Anglachel, to wield in his quest for Turin?

When Beleg asked Thingol to let him go find Turin, Thingol let him take any sword in the realm (save his own). Beleg chooses Anglachel, although there were probably plenty of nice Elven swords to ...
4
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1answer
143 views

ID for short story about man using telekinetic remote viewer to wage war on alien planet

I'm trying to ID a story I read in the local library the early 70's when first getting into SF. I'm pretty sure it was a short story in a collection, but can't rule out it being part of a longer ...
12
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1answer
911 views

Scifi short story where all citizens are armed (golden age)?

Trying to identify a scifi short story, possibly from the golden age, where all citizens carry sidearm weapons. Everyone is super-polite because it is legal and accepted to challenge another citizen ...
8
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1answer
380 views

Why are starships in Star Trek so slow to retaliate when fired upon in battle?

This question is with respect to starships battles in Star Trek TNG and DS9. In many episodes, the Enterprise (or other Federation starship) is fired upon, but they don't retaliate quickly enough. ...
0
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1answer
151 views

How do Vipers acquire targets?

Viper pilots don't seem to have any means of targeting Cylon raiders. In this artist's rendition we see four main components: The top sweeper, which is probably a short-distance radar Center screen, ...
2
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1answer
235 views

Size and shape aside, how do the Federation Type-I and Type-II Hand-phasers compare to each other?

The Star Trek franchise employed several styles of Hand-phasers. Star Trek Alpha did not go into details in regards to the amount of shots (clip size) or if the newer models had evolved into more ...
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2answers
527 views

What was the weapon Lord Voldemort was after in OotP?

In OotP, when Harry first arrives at the Blacks house, Sirius mentions to him that Lord Voldemort is after a very powerful weapon that he did not have the last time. 'What's he [Voldemort] after ...
10
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1answer
135 views

How do the Ghostbusters afford their Ghostbusting apparel?

I know that Ray remortgaged his parents' house to afford everything - renting the fire house, the car… 4 Cyclotron particle accelerators! How does one man afford all that? What does ...
3
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1answer
252 views

Film (Book?) Trilogy about sentient weapons

I realize this is a somewhat vague question, but I'm working off 20-year-old memories here. Back around 1980 there were three movies released which featured sentient, or at least living, weapons. I ...
2
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3answers
242 views

Was the idea of a tidal dislocation weapon ever suggested in SciFi? [closed]

In an intense and non uniform gravity field, the various parts of a moving body tend to follow different trajectories, and will unless the whole structure is tied strongly enough to prevent flying ...
4
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1answer
275 views

What alien was forced to control that superweapon?

Some Enterprise ep had an alien I remember was forced (and kidnapped?) to command a system with their mental abilities, strapped and trapped in a chair looking dead in control. If it helps, if i ...
8
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3answers
435 views

Is it the lawgiver or the ammunition that is special?

The Judges of Megacity-One use the iconic Lawgiver pistol to hand out justice. More than just a standard sidearm the Lawgiver can fire multiple types of ammunition. But the magazine it uses appears ...
3
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1answer
607 views

Is the Death Star the only weapon of mass destruction?

Maybe my knowledge is short on this, but I have seen Light Sabers, laser guns, some fancy torpedoes against star ships, archaic weapons, but not a single weapon of mass destruction, even on dark side, ...
5
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4answers
785 views

When someone tries to fire Roland's pistol he nearly breaks his arm. Just what exactly does the book mean when it says “pistol”?

In the Dark Tower by Stephen King, Roland has a pistol. It is described as being quite powerful, and having an enormous kickback to the extent of nearly breaking someone's arm when he tries to fire ...
3
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2answers
602 views

What did Numenorean swords / Andúril look like?

I was wondering what Andúril looks like, and I know that distinctive look John Howe gives it, with the holes on the ends. As far as I remember, John Howe wrote in his site that all Numenorean ...
11
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1answer
561 views

Identification of a short story with a sentient weapon

I am searching for the title of short story I have read several years ago. I think it was included in one of the Isaac Asimov Presents The Great SF Stories (or maybe some Nebula or Hugo short stories ...
9
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3answers
548 views

What does Gimli's axe look like?

Does Gimli have a single-sided or a double-sided axe? (Please answer only with quotes from the Lord of the Rings or other Tolkien books, I've done enough speculation myself.)
5
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1answer
759 views

Where did Hellboy get the hand gun Hellboy calls the “Samaritan”?

How big is the hand cannon Hellboy calls the Samaritan? He uses an arsenal of weapons in the franchise, but his personal favorite seems to be the Samaritan. Where did he get it and what caliber shell ...
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3answers
2k views

How were the original Star Trek phasers holstered without a belt or a pocket?

In the begining, phasers just sort of hung there on the crew members hip until they reached for it. Granted, there were times when they wore belts with holsters for the weapons, but sometimes the ...
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2answers
474 views

How is the Ogier Loial able to drive back the shadowspawn?

Since joining Rand, Loial has shown the ability to fight and drive back shadowspawn such as Trollocs and Myrddraal. It is known that Ogier are peaceful creatures and are not used to weapons. I've seen ...
5
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3answers
389 views

AG-2G Quad Laser Cannon Technical Details

I've found lots of generic details about the weapon system, but no specific technical information. I'd like to know specifics like height, width, length, weight, power needed, firing rate, and so on. ...
4
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1answer
219 views

Laser Cannon on YT-1300

Does the standard laser cannon from the YT-1300 have the ability to be remotely controlled from the cockpit? I know that the AG-2G quad laser cannons were wired to support pilot control. But, did the ...
16
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5answers
2k views

Why didn't the Jedi carry shields?

The Jedi used lightsabers mainly to repel projectiles, but, in my opinion, this would be better job for a shield. A "lightshield" as the Jedi are stylized futuristic paladins. A lightsaber seemed a ...
5
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1answer
265 views

alien race gives us the ultimate weapon “for good and evil” which works both ways - probably 1950s

In this movie, an alien race gives mankind an "ultimate weapon". It's a small capsule-shaped thing which, when activated, kills everybody within some large radius. One scientist offers to test it on a ...
11
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4answers
626 views

What Kind of Weapon Do the Giants Use In The Film 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2'?

What kind of weapon do the giants use in the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2? I thought at first the weapon might be a scythe, but it's clearly not. It's like half a circle of ...
24
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3answers
2k views

Why are nuclear weapons rare in the Star Wars universe?

I am reading the book Darth Plagueis, and when an assassination attempt is made on him by use of a nuclear bomb, the book states that nuclear weapons are scarcely available. I searched briefly but ...
6
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1answer
772 views

Do the four brothers in TMNT train in other weapons?

So I've been watching a lot of the 2003 TMNT cartoon, and I've noticed that whilst they claim to be ninjas they only seem to use their own iconic weapons. Is there any evidence that they train with ...
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3answers
2k views

What are the limits to the magical knives in Supernatural?

There are two kinds of magical knives that we've seen in supernatural so far: 'Ruby's knife' the magical demon killing knife Angel Knives which kills angels. It seems from what I can recall Ruby's ...
19
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8answers
48k views

Who're the 5 beings Samuel Colt's gun couldn't kill?

In the supernatural series, we find out about 'The Colt', a special gun, as John Winschester puts it: John WinchesterBack in 1835, when Halley's Comet was overhead, same night those men died at ...
3
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4answers
1k views

What does “anti-midian” mean for Hellsing's Victoria Seras' signature weapon Harkonnen?

Hellsing ARMS Anti-Midian Cannon 'Harkonnen'. What does "Anti-Midian" mean?
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1answer
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Is there any consistency to the swords Finn wields?

Whilst watching one of the Adventure time, season three episodes, I recognised that Finn had a pretty cool sword I thought I'd never seen before. I thought to myself: My what a cool sword! The ...
9
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1answer
502 views

Book about a killer planet where only plastic weapons can be used

I'm looking for a book I read as a kid in high school. All I remember of it is: 2 characters (possibly male and female) travel to a "killer" planet where no metal can be present so take only plastic ...
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3k views

Are batarangs aerodynamic enough to fly?

There some pretty funky batarang designs: Are any of these, or batman's other designs actually aerodynamic? Is there a replica that can be thrown like batman does, not just as an odd-shaped ...
6
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1answer
542 views

Are swords usually referred to as male, or female?

"and drawing Scalpel whistling from her sheath" (Fritz Leiber, Swords Against Wizardry) I was surprised to see the Mouser's blade referred to as "she". No particular reason why, I just thought ...
4
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1answer
1k views

Would dual saberstaffs offer a greater advantage to other lightsabers?

General Krell demonstrates in Star Wars: The Clone Wars that the use of two saberstaffs is plausible: However, is it advantageous in battle, as opposed to dual lightsabers or a single saberstaff?
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4answers
1k views

Why would a mining vessel have all kinds of advanced weaponry?

In Star Trek (2009), the Narada is equipped with some sophisticated missiles. Why would a mining vessel need such heavy offensive weaponry?
4
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1answer
651 views

Would Hydra's weapons in Captain America have been effective against Asgardians?

As established here, human firearms have no effect against Thor, Loki and other Asgardians. Between an Asgardians's powerful armor, dense body and other technological advantages, a standard bullet ...
4
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3answers
5k views

What does the inscription on Mjolnir exactly mean?

A side of the Hammer is inscribed with: "Whosoever holds this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor." Does this mean that, if found worthy, you'll become Thor-like or just acquire ...
5
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2answers
628 views

Would Mjolnir, if loose in Hulk's cage, move?

As we know, either from the film Thor or The Avengers, once Mjolnir is dropped or set aside, it becomes immovable for everyone who is unworthy. What would happen, then, if Thor, while in Hulk's cage, ...
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3answers
34k views

How was Thor able to dent Captain America's Shield?

I was reading about Adamantium on the marvel.wikia Proto-Adamantium This is the original Adamantium created by Dr. MacLain. Proto-Adamantium is the official name for the metal that makes up ...
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2answers
3k views

Why are blaster bolts in Star Wars moving slower than speed-of-light?

Is there a canon explanation (based on how Star Wars blasters work) for why the blaster bolts are so slow? Intuitively, one would expect them to be like lasers, speed-of-light.
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Is there an explicit canon answer for the exact speed of blaster bolts in Star Wars?

It's known that blaster bolts in Star Wars aren't instantaneous/speed-of-light - they are actually pretty slow (supposedly, slower than a high-velocity bullet). Is there an official canon speed for ...
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2answers
1k views

Why does a photon torpedo glow red when in mid-flight?

In all of the Star Trek episodes that have battles, the photon torpedo glows a bright rotating red when fired from the ship before it hits its target. Pictures of a torpedo show that it's just a ...
5
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2answers
482 views

Why don't captains launch shuttles or escape pods at warp as a last resort weapon?

I don't recall the episodes, but I know I've seen a starship take control of another starship remotely, given the appropriate command codes, etc. It stands to reason a shuttle and possibly an escape ...
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2answers
1k views

Were Any of the Aircraft in “Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow” Based on Real Planes?

In Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, we see a number of planes used when the robots raid the city, but later we also see Sky Captain's headquarters, consisting of an airfield and at least one ...
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