It is probably impossible to imagine good fiction, especially combat, without the appropriate weapons from the main and secondary characters. Often it is fantastic weapons that become the main part of films and books. So to read in more detail about different types of weapons will be interesting to many fans of the genre.
What can it be
To begin with, the fantastic weapons of the future appear differently to writers and screenwriters. Some believe that the future belongs to blasters and lasers, while others believe that a heavily modified edged weapon will come to the fore. Some argue that in a few centuries, mainly weapons smaller than a poppy seed will be used, while others like the future where it will reach the size of planets. And about who will use these weapons, opinions vary widely. There are many options: combat robots, cyborgs, which combine living organisms and sophisticated mechanisms, genetically modified, simply trained by special manuals, or even ordinary people. It is simply impossible to list everything. But to mention some of the most successful examples, both from science fiction books and films, will be interesting.
A few words about knives
Perhaps, if we talk about fantastic edged weapons, then many fans of the genre will primarily recall the Jedi lightsabers. This is indeed an interesting weapon invented by George Lucas, who presented the legendary Star Wars trilogy to the whole world, as well as less vivid, though numerous, sequels.
A weapon is a hilt that generates a plasma beam near itself about a meter long. Plasma destroys any objects with which it comes in contact - from human flesh to armor of spaceships. Not everyone is capable of owning a lightsaber - this requires not only years of training, but also special skill, which only the Jedi and their eternal opponents of the Sith possess.
Another interesting version of edged weapons is the atomic sword, which is the main weapon in the work “Lord from the Planet Earth”, which came from the pen of Sergei Lukyanenko. This is an ordinary sword, only its thickness is only one atom. Thanks to this, the blade easily cuts through absolutely any objects, and for this it is not at all necessary to exert effort. True, the sword must be sharpened constantly - it becomes dull from friction against the air. Especially for this, a button on the handle is used. One click, and a wave of flame runs through the blade, sharpening the weapon to its original sharpness.
Good old firearm
Of course, speaking of the fantastic weapons of the future, we must not forget about firearms. True, it’s rather difficult to come up with something fundamentally new here. Over the centuries of existence, almost everything possible has already been invented and put into practice.
I recall, for example, the weapons of the star paratroopers from the film of the same name. Brave earthlings had to fight hordes of bug-like aliens using powerful machine guns.
Also worth mentioning is the ZF-1 complex weapon from the Fifth Element. The main component was a powerful machine gun. And he used smart bullets - he had a very unusual function. When the guidance was activated, the bullets flew exactly in the direction where the first of them was fired. Therefore, it did not matter where the gun barrel was heading. With a huge rate of fire, the machine could boast of serious ammunition - 3 thousand rounds. Moreover, the firepower did not end there! The ZF-1 also included a flamethrower, a freezing device, a net thrower, a rocket launcher, and darts. Finally, there was a self-destruct button, clicking on which led to a powerful explosion.
When simple weapons are not enough
Far from always the power of conventional cartridges is enough to destroy the enemy. Therefore, designers went further and created even more powerful models.
Take, for example, a special grenade launcher from the already mentioned film "Space Troops." The M55 Nuke Launcher is not just a weapon comparable in power to a small nuclear bomb. It is also endowed with artificial intelligence, allowing you to tune in to a specific goal. After the capture, the shell confidently flew exactly to the desired point, flying around any obstacles. In the same film, you can see grenades, which are quite large, but also super-powerful, causing a wall of flame with one explosion, incinerating everything tens of meters around.
Viewers who saw the films “Judge Dredd” in 1995 and 2012 remember well the unusual gun “Lawgiver”. Firstly, only the owner could use it - a sensor that fixes the user's DNA is built into the handle. If an outsider tried to shoot a pistol, it simply exploded. Secondly, the firepower of a weapon is much greater than that of any analogue. Voice control made it easy to switch ammunition - and there are six of them. Conventional cartridges, armor-piercing, incendiary, shock, explosive and many others are available. So, a man armed with a "Legislator" turned into a really terrible enemy.
Electricity instead of gunpowder
Talking about different types of fantastic weapons, one cannot but mention the railgun.
Instead of ordinary gunpowder or any explosives, electricity is used here. The trunk consists of several tens of electric magnets, which are supplied with voltage in series. Instead of cartridges, a metal object such as a nail is used. Passing through the trunk, it accelerates to great speed, after which it can fly a considerable distance and at the same time has serious penetrating power.
You can see this weapon in many films and games. For example, in the STALKER series of computer games, such a weapon is called a Gauss rifle. But in the film "Eraser" the weapon did not get its own name and is simply called the railgun. But here the rifle also received an amazing optical sight that allows you to see through objects, destroying even the enemy who was hiding behind an obstacle. And the projectile’s flight speed (special capsules were used instead of bullets) was approaching the speed of light.
Non-lethal weapons
Of course, not always weapons in science fiction films are designed to destroy people and other creatures. In some cases, it simply paralyzes or freezes the victim.
A vivid example is the phaser from the series Star Trek. This is a very powerful weapon that, when hit, simply vaporizes the enemy. But it has several shooting modes. One of them is stunning. Using this mode allows you to take the enemy alive, without causing him much harm.
It is worth recalling the recently released film "Divergent". Here, during the training of fighters, special weapons were used. His bullets did not penetrate the flesh of the enemy, instead striking him with electric discharges, due to which he would experience pain equal to a real wound. A very good training, accustoming the military to pain and instilling in them the habit of avoiding hits, without causing serious injuries that could lead to death or at least permanently incapacitate.
Lasers and plasma guns
Well, of course, it's hard to imagine fiction without lasers, blasters, and plasma guns. Perhaps this particular type of weapon is the most common in this genre. Writers and screenwriters describe the principle of action in different ways, but in general it is standard - a laser cuts through any objects at a great distance, and blasters and plasmometres simply explode them.
You don’t need to invent anything new here, so you can see such weapons in half of science fiction films: Star Wars, People in Black, Terminator and many others. There are machine guns, shotguns and pistols working on this principle. In general, it is so popular that it makes no sense to list individual samples.
Incredible destructive power
Speaking of fantastic weapons, photos of which are attached to the article, one cannot but mention the "Death Star" from George Lucas' magnificent Star Wars trilogy. A huge artificial object, the size of the moon, capable of destroying entire planets with one shot. Perhaps there are few such powerful types of weapons even in the most sophisticated science fiction films.
However, such analogues still exist. For example, in the universe of Warhammer 40, 000, an extreme measure was repeatedly applied - extreminatus, when the planet was literally cleansed of any life form. This was carried out using special cyclone torpedoes and torpedoes of atmospheric burners. None and nothing of what was at this moment on the planet simply could not survive.
All kinds of cyborgs
Of course, talking about fantastic weapons, it is worth talking about such a variety as robots and cyborgs. The former are completely mechanical objects, while the latter have become a successful combination of biological and mechanical life forms.
Robots are more numerous - they can be seen in many films. For example, in “I am a Robot”, “Transformers”, “Judge Dredd”, “Inhabited Island” and many others. Their appearance was very different - from humanoid to any other.
The number of cyborgs in films is much less. First of all, it is worth recalling “Terminator”, “Robocop” (the main character and several versions of varying degrees of success), the universe “Warhammer” (combat dreadnought), the series “Doctor Who” (far and cybermen), “Star Wars” (Dart Vader). In some cases, only the brain of a living creature was used, while in other cases, the cyborg is a person strengthened by mechanical devices.
What did the Third Reich have?
In the press (mostly yellow), articles regularly appear on the fantastic weapons of the Third Reich. Of course, to date, all developments do not seem too impressive. However, if we take into account that they were created more than half a century ago, it becomes clear what terrible danger the very same Fau 2 cruise missiles or He-162 Salamander, TA-152N-1 Feuerblitz fighter jets and Me- bomber posed 264 "Wotan."
These weapons are really seriously ahead of their time. If Germany had got a respite in a few years and managed to release a sufficient number of these planes and missiles, the history of mankind could have taken a completely different path.
However, despite the tremendous achievements in military development, one should not believe the stories about the flying saucers of the Third Reich and other gossip, which are often full of yellow press.
Modern Russian developments
We cannot but touch upon the fantastic weapons of the future of Russia. Of course, something new is difficult to report here. Still, all the latest developments are strictly classified. But even those developments that have been presented in recent years can impress even the most skeptical expert.
Take for example the Armata tank, which hit world experts with a combination of firepower, speed, reliability and safety.
Not everyone heard that the Soviet Union even created a 1K17 Compression laser tank. The technology can not be called modern - because the combat vehicle was released almost thirty years ago. But the fact of creating a laser tank is impressive.
Also, if we are talking about that fantastic weapon of the future, made in Russia which, you can mention DOR-2. True, this is an old, still Soviet development. The gun was a full-fledged ball lightning generator, capable of destroying enemy missiles at a distance of up to 200 kilometers. The size of these lightnings (and, accordingly, power) varied significantly - from 1 centimeter to 50 meters! Few people know, but DOR-2 was successfully tested back in 1974 and became perhaps the first plasma weapon in the world.
