The idea behind the
Star Wars blaster is, in theory, extremely good. But for distant future firearms
technology I believe its way off the mark. A couple of pros and cons.
Pros:
- Colored rays let you immediately know if it's an enemy
- Regardless of the body part you hit, your foe will be killed (check out the 4th and 6th episode fights)
- Seemingly Unlimited ammo
Cons:
- Frustratingly slow rate of fire
- Paints an "I Am Here" sign with an arrow above your head
- Even on a tripod or similar stand, the chance of hitting is under 50%
- Are useless against a Jedi with a light saber
- Will never hit that important high ranking official
- Are unable to be aimed properly even by droids with detailed instructions on how to use them (Attack of the Clones anyone?)
The
Star Trek phaser is even worse, with about the only pro being that you can stun someone with it. Wow,
big deal, I can stun someone with
capsicum spray or the butt of a
rifle if I want:
Cons:
- Doesn't work on all planets (environments and protective fields screw them over).
- Always stop working at the worst possible time.
- Inferior to many other races technology.
Now compare these two '
weapons of the future' to something like a modern
CAR 15 assault rifle:
Pros:
- Insanely stupid rate of fire.
- Capable of ripping an enemy to pieces (if one desires to do so).
- Used in short bursts, doesn't immediately give away your position.
Cons:
- Noisy
- Can be inaccurate (but at the rate of fire, it doesn't really matter if it's not dead accurate)
- High ammo consumption
Personally, if I was up against a raging mob of
Klingons or a entire planet of incompetent
Storm Troopers with thin shabby
armour, id much rather our 'outdated' Earthly
weapons over a
Star Trek phaser or
Star Wars blaster (ok so MAYBE id have a
Star Wars blaster for backup once my ammo ran out, but only because they look kind of cool).
m_turner says re: Useless weapons in sci/fi movies - you will note that Picard chose a tommy gun in First Contact against the Borg. --- Thus proving my point that sci-fi weapons are utterly useless =)
Ashley Pomeroy says re: Useless weapons in sci/fi movies - the Star Wars blaster is, of course, not 'distant future firearms technology', as it dates from 'a long, long time ago' ;) --- Excellent point.