65
votes
Accepted
Why are turbolasers called "lasers" when they appear to be scaled-up blasters?
There's a nice description of how the turbolaser works in the Star Wars: Official Fact File #45. In essence, the technology uses lasers to energise the plasma which is then ejected at high speed ...
- 677k
63
votes
Accepted
What franchises are these weapons from?
1) Thundercats (Lion-O's Sword of Omens)
2) Zelda (Link's Master Sword)
3) Final Fantasy (Buster Sword)
4) Star Wars (Jedi lightsaber)
5) He-Man (He-Man's sword from Hasbro toys / Filmation ...
- 111k
63
votes
Is there a difference between Narsil and Andúril?
There's an old philosophical problem called the Ship of Theseus, or Theseus's Paradox. It talks about a ship that was preserved by the people of Athens as a cultural relic; over time, they took away ...
- 15.9k
61
votes
Why does no one take a fallen enemy's sword to sell it in Game of thrones?
The Focus on Highborns/Higher Social class
A Lord or an anointed knight would find looting corpses below them. They normally own a fortune so they do not need to sell swords from corpses.
Common ...
- 48.3k
56
votes
Accepted
Can goblins or orcs see the light Sting gives off?
Yes. In this passage from The Hobbit, chapter IV, the goblins can clearly see Orcrist and Glamdring. Sting was of the same make, so there is no reason to believe that its light would be any different....
- 1,660
54
votes
If PPGs don't penetrate metal, why didn't people use armour in Babylon 5?
They did.
In the very first pilot episode, The Gathering, Sinclair and Garibaldi suit up in black padded vests when going after the changeling net assassin. Garibaldi takes a PPG hit directly to the ...
- 35.9k
47
votes
Accepted
Why don't they use dragonglass sword?
Dragonglass, if it is like our obsidian, would be too brittle to make classical swords. But that does not mean that they are limited to arrowheads, spears (by the way, the first picture seems to show ...
- 8,211
46
votes
Accepted
Will Ezra's lightsaber revolutionize dueling?
No. According to Star Wars Insider #154, you need to disengage the blade in order for the battery pack to power the blaster. Your lightsaber duel would last about four seconds and then you'd get your ...
- 677k
40
votes
Accepted
If PPGs don't penetrate metal, why didn't people use armour in Babylon 5?
PPGs aren't common, which is why people don't wear body armor that often.
As the audience, we often see them, but that's because our perspective follows the staff and crew of Babylon 5 around. They ...
- 4,186
39
votes
Accepted
What happened to the Lassiter?
This is addressed in the film's official novelisation. In short, they sold it and used the funds to upgrade the Serenity.
This [The Serenity] was Mal's pride and joy. A while back, they got their ...
- 677k
36
votes
Accepted
TV series episode about using oxygen in space suit helmet to fire gun
This is the Firefly episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds" as per this entry about Jayne's gun Vera:
In the TV series' episode "Our Mrs. Reynolds", "Vera", Jayne's powerful ...
- 216k
29
votes
Accepted
Earliest use of a prosthetic-integrated gun in speculative fiction?
Assuming newspaper comics fit your "speculative fiction" moniker, and assuming a flamethrower is close enough to a gun, Dick Tracy had Dr. Plain as a villain with a prosthetic arm containing ...
- 4,111
28
votes
Will Ezra's lightsaber revolutionize dueling?
Ezra's lightsaber's design would have changed the rules of lightsaber combat, but not enough to save the Old Republic. Your idea, however, is potentially enough to save the Old Republic.
There is a ...
- 34.1k
27
votes
Accepted
What franchises are these weapons and objects from?
The Tetriminos - Tetris
Power ring - Green Lantern (DC Comics)
The One Ring - Lord of the Rings
Pokeball - Pokemon
Batarang - Batman (DC Comics)
Noisy Cricket - Men in Black
Green Koopa shell - Mario
...
- 163k
27
votes
Accepted
Is there a difference between Narsil and Andúril?
In short: Symbolism
I think Tolkien was using the forging of Andúril to amplify the symbolic effect of the Return of the King as a counter point to the rise of Sauron. There is a good bit of ...
- 394
26
votes
Why did the Elves only create 3 blades that could glow blue?
As I understand it, and by the time in which The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place, there are many Elvish blades that have the ability to glow blue when orcs are near.
The elves were the ...
- 3,581
26
votes
Accepted
First science fiction story to use the word "laser" or "maser"?
Just a slightly earlier than any of the references to "laser {x}" listed in the Historical Dictionary of Science Fiction is this description of a maser weapon, from Poul Anderson's novel ...
- 121k
25
votes
Accepted
How much would Rick's bag of guns weigh?
At least 100 pounds
Shotguns
Harrington & Richardson Pardner Pump Compact
Weight: 6.5 pounds
Harrington & Richardson Pardner Pump Protector
Weight: 7.5 pounds
Mossberg 500 12 gauge with ...
- 115k
25
votes
Can goblins or orcs see the light Sting gives off?
The glow is visible to anyone who can see the blade. However it appears the sheath completely masks the glow as Aragorn is unable to see the blade glowing while it was sheathed.
'Let us see what ...
- 32.5k
24
votes
Accepted
What happens to lasers in space battles?
I will confine my answer to Star Wars, as you are using that tag, and the question would be too broad if applied to Science Fiction at large.
Ships in Star Wars are not firing actual lasers, they are ...
- 14.1k
24
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to construct a multi-colored double-bladed lightsaber?
According to the Star Wars Database, Maul's double-sided lightsaber was just two standard ones joined together.
The Sith apprentice Darth Maul wielded a double-bladed lightsaber made by joining two ...
- 66.7k
24
votes
Earliest use of a prosthetic-integrated gun in speculative fiction?
The earliest I can find is Limbo by Bernard Wolfe (1952). A review by The Nihilist Void explains the nature of the "arms" race:
Little do the citizens of either country realize, however, ...
- 22.1k
23
votes
Why are bat'leths "swords"?
Bat'leths were modelled upon Chinese fighting crescents.
According to its designer, Dan Curry, the bat'leth...
"...was modelled after a Chinese fighting crescent. Now it's become one of the icons ...
- 111k
23
votes
Why do snipers use blaster fire instead of bullets?
I haven't found a definitive in-universe explanation, but based on what we know about blasters and slugthrowers in the Star Wars universe there are some reasons to prefer the former over the latter as ...
Null♦
- 69.5k
22
votes
Accepted
How did Rick make a silencer out of a flashlight?
How-to guide
As we discuss repeatedly, whether making a suppressor from an oil filter, a fuel filter, a flashlight, or anything else, what you really need are two things; 1) A can or tube-like ...
- 216k
21
votes
Is Needle’s portrayal in Game of Thrones faithful to the books? (And is it a shortsword?)
No
George R. R. Martin made the following comment which makes it clear that the show version is not faithful to the book one as he seems to only have used cruciform sword designs.
I recall Valyrian ...
- 143k
20
votes
Why does no one take a fallen enemy's sword to sell it in Game of thrones?
This does happen, albeit in the books more than the TV series.
In Season 6, Episode 7 it is stated that the visitors to the camp are looking for Money, Food or Steel as payment for protection.
Also ...
- 1,410
20
votes
Accepted
Why does no one take a fallen enemy's sword to sell it in Game of thrones?
Let's rephrase the question: "Why does no one take the murdered victim's sword to sell it?"
CSI doesn't really exist in the Game of Thrones world, so if there are no witnesses to your fight with an ...
- 448
17
votes
Accepted
Can you identify these Fantasy / Sci-Fi Weapons from Grrl Power?
Let's create a community answer for this, even though I can only put a small amount into context:
Riddick's Ulak knives from The Chronicles of Riddick
Soul Edge from Soulcalibur
Scissor Sword from ...
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible