The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

The 11 Coolest Sci-Fi Weapons... Ever!


Some weapons are only that: weapons. Others are imbued with the personality of those who wield them. When you think of Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker, what comes to mind? OK. The Force. And maybe the Death Star or an X-Wing or TIE fighter. Or maybe the whole “I am your father” thing. But the lightsaber is definitely on that list! Somewhere. And the same is true of other weapons.

Let’s be clear, these aren’t your ordinary, run of the mill, everybody’s got one weapons. These are iconic weapons. Weapons that have entered our consciousness and have altered the way we judge combat. Some you might know well, some you might just know in passing. But, these are the crème de la crème of boom sticks and mayhem makers.

As always, your faves might not be on this particular list and your results may vary. But hat’s what the comments are for. So lemme have it if you must. But for now, lock, load and behold the 11 Coolest Sci-Fi Weapons Ever!

  1. The Auto 9 from Robocop

    Made for the technologically-advanced cyborg cop walking a beat on the mean streets of Detroit, this heavily modified select-fire Beretta 93R fires three-round bursts that can lay low a dirtbag quicker than Donald Trump can tweet and delete. Utilizing a 50-round magazine that can be loaded with everything from standard to high explosive ammo, the Auto 9 is versatile, powerful, and intimidating as hell.

    When tasked with the difficult directives of serving the public trust, upholding the law and protecting the innocent, a pistol like this one comes in real handy on the job! You should give it a spin!

  2. The Phaser from Star Trek

    As it essentially defined the space weapon for generations of movie-goers and TV lovers, no list of sci-fi weapons would be complete without the Star Trek Phaser. No matter what the incarnation – from the classic pistol to whatever that garage door opener they were shooting on the Next Generation – it no doubt qualifies as one of the grandaddies of archetypal sci-fi arms.

    Portable, yet deadly, this versatile weapon generates a particle beam that can be modulated from stun to kill, with six settings in between. It can vaporize multiple targets at once with a split beam, be used as an improvised explosive device, or even serve as a cutting or welding torch. It’s clear that Starfleet scientists put a helluva lot more thought into the standard issue phaser than they ever did into those "standard issue" death magnet red shirts.

  3. John Constantine’s Holy Relic 12-Gauge

    OK. So, you mean there’s a 12-gague shotgun that’s made entirely of golden holy relics and covered in carved religious symbols? It fires gold-plated, blessed slugs from a spinning drum and has a Dragon’s Breath flamethrower attachment, you say? AND it kills demons, witches and any number of other-worldly beasts sent to ravage the Earth? Why, yes. Yes, please. We’ll take a dozen. Thank you.

    There aren’t many characters as cool or as tough as John Constantine, so it’s only fitting that he would carry a weapon suited to his level of awesome. Sure, he’s got plenty of tricks and spells up his sleeve, but sometimes there’s just no replacing the feeling of a righteously dangerous hunk of priceless metal in your mitts! Save the prayers for church, padre. There’s more than one way to receive a “holy” communion!

  4. The Kara’Kesh from Stargate

    Not only is it a stylish piece of hand candy than can be worn in any season and for any occasion, the Kara’Kesh is the ultimate in devastating personal weapons tech. Developed by the parasitic Goa’uld race to protect itself and its hosts, the kesh can only be wielded by those who have bonded with one of its serpentine symbiotes (which probably accounts for its rather low position on this list... ow!).

    But what can this hardware do? What can’t it? The device is fitted with a jewel, connects to the hand and operates through a neutral link with the user. It can fire kinetic energy waves, create a shield, paralyze victims, read minds, inflict psychic pain and fry and scramble brains (which must be the “Breakfast Setting”). With powers like that at the user’s fingertips, it almost makes being infected by a mostly deadly, egomaniacal parasite seem almost worth it.

  5. The Tesla ARC Gun from District 9

    This Tesla coil gun from Neil Blomkamp’s District 9 is the perfect weapon for the alien that wants to turn its opponent into a chunky splatter stain. Aptly nicknamed “The Mulcher,” this portable, if clunky, rifle fires what is essentially a bolt of lightning. (Yeah, that'll ruin your Tuesday.) And when the stream of electricity strikes anything biological, it superheats its blood and internal organs until the target explodes into an extra-large pot of steaming-hot chili… that we’d never want to eat. Even on a hot dog.

    In a movie that is filled to overflowing with very cool conventional weapons, Blomkamp wanted the ARC gun to stand out, but also to be a realistic alien alternative that operates on proven scientific principles. And what says “proven scientific principles” more than a lightning strike?

    But they didn’t sacrifice form for function! It still looks cool as hell – like a cross between a flamethrower and a hedge trimmer – and we’d like to think that gizmo-loving Ben Franklin would approve of this use of his (sort of) discovery!

  6. The Noisy Cricket from Men in Black

    Alright. This might be the funniest weapon on this list, not just because of its size (hey, size doesn’t matter, right?), but because of what happens AFTER someone fires it. Capable of generating a blast that can flip an armored truck or blow a hole in a thick concrete wall, this miniature poodle of weapons definitely has more bite than bark. One small thing: The recoil is a bitch and can very easily send the shooter flying into traffic, or into a building, or across a field, or out of a window… you get the idea. Newton’s laws of motion have a tendency to bite everyone in the ass at some point.

    It’s for this reason that the Tiny Cricket is usually reserved as a practical joke played on rookies. Y’know, something to break the ice. Or maybe the wrist. However, don’t ever confuse this weapon for a toy. When in the hands of a seasoned agent, this little beauty packs a serious punch and it's compact enough to carry anywhere you need to be!

  7. “The Good Samaritan” from Hellboy

    This big-bad-revolver is Hellboy’s go-to weapon when the going gets tough – and the going ain’t often easy for Brother Red! Holding four custom giant-caliber rounds of destruction, this gun can blow a hole in, or make soup out of, just about anything or anyone!

    But this weapon is a whole lot more than just an oversized pea-shooter – like John Constantine’s shotgun, it's practically a holy relic. With a body and frame made from blessed silver, crucifixes and Irish church bells; a handle carved from the True Cross; and bullets packed with garlic, silver, oak splinters, cloves and holy water? It can put a serious hurt on just about every supernatural being that climbs out of a cave, coffin or fiery hole!

    In short, it’s an icon in more ways than one. Besides, when was the last time you saw a scary-ass pistol and didn’t know whether to shoot it or pray to it?

  8. The Lightsaber from Star Wars

    It truly doesn’t get more iconic than this! It’s a rare thing when a single weapon can encapsulate an entire movie, epitomize its struggles and enrapture generation after generation with thoughts of becoming a hero – or villain – engaged in noble combat. Let’s just put it this way: Lightsabers defy time and continue to capture imaginations, both young and old.

    The chosen weapon of Jedis and Siths, this plasma sword is potent enough to deliver a lethal blow and yet precise enough to lop off a random extremity to emphasize a point. Hand-built by its owner, each lightsaber is unique and is powered by a force-attuned Kyber crystal and in the hands of someone who has mastered the Force, it's effective both offensively and defensively and essential to the arsenal of any knight… and to the toy collections every kid!

  9. Han Solo’s Blas Tech DL-44 Heavy Blaster from Star Wars

    Besides Chewie, the one thing you can’t separate Han Solo from is his blaster. It defines him and he defines it. It’s not just in the Pantheon of sci-fi weapons, it’s on the Mt. Rushmore! Why? Because if you wanna be Han, you gotta have the blaster!

    But while the cool factor does play a big part in its popularity, the DL-44 makes some serious noise on the performance front as well. Able to penetrate Stormtrooper armor with a single blast, this stylish sidearm is the preferred choice of dashing smugglers and ruthless bounty hunters alike. Delivering both power and accuracy, this durable and ergonomic weapon can serve double-duty as a workhorse in battle and – with a few creative and illegal modifications – as a quick draw special for when you need to… ahem… “defend yourself” at a Mos Eisley cantina!

  10. Rick Deckard’s LAPD 2019 Detective Special from Blade Runner

    Honestly, could the prop masters on Blade Runner have come up with a more fittingly cool weapon for a futuristic neo-noir cop? That question is, of course, moot!. Maybe it’s the mystery surrounding it, or the conflicted nature of the character wielding it (or the fact that Harrison Ford just makes a gun look badass), but the Detective Special has long been the subject of conversation among sci-fi nerds, film buffs and prop geeks alike. And it’s worth every wasted breath.

    Nobody really knows what it shoots. Could be 10mm, could be 12mm. Could be a .50 cal. cartridge or a .44 caseless. Regardless, it’s definitely got the stopping power to drop an android… and probably a rhino. Fitted with a molded, combat-style grip and (maybe) a sonic scope, Deckard’s trusty partner also comes equipped with a curious double-trigger (for what, we don’t know) and (perhaps) a power cell. It looks like a mad scientist created a blaster-pistol-shotgun hybrid for the sole purpose of killing enigmas… and then lost the plans. But, sometimes it takes an enigmatic gun to get the job done and we’ll take two!

  11. Mal Reynolds’ Moses Brothers Self-Defense Engine Frontier Model B from Firefly

    We reckon there weren’t many ways that a gun this shiny could likely be kept from stickin’ its barrel into number one on this here list. It might not be the popular choice, but it’s darned near the standard by which pretenders should be measured! It takes all the best parts from epochal weapons – sci-fi, western and war – and puts ‘em together to make one, all-fired ornery sidearm. It’s got a little Han Solo, a little Rick Deckard, a little George Patton and a little Clint Eastwood, and, son, it don’t get much more sweet than that!

    Reliable, with a kick like a mule, the Frontier Model B was Mal’s service weapon in the wars and has a dual firing system that offers two options to fit almost any situation. One of ‘em is tried-and-true bullets and powder (if it ain’t broke, right?), the other is a more advanced Gauss configuration that utilizes electromagnets to propel a projectile at a very high-and-rightly punishing speed. And while the gorram thing weighs a ton, if you got a steady hand and a clear eye, it’ll pick a fly off a Reaver’s moon at forty paces.

    And let’s be honest, there’s a certain amount of comfort in knowin’ that no matter how complicated and high-tech this world might become, we’ll always find the time to slap leather like a, Old West desperado gunslinger!

For more articles like this, take a look at our Fandoms and Lists page.