Raygun

Rayguns are types of directed-energy weapon, so far fictional, as far as is known in generally available information sources. They are classical and very widespread in science fiction. Types of raygun have various names: raygun, ray gun, beam gun, blaster, laser gun, etc. They supply the general role of guns in the scenarios of many stories.

History

A very early example is the Heat-Ray featured in H. G. Wells' The War of the Worlds, which was published in 1898. Science fiction as far back as the 1920s emphasized death rays as the weapons of choice. Early science fiction often showed raygun beams making bright light and loud noise like lightning or large electric arcs. When the laser, invented in 1960, became industrial reality in the 1960s, the generic fictional death rays were often renamed "lasers". See Science fiction weapon. By the late 1960s and 1970s however, the laser's limits as a weapon were evident, and less specific terms such as "phaser" (see Star Trek) or "blaster" (see Star Wars) were used.

Related Topics:
Heat-Ray - H. G. Wells - The War of the Worlds - 1898 - 1920s - Lightning - Electric arc - Laser - 1960 - 1960s - Science fiction weapon - 1970s - Phaser - Star Trek - Star Wars

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