# Sci-Fi weapons with BAD design flaws **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 30, 2017, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573 "2017-01-30T07:18:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/21 "2017-01-30T15:58:05Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > While it’s true that a Grand Moff doesn’t have to be reasonable or patient, it doesn’t make the attack on Yavin IV practical until it’s actually practical. The Death Star had to get around Yavin, the gas giant primary, to get a shot at the inhabited moon. I believe he was alluding to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUJiHut7YE). ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/22 "2017-01-30T15:59:55Z")
Both Stars (Trek and Wars) have all these advanced ships with these ultra-modern weapons, but when they engage each other it’s always in sighting distance of the other ship, a few thousand miles at most. You’d think that someone would have developed weapons that worked a long distances by now…which they have, no reason phasers or turbo lasers only have a limited range. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/23 "2017-01-30T16:19:58Z")
My big issue with the whole Death Star Yavin IV thing is why didn’t someone say, “Fuck it, blow up the gas giant.” I don’t know what it would do to an orbiting moon but I’m willing to bet it won’t be anything good. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/24 "2017-01-30T16:26:47Z")
You’re assuming that the destructive capacity of the Death Star is “One planet”, regardless of size. Just because it can destroy an Earth-sized world doesn’t mean that it can destroy a gas giant. Speaking of Death Stars, the Starkiller Base from Ep. 7 has a big advantage over the original, in that it can fire through hyperspace, meaning that you don’t have to bring it to the target. But it still needs to be hyper-capable, because each shot uses up a star, and so you need to bring it to a new star every time you fire it. ---
**Author:** ![AtomicDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ac91a4/32.png) [@AtomicDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AtomicDog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/25 "2017-01-30T16:44:12Z")
The Ultimate Nullifier. Destroys not only its target but its wielder, with the potential to destroy the universe. So what was Galactus going to use it for? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/26 "2017-01-30T16:48:44Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Speaking of Death Stars, the Starkiller Base from Ep. 7 has a big advantage over the original, in that it can fire through hyperspace, meaning that you don’t have to bring it to the target. But it still needs to be hyper-capable, because each shot uses up a star, and so you need to bring it to a new star every time you fire it. Yeah, I was thinking about that. There’s a lot of stars in the galaxy but they’re not exactly conveniently placed by one another. And sometimes the closest star is going to be one you want to still be around later. That’s a lot of shuffling around for bullets. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/27 "2017-01-30T17:11:02Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I believe he was alluding to [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUJiHut7YE). Close - There was one where he just blew up Yavin. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/28 "2017-01-30T17:34:34Z")
> [@AtomicDog](#): > > The Ultimate Nullifier. Destroys not only its target but its wielder, with the potential to destroy the universe. So what was Galactus going to use it for? Possibly he was just keeping it there so no one _else_ would use it. Its origin is never explained, IIRC. If I knew that one of the few things in the universe that could destroy me existed, I’d want to keep an eye on it. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/29 "2017-01-30T17:35:38Z")
> [@Mollie\_Magill](#): > > Close - There was one where he just blew up Yavin. Yeah, that’s the one I thought the link was, didn’t even realize that there was a different version. And they might as well. Blowing up a gas giant is only a couple of orders of magnitude [more idiotic](https://medium.com/starts-with-a-bang/the-physics-of-the-death-star-c21ccc58ade9#.vxoy4fv7t) than blowing up a planet. ---
**Author:** ![tonyfop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/85f322/32.png) [@tonyfop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tonyfop)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/30 "2017-01-30T18:49:37Z")
Question: If Yavin was a gas giant, couldn’t they just shoot through the top few layers and hit the moon behind it? Why wait for visual, or do they have no over-the horizon capability? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/31 "2017-01-30T20:03:59Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > Question: If Yavin was a gas giant, couldn’t they just shoot through the top few layers and hit the moon behind it? Why wait for visual, or do they have no over-the horizon capability? If the moon is close enough to the planet’s edge to be an achievable shot through “the top few layers” (instead of just blocked outright by the gas giant’s bulk), a small shift sideways would give them a clear shot, so they might as well wait for that. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/32 "2017-01-30T20:59:28Z")
Keep in mind, too, that the Death Star was relatively untested, only having ever made one full-power shot before that. So they probably weren’t entirely sure what it would do to the gas giant, or how much matter would be sufficient to block it. At worst, a hit on the gas giant might have caused an explosion or other reaction which might damage the station. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/33 "2017-01-30T21:06:27Z")
> [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](#): > > Both Stars (Trek and Wars) have all these advanced ships with these ultra-modern weapons, but when they engage each other it’s always in sighting distance of the other ship, a few thousand miles at most. You’d think that someone would have developed weapons that worked a long distances by now…which they have, no reason phasers or turbo lasers only have a limited range. The weapons don’t seem all that powerful either. Even when the shields are down, the worst a photon torpedo or phaser seems to do is maybe put a cannonball hole in the hull and short out some control panels. A modern anti-ship missile or torpedo will basically do[this to a warship.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxpwIsZCgtM) These guys are firing anti-matter bombs at each other. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/34 "2017-01-30T21:11:30Z")
I always thought the Star Wars laser cannons were silly. Speed of light weapon that has no targeting and has to be aimed from a WWII ball turret, like a B52. Dennis ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/35 "2017-01-30T21:13:00Z")
Blasters and Phasers dont seem to be any much better than modern small arms. Except Phasers can stun. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/36 "2017-01-30T21:15:55Z")
Fan-wank on some of these. Phasers don’t move at the speed of light. In “Q-Who” they move as slow as a camera pans even. Star Trek ships clobbering each other in visual range? My fan-wank is some kind of anti-weapon warfare means they HAVE to get that close. Starkiller. Why does everyone assume it drained the entire star? (I mean it may have but that wasn’t what I thought on initial viewing) I thought it just ‘dimmed’ the star, and the star would eventually return to normal. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/37 "2017-01-30T21:20:34Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Blasters and Phasers dont seem to be any much better than modern small arms. Except Phasers can stun. As said above…in theory a phaser would be as effective as a “Death flashlight” Hell they even have a wide beam setting. But I can only recall it being used once to sweep a group of people. That crappy second season TNG ep with the mute diplomat. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/38 "2017-01-30T21:28:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Blasters and Phasers dont seem to be any much better than modern small arms. Except Phasers can stun. Blasters can stun too, which IIRC was used exactly one time. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/39 "2017-01-30T21:31:36Z")
> [@asterion](#): > > The Fat Man from Fallout is objectively a terrible idea. A man-portable (not crew-served) nuclear weapon launched via catapult on the battlefield. The only thing that makes it work is the game mechanics. Nuka Grenades in 4 aren’t much better. Better be sure they won’t be coming back! Learned this the hard way having played around with them in 3 and never got injured by bad bounces. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573/40 "2017-01-30T21:40:45Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Blasters and Phasers dont seem to be any much better than modern small arms. Except Phasers can stun. Well, Phasers are intelligent weapons. They can heat a rock to glowing heat or, just as easily, completely disintegrate a person leaving no residue, depending on the current need 🙂 I once read an article (Larry Niven? Isaac Asimov?) on the whole idea of laser pistols. Apparently, not a really great idea. If the other guy is wearing the right color garment, it might just (briefly) reflect off. And you don’t get a nice hole when you shoot someone – you get, at the cost of a massive expenditure of energy, a messy sort of steam explosion. Hard to see any real benefit vs passing a piece of high velocity steel or lead through the same object. Maybe for long distances, you don’t have to worry about windage or gravity, but you do have to worry about diffraction and beam spreadage. Also, if there are any specular surfaces around, you could put your eye out. Also, I wouldn’t want to be _anywhere_ around a variable sword or any other type of monofilament infinitely sharp weapon unless I was wearing a protective suit, because the mere idea of fighting or even being in the same room with a flailing length of “cut anything in half” gives me the willies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sci-fi-weapons-with-bad-design-flaws/778573.md?page=3)