Stunner (weapon)
Encyclopedia
A Stunner is a general term for a science fiction weapon that is designed to temporarily impair the motor and/or cognitive functions of a living being, usually by rendering it unconscious, but otherwise unharmed.
The most famous examples of this kind of weapon include:
The most famous examples of this kind of weapon include:
- Phasers in the Star TrekStar TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
franchise which can be set to stun an opponent with variable severity. - Stunners in the Vorkosigan SagaVorkosigan SagaThe Vorkosigan Saga is a series of science fiction novels and short stories set in a common fictional universe by American author Lois McMaster Bujold. Most of these were published between 1986 and 2002, with the exceptions being “Winterfair Gifts” and Cryoburn...
by Lois McMaster BujoldLois McMaster BujoldLois McMaster Bujold is an American author of science fiction and fantasy works. Bujold is one of the most acclaimed writers in her field, having won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel four times, matching Robert A. Heinlein's record. Her novella The Mountains of Mourning won both the Hugo...
which causes a temporary reduction in nerve activity within a radius of the impact site. - Stunners in the Solar Queen series by Andre NortonAndre NortonAndre Alice Norton, née Alice Mary Norton was an American science fiction and fantasy author under the noms de plume Andre Norton, Andrew North and Allen Weston...
which disrupt the motor function, although leaving the shot person conscious. - The WraithWraith (Stargate)In the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis, the Wraith are the original enemy alien species, first introduced in the pilot episode . In the series, they are a vampire-like telepathic race who feed on the "life-force" of humans, and are the dominant power in the Pegasus galaxy...
of Stargate AtlantisStargate AtlantisStargate Atlantis is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of MGM's Stargate franchise. The show was created by Brad Wright and Robert C. Cooper as a spin-off series of Stargate SG-1, which was created by Wright and Jonathan Glassner and was itself...
use stunners to capture humans alive, in order to feed on their life energy. - Also in Stargate Atlantis, Ronon DexRonon DexRonon Dex is a fictional character in the science fiction television series Stargate Atlantis. Played by Jason Momoa, he is a Satedan, a civilization from the Pegasus Galaxy who had a technological level comparable to Earth in the mid-20th century but met the fate of all advanced civilizations in...
's personal energy pistol can be set to two settings: stun and kill. - Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1Stargate SG-1 is a Canadian-American adventure and military science fiction television series and part of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's Stargate franchise. The show, created by Brad Wright and Jonathan Glassner, is based on the 1994 feature film Stargate by Dean Devlin and Roland Emmerich...
' s Zats are not true stunners; although one shot is sufficient to stun, a second burst is fatal. The single shot from a Zat does not necessarily incapacitate, as strong or prepared enough targets can shrug off the effects in several seconds (the second shot is still fatal). - In Battlefield EarthBattlefield Earth (film)Battlefield Earth is a 2000 American science fiction film adapted from L. Ron Hubbard's novel of the same name. It was directed by Roger Christian, and stars John Travolta, Forest Whitaker, and Barry Pepper...
, Psychlo weapons are basically two-in-one, with one barrel firing destructive shots and the other emitting green pulse that stuns and knocks the target back.