You know it was bound to happen sooner or later. So here we are guns ablaze picking out the top 10 sci-fi movie weapons to grace the silver screen. For these articles criteria, we are choosing only weapons that are based on real-world functioning firearms with sci-fi features added for the film. Also, with this article, we’ll be taking a deeper look at the actual firearm used in the movie instead of any particular scene. So strap in and load up as we blast away at TFB’s Top 10 Sci-Fi Movie Weapons.

#1 Rick Deckard’s gun – Blade Runner (1982)

The block-buster Ridley Scott movie Blade Runner focuses on Future LAPD Detective Rick Decard. Rick Deckard is a “Blade Runner” tasked with hunting down rogue androids known as replicants. His sidearm has no official name but has gone by several names. Names include the 2019 Detective Special, M2019 Blaster, PKD (Steyr Pflager Katsumata) Series-D Blaster and LAPD 2019 Blaster.

The gun as seen in the movie is constructed from a mish-mash of several very different guns. The double trigger and receiver housing were taken from a Steyr Mannlicher 222 model SL hunting rifle. A Charter Arms Bulldog 44 Special revolver makes up the grip and remainder of the bulk of the gun.

The double trigger has caused curious fans a lot of debate and confusion. Does the weapon need two triggers? Does it have two barrels? In all honesty, I think the double trigger was used just to give the gun a bit more character and stand out from your standard fare sci-fi blaster. Supposedly the gun fires a caseless 44 caliber round but more than likely this is left up to viewer interpretation. Either way replicas of this gun are highly sought after.

#2 BlasTech E-11 Blaster – Star Wars (1977)

The “evil” Imperial Storm Troopers use a variety of weapons throughout the Star Wars Saga. Everything from the Light E-11 blaster to the heavier TB-DLT-10 Heavy Blaster (which is a touched-up german MG34) can be seen on screen when the Empire’s forces meet the Rebel Alliance. Taking center stage as the standard armament of the Imperial Stormtrooper, the BlasTech E-11 Blaster is the trusty standard weapon of the white-clad troopers.

The E-11 Blaster takes its base from a very popular submachine gun, the British Sterling Arms Mk4/L2A3. To add some flare, some “t-track grips” were added to the barrel shroud. The source of these grips is unknown. But to me, they look like repurposed windshield wipers. A vintage 1942 M38 azimuth scope was mounted to a custom made rail atop the gun give the trooper extended range and accuracy. The 34 round side-mounted box magazine is cut down significantly to give the blaster a slim profile.

Given that the unfolding stock was rarely used on-screen, it’s no wonder that Stormtroopers had such horrible accuracy during the film. In-universe, the blaster is intended to run off standard energy cells and can be set to Kill, Stun and also Sting modes giving the trooper a variety of options when dealing with rebel scum.

#3 Beretta Auto 9 – RoboCop (1987)

The “Auto 9” is a heavily modified Beretta 93R that was originally built for the titular protagonist of the 1987 film RoboCop. The pistol is fitted with an extended casket-shaped barrel with a raised front sight and matching enlarged rear sight. While made specifically for RoboCop, it has been such a popular design that it has since been reused in numerous other forms of media, including the film and TV sequels and spin-offs to RoboCop.

According to actor Peter Weller, the Auto 9, was perfectly balanced but was also very difficult to spin during RoboCop’s trademark gun twirl. I’m sure plenty of non-cyborg Law Enforcement officers wished they had a 50 round pistol as their duty weapon.

#4 Futuristic ACR – Oblivion (2013)

Oblivion is a sci-fi film about Jack Harper (Tom Cruise) set in 2077, sixty years after Earth has been destroyed by an alien Invasion. In the film, Jack, who is tasked with protecting and maintaining combat drones, carries this futuristic ACR throughout most of the film.

The Bushmaster ACR in the film uses a custom manufactured shell that surrounds both the stock and upper receiver. This gives the rifle a monolithic and futuristic look. Adding to the aesthetic the rifle makes use of only modified 10 round magazines. The prop rifle was made by ISS Props (Independent Studio Services (ISS) Props), TFB toured their facility and got their hands on the actual rifle used in the movie.

ISS Props also fitted the modified ACR with an Oveready/TorchLAB weapon light mounted above the barrel. The rifle in the film is also customized with a Magpul MS-3 Sling. This has got to be one of the most well-made weapon props from the last decade of film making.

#5 Zorg ZF-1 Pod Weapon System – The Fifth Element (1997)

We’ve come down to the wildcard portion for this half of the series. The Zorg ZF-1 is probably my favorite from this list. Not only is it over the top in terms of sheer firepower, but it also manages to top the charts for one of the most memorable weapons in any sci-fi film. I’ll let the man himself, Mr. Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) demonstrate the ZF-1’s features and capabilities to you. Enjoy.

Upon initial inspection, I thought I would have had to exclude this weapon because it didn’t seem to have any real-world weapons as part of its build. However, there is actually an AKS-74U inside the blank firing prop guns. In some scenes, you can actually see the 5.45×39 magazine protruding from the bottom end of the gun where the “ice-cube system” is but it is hard to notice during action sequences.

First, he demonstrates the “replay” feature, firing a single shot and then fully automatic fire in the opposite direction.‎ Also note the firing version’s ejection port just ahead of the “arrow launcher” bulge on the right side, not present in the previous shot. The inert models also have multiple openings in the front of the barrel while the firing props only have but one for the real barrel. However, no versions of the rifle with a functioning little red button have been known to still exist. I guess all the Mangalores put all of those to use.

TFB’s Top 10 Sci-Fi Movie Weapons 2: Electric Boogaloo

There are more awesome sci-fi weapons to come in part II of this series. We hope you enjoyed the first part. Please let us know down in the comments what some of your favorite sci-fi weapons are. But if yours didn’t show up in part one don’t worry, it may very likely end up in part II. Until then, thanks for reading and we’ll catch you in the next one.