Sevencyclopaedia - W

WEAPONS

To list every weapon seen in the series would be impractical, if only because few were referred to by name. The following is just a summary. The scavengers on Cephlon used the crudest weapons, having stone spears and axes. They also threw boulders frequently. More sophisticated spears were seen on Cygnus Alpha, as were metal machete-like knives which may have been made on-planet. The Decimas also had axes and spears, and Geela and Novara carried spear-like weapons that could discharge a lethal energy blast. The natives of Horizon used blowpipes. Servalan killed Leitz with a crystalline, stalactite-shaped energy weapon hidden up her sleeve. Some of the guards on Spaceworld carried a hand-held pain-inflicting device which could be set to a fatal level.

Travis's Gun from Seek-Locate-Destroy

Sara's weapon in Mision to Destiny being used

The Goths, Sarrans and Hommiks used a variety of mediaeval-level hand weapons, including swords, and crossbows were seen on Goth and Xenon. Dayna used a bow and arrow against the Sarrans.

Primitive firearms appeared a number of times, including a pair of flintlock pistols with which Tyce disarmed Blake, and several episodes featured six-shot revolvers. Percussion shells were needed on Virn, where circuitry was prone to malfunction: Tarrant exploited the versatility of the clip gun in that regard, and Investigator Reeve used a heavy pistol. As he said to Servalan, "a bullet can still make a mess of a man". The "hold-out" pistols with which Sarkoff shot Tarvin and Avon hunted Vila above Malodar may also have been projectile weapons. Chevner used a heavy rifle, possibly an antique M16 "Armalite" assault rifle. Some of the rifles seen in Traitor appeared to be fitted with box magazines, suggesting they too might have fired bullets.

Most of the sidearms used were energy weapons of some kind. Pistols of various kinds were numerous, including a standard issue Federation pistol, with others too numerous to mention. They varied in size from the bulky, box-like sidearms of Bayban's crew to the tiny pistol carried by Travis in Seek-Locate-Destroy. The pistol carried by Largo's enforcer was also seen to be used by Tynus. In the first three seasons, the crew generally used the handguns held in the Liberator's gun locker, but other pistols were used by Avon in Rumours of Death and Terminal.

Federation troopers usually used a light carbine, referred to by Avon simply as a "handgun" in Volcano (fan lore: "paragun"). It was also seen in the hands of the crew of the London, the rebels on Albian, Vila and Tarrant on Sardos, Avon on Auron and Terminal, Blake on Gauda Prime and various other occasions. Several versions may have existed, since different sound signatures were heard in different episodes (cf The Way Back, Project Avalon, Powerplay and Children of Auron. A sound signature heard on Albian may have indicated an autofire capability, as may that heard on the soundtrack of a videocast from Zondawl. Only one sound signature (the commonest) was heard in the battle between Servalan's and LeGrand's forces on Atlay, so both sides were probably armed with the same weapon. A version with low energy bolt discharge was an integral feature of Project Avalon, allowing the crew to think they had escaped with Avalon. The stock was detachable, as shown in Games, and extendable, as shown in Cygnus Alpha.

Other carbines and rifles include Cally's rifle on Saurian Major (brought aboard Liberator but never seen again); the stocky carbines carried by Kasabi's rebels; the heavy rifles used by the rebels on Helotrix; and the twin-barrelled blaster with which Avon killed Klyn and Blake (in fan lore, frequently considered to be a projectile weapon. It may or may not have been). Few details were given on the type of energy fired by these weapons: Avon mentioned "beam radiation" with respect to the Liberator handguns in Pressure Point.

Some notable sidearms include: the lazeron destroyer built into Travis" left hand; IMIPAK, which had a range of one million miles with death delayed indefinitely after firing; the vitashock weapons used by Dayna and Lauren against the Sarrans; and a large but portable energy weapon of some sort used to stun Tarrant in Moloch. The Federation security robots seen in Seek-Locate-Destroy and Project Avalon were fitted with flamethrowers.

Less orthodox-looking weapons, in appearance at least, were the handguns on the Liberator, and a weapon designed by Dayna, bright green in colour and ovoid in shape. It was used by Chel and Servalan on Sarran, Cally on Keezarn, and by Deral when he came aboard Liberator. Dayna once said it had a killing range of "200", probably metres.

Grenades were used on a number of occasions, almost invariably thrown. In Stardrive they were planted at marked positions and later detonated by remote control. No grenade launcher was ever seen. Travis threw a strontium grenade in Pressure Point, and the nucleic burster mentioned in Power may also have been a grenade of some sort.

Heavy weapons were rare: Bayban used a tripod-mounted laser cannon on Keezarn and a portable neutron blaster was deployed by the crew on Crandor. In Seek-Locate-Destroy Escon made references to "destructors" which might fall into this category. In Blake Tarrant came under fire from a plasma weapon fitted to a flier: Blake noted that the ammunition for this weapon was scarce.

Tactical weapons were occasionally referred to: Jenna compared the surface of UP-Duel with the effects of a fusion bomb, tactical missiles were nearly used against Obsidian and "projectiles" against Auron, both by the Federation. Igin was killed by a neutron strike. Blake referred to "rocket attacks from space" against Central Control on Earth. Armoured fighting vehicles were never seen, however, although Hunda did refer to "gunships". Interceptor rockets were fired at Liberator from the surface of Centero and required seven hours flight to outrange, and Blake's comments in Horizon imply that surface-mounted plasma bolt launchers could be fired at vessels in orbit.

Ship-mounted weapons include the plasma bolts fired by Federation pursuit ships, and the Liberator's neutron blasters. Other shipboard weaponry included proximity mines, and "seekers" on the Liberator. Perhaps the ultimate weapon was Egrorian's tachyon funnel, which could destroy anything over any distance, or so its inventor claimed.

See also BLOWPIPE, CROSSBOWS, CLIP GUN, DESTRUCTORS, ENERGISER, GRENADES, GUNSHIPS, IMIPAK, LASER RIFLE, LAZERON DESTROYER, NEUTRON BLASTERS, NEUTRON STRIKE, NUCLEIC BURSTER, PLASMA BOLTS, PROJECTILES, PROXIMITY MINES, REVOLVERS, SEEKERS, STRONTIUM GRENADE, TACHYON FUNNEL

WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT BASE

A Federation "triple-A" security installation on an unnamed planet. Cally suggested that Blake should attack it, guessing that sooner or later he would be moving against Central Control on Earth. The projected raid was abandoned when Orac revealed that the base was on maximum security alert, a condition prompted by Coser's theft of IMIPAK.

The WEB

A silicon-based organic life form developed by the Lost in their exile, the product of a line of research that went out of control. It had enormous tensile strength and its spores germinated rapidly. Liberator became caught in the Web as it approached the planet, and lacked the power to break free. Attempts to clear a way through with the neutron blasters failed. Geela and Novara offered to clear a way out through the Web, using a fungicide they had developed, but needed new flutonic power cells to project it (as well as keep Saymon alive and wipe out the Decimas).

The Duke of WELLINGTON

Jarvik misquoted the Duke of Wellington when he said "Next to a battle lost, there's nothing half so melancholy as a battle won". Sir Arthur Wellesley (1769-1852) wrote in a dispatch from Waterloo "Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won".

WHISTLE

Hask used a blast on a whistle to signal the start of the ambush of an adapted Helot patrol by Hunda's 4th column.

WHITE DWARF

Star One generally referred to the new location of the Federation's central control complex, but more properly it probably meant the white dwarf star beyond the edge of the galaxy, at grid reference C-17320 in the 11th Sector. It had a single planet on which the control complex was housed.

Liberator's aberrant course changes in Dawn of the Gods led to speculation that the gravitational field of a white dwarf star might be responsible. Avon stated that flying close to a white dwarf would tear the ship apart, and add another few layers of molecules to the star's surface.

White dwarfs are the remnants of old, burned out stars that lacked the mass to turn into supernova or black holes. They are incredibly dense, but held up by the internal pressure of free electrons. In theory at any rate, they are frequently companions to red giant stars.

WHITE MOUNTAINS

Mountain range on Helotrix. Leitz told Hunda that the 1st and 3rd columns of the resistance were pulling back to the White Mountains to regroup.

WILER

Second pathologist on Fosforon, Dr Wiler conducted the autopsy on Wardin. He died when the corpse reanimated and strangled him, crushing his neck with more than human strength. Attempts by two technicians and Gambrill to save Wiler failed.

WINE

Gola offered Travis wine on Goth, and Servalan was twice seen eating grapes there. Grose offered Servalan "real wine, from grapes" in Moloch, although she declined. Dorian kept a good stock of wine on Xenon, and Avon expressed his approval of it. Soolin noted in Animals that Vila had already drunk the best of it.

WYLE

One of the admissions to the Central Clinic on Earth on the same day as the three children allegedly molested by Blake.

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