Plasma weaponry is a weapons technology used by both the Resistance and Skynet in the future.

Personal pistols^[1], rifles, crew served weapons, and many varieties of vehicular mounted heavy weapons are operational throughout the battlefields of the Future War. With the advent of time travel corrupting the timeline with both knowledge of^[2] and even actual artifacts^[1] of future technologies the exact date of introduction of plasma weaponry is entirely uncertain.

Known usages

• Westinghouse M-27 Phased Plasma Battle Rifle

• General Dynamics RBS-80 Phased Plasma Pulse Gun

• Isotope weapon

• A HK-Tank mounted version of this weapon appeared to have the power to violently blow a human body into several charred pieces upon impact.^[3][4]

• Skynet's Central Core Installation at Cheyenne Mountain was defended from large scale rebel assaults by massive phased plasma cannons. ^[5]

• The T-X Terminator was the first design to successfully incorporate onboard weaponry into a Terminator or Infiltrator capable of deployment via Time Displacement Equipment. All previous temporal transport of advanced weaponry involved the use of willing^[6] or unwilling^[1] organic carriers, or simply utilizing future-tech knowledge on contemporary materials.^[7]

• The contemporary plasma rifle appears to utilize some form of isotope either as a power source or as ammunition.^[7]

Notes

• It is possible that plasma weapons accelerate a bolt of superheated hydrogen plasma to high speed using magnetic induction technology such as the coilgun or the railgun. Although this is purely speculation it represents a scientifically plausible possibility.
• The Terminator went to a gun shop in present-day Los Angeles and requested a "...phased plasma rifle in the 40 watt range", a weapon from his own time. The Terminator
• The Series 800 Terminator was vulnerable against plasma attacks, so in 2027, Skynet decided to harden the T-800 against plasma attacks. ^{[citation needed]} This resulted in the creation of the Series 850 Terminator.

Merchandise

Appearances

Films

• The Terminator
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day
• Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Comics

• Dark Horse Comics
  • The Terminator: Hunters and Killers
  • The Terminator: Death Valley
  • The Terminator: The Dark Years
  • The Terminator: Tempest
  • The Terminator: Secondary Objectives
  • The Terminator: The Enemy Within
  • The Terminator: End Game

Novels

• T2 Trilogy
  • T2: Infiltrator
  • T2: Rising Storm
  • T2: The Future War

Television series

• Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
  • Season 1
    • pilot episode ^[8]
    • "The Turk" (during a dream sequence)
    • "Dungeons & Dragons"
  • Season 2
    • "Goodbye to All That"
    • "Alpine Fields"
    • "Today Is The Day, Part 1"
    • "Today Is The Day, Part 2"
    • "Born to Run"

Plasma weaponry

HK-Aerial

HK-Tank

HK-Tank & HK-Aerial Plasma

HK-Flying Mini Hunter

Resistance plasma carbine The Terminator

Resistance plasma carbine Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Resistance plasma pulse rifle(?) Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Resistance plasma cannon Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Resistance plasma minigun Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Resistance plasma rifle Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

A Future Terminator using a plasma cannon

Skynet plasma rifle (closeup) Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Skynet plasma rifle Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Skynet plasma rifle Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Skynet plasma cannon Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Resistance captured plasma rifle Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Resistance captured plasma rifle Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

T-X's onboard plasma weapon Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Contemporary plasma rifle aka Isotope weapon (concept) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot episode

Contemporary plasma rifle aka Isotope weapon (concept) Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot episode

Contemporary plasma rifle aka Isotope weapon Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot episode

Critical component of the Isotope weapon Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles pilot episode

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References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The Terminator: Tempest
2. ↑ T2: Infiltrator
3. ↑ The Terminator
4. ↑ However the HK-tanks in Terminator 2: Judgment Day do not exhibit this; most likely due to both weapon systems using two barrels, thus putting more strain on the vehicle's reactor.
5. ↑ T2 3-D: Battle Across Time
6. ↑ The Terminator: One Shot
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} The pilot episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
8. ↑ During the Season 1 DVD Special Feature Creating the Chronicles: Reboot it is confirmed that the bank weapon is a plasma technology design.

See also

• Plasma reactor - another application of the plasma technology