I say weapon because it gets to complicated with all the super powers you can get. Turning invisible, walking through walls, teleporting. So for this I want to limit it to sci fi weapons that at least attempt to have a tech basis. So like not the masters device that turns people into dolls. However we don’t care if we can completely explain how it might be done now. Like lightsabers are fair game. As for me I would go with the star gate zat guns as initially put in. Both lethal and nonlethas and very portable. I want to put an honorable mention for tthe minority report sonic shotgun that seems to run on wind up energy so you should never theoretically run out of ammo. although not so sure as there was no indication you could power up more than one shot at a time.
EDITED: Its a little late at this point as the answers have went way off the rails but in case it gets more replies my intention was a weapon someone might carry around and could use as one person. not a weapons system or vehicle. Also no robots or things that essentially are their own entities. It should be a weapon used in a weapon like manner. aim and fire. also that quote about sufficiently advance technology looks like magic. if it looks like magic to us instead of technology then its to far afield. I hope this makes it more clear what I was looking for. Honestly I would have like to not use weapons as a basis but there are just to many things when you look at all of sci fi.
An emp that blankets the world, but instead of electromagnetic it’s empathy manipulation such that it either eliminates those lacking empathy or forces them to be empathetic.
Goodbye capitalism, pedophilia, corruption, etc. We’re facing what I believe is a global empathy crisis through the rise of the far right due to global neoliberal capitalism. To secure profits, which we’ve tied to survival, we’re un-learning empathy, which was an evolutionary advantage for us. Capitalism rewards narcissism, a lack of empathy, being willing to exploit others.
I would set that empathy pulse off in an instant. I’m tired of seeing people brutalized around the world because of greedy people in power.
I think such a weapon is achievable once we understand genetics enough. Create a gene modification that makes people a little more cooperative and more interested in everybody else’s welfare - say 20% more - and infuse it into enough of the world’s water supplies to give the mutation to a majority of humans. Wait a few years and I think their behavioral changes would turn our whole world around. No need to design a perfect social system and use politics to implement it. It would quickly evolve on its own. .
Isn’t this the lore of the Reavers in Firefly?
Similar idea, but the “pacification gas” wasn’t a genetic modificationn. And of course how something works in a sci-fi story doesn’t depend on how it worked in a different one.
The flashy thing from Men in Black “my report was great and you have me an A+”
The point of view gun
Brought to you by the Intergalactic Consortium of Angry Housewives. Stop leaving the toilet seat up!!
While a death star is definitely more powerful, I think I would have to choose then BFG9000 from Doom.
yeah I mean the death star is outside of scope but the bfg is within. although i think it is one of those. the hero is so strong they can lug around a weapon thats supposed to be mounted type thing.

I’m not sure I’d like having a portal gun. I want one. I really want one. I just think life would kinda feel either pointless or overly complicated.
With only one of you with your regular human brain you’d be unable to save the entire world so any good you achieve would feel depressingly underwhelming, like the ending of schindlers list. Also you’d likely fall for a bad guys story and think you’re doing good but actually making shit worse.
If you manage to just be selfish with it and keep it quiet, what would you even do with life? Once you’d done all the landmarks, snuck onto area 51 and shit, what’s left? Doesn’t seem much point working a job, keeping a house or even robbing banks or whatever. Why bother with money when you’ve got a portal gun?
I really want it. But I must never have it.
I shouldn’t feel bad for just using it to reach the fridge from the sofa.
Now you’re thinking with portals!
Don’t forget the protective footwear.
Yeah, I’d shoot two portals in a vertical line
Undo my belt, lean in and
Change pants without having to look down
Also I’d suck my own diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick
Be your own reach around
I’m pretty sure I can already do that.
Nicoll-Dyson beam. You can fry your enemy anywhere, anytime, at the speed of light, with the power of an entire star.
Cerebral Bore from Turok 2. Not sure why, but that one stuck with me over the years.
A Gun That Can Kill The Past
Sonic Screwdriver is pretty much a magic wand with lights, so I choose that.
They’re scientific instruments, not water pistols!
Dena’s chakrams but laserfied
Vegetarian forks
The ZF-1.
it’s light. Handle’s adjustable for easy carrying, good for righties and lefties. Breaks down into four parts, undetectable by x-ray, ideal for quick, discreet interventions. A word on firepower. Titanium recharger, three thousand round clip with bursts of three to three hundred, and with the Replay button, another Zorg invention, it’s even easier.
Plus a tempting red button
A chainsword from 40K.
While a ship, the Lexx was primarily designed as a weapon that could destroy planets, so I’ll go for The Lexx.
One that immediately eliminates all billionaires and blocks their existence forever.
Ah the hyper-inflation doomsday gun






