History Main / SlowLaser

** In the 40k novels, what lasguns are and how they work vary DependingOnTheWriter. Creator/DanAbnett has a sniper having to compensate for wind and gravity, with a permanent bruise from the recoil. Others have had lasguns fire normal bullets, in a bizarre inversion of FamilyFriendlyFirearms. One mistake all of them do is have the shot cauterize the wound. In real life, lasers would do the same damage as normal firearms, albeit much larger calibers than normal humans carry as the lasers would cause explosive flash vaporization and flash flesh into briefly existing plasma. Lasguns are known to blow grown men nearly in half, which is actually very realistic.

* In the ''Literature/HyperionCantos'', laser weapons work at the speed of light. Unfortunately, space battles take place across such great distances that the enemy ships have to watch the beam crawl across space towards them. While the time it takes for lasers to hit is realistic, unless their sensors work considerably faster than light there's no way they could notice the attack until it hit, and it raises questions about why they don't move out of the way.

* In ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'', the [[RedshirtArmy Imperial Guards]]' standard "lasguns" are the ''weakest'' of all guns actively used by the series' factions, and they can blow body parts off. How realistically the weapons are portrayed varies.

* There's an arcade ShootEmUp called ''VideoGame/{{Strikers 1945}}.'' As the title suggests, it ostensibly takes place during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. You have a choice of six or so planes to fly against the ostensible Axis powers. Ostensibly because ''these are WWII-era planes in 1945 shooting these at transforming HumongousMecha.''

* In ''VideoGame/EvilGenius'', the mission to steal the giant lab laser is actually ''called'' ''Fricken' Laser''. It is a parody of the spy genre, after all...

* The upcoming Cataclysm expansion for ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' features a quest requiring you to kill a giant shark with a robotic shark of your own (not surprisingly, this is in the goblin starting area.) What is the robotic shark's primary attack? A frikken laser beam. Yes, they actually include the word frikken in the attack name.

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' features the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFRbGppLaUI "Thermal Discouragement Beam."]] It behaves exactly like a real laser save for being highly visible, passes through glass, and can be redirected with "Discouragement Redirection Cubes". It's also one of only two ways (in the player's control) to actually destroy a turret, but it's surprisingly non-fatal when the player touches it -- it won't kill you but it hurts enough that you can't simply walk through it.

* ''VideoGame/{{Warzone 2100}}'' has two kinds of lasers - laser turrets and the Laser ''KillSat'', both depicted as rather slow moving - the turret lasers are depicted as projectiles (despite there being a rail gun in the game that is depicted as somewhat beam-like) and move slightly faster than machine gun bullets, but they are homing projectiles, with an 80% chance to hit, while the Laser ''KillSat'' is depicted as a cone of fire descending on it's target area.

* Each of the three sides in ''VideoGame/{{Earth 2150}}'' has a unique EnergyWeapon (with the Lunar Corporation having an extra one). The [[TheEmpire Eurasian Dynasty]] has lasers, which fire bright red beams that hit instantly. However, unlike a typical laser, it doesn't do any damage. Instead, it rapidly heats the target until the target's power plant or ammo stores explode. If the beam is interrupted, the target quickly cools down with no damage. Building are almost impossible to destroy with lasers, as stone has a higher melting point than metal.

* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' features Eridian weaponry-- most of these fire slower-than-light energy pulses of some kind (amusingly enough, averted by the sniper rifle equivalent, which is a LightningGun), but are never explicitly stated to be lasers. ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' brings us E-Tech weapons, however, which are described as things like lasers, particularly the Blaster range of E-Tech rifles. As expected of the trope, however, they are all fire blob-shaped energy pulses with obvious travel time, sometimes ending up even slower than standard bullets. The reason they still use up ammo (at twice the going rate even) is due to the guns somehow turning standard cartridges into energy projectiles. The saving graces of increased damage, elemental properties, and pure RuleOfCool keep them from being just novelties.

* All laser weapons in ''VideoGame/{{System Shock 2}}'' fire slow prismatic bricks which you can dodge gracefully with a sufficient agility stat.

* Most bosses that aren't fire-based in ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' video games are laser-based. In ''VideoGame/SonicColors'', the Cyan Wisp can turn ''Sonic himself'' into a laser beam, able to shoot through enemies and bounce along electric coils and crystals.

* ''Serious Sam'':

* Subverted in ''Webcomic/SchlockMercenary'' as most of the characters, with the exception of Sergeant Schlock who prefers a plasma cannon, tend to use projectile weapons. The reasoning for this is explained in the footnote for [[http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20001029.html This comic.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'':
--> '''Tallest Purple''': Why is everything lasers with you?

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'': In "[[Recap/TheMagicSchoolBusS3E7MakesARainbow The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow]]", Miss Frizzle builds a pinball machine operating with light and prisms, with the light moving gradually as if it were an actual pinball. The "Is This The Magic School Bus?" segment admits [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality this clearly isn't how light works, but their hands were tied]]. The episode was teaching about color; ''how'' the light moved wasn't as relevant to that as what happened when it got to its destination.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'': In "The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow", Miss Frizzle builds a pinball machine operating with light and prisms, with the light moving gradually as if it were an actual pinball. The "Is This The Magic School Bus?" segment admits [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality this clearly isn't how light works, but their hands were tied]].

* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'': In "The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow", Miss Frizzle builds a pinball machine operating with light and prisms. The kids are able to watch the light move and outmaneuver it. The "Is This The Magic School Bus?" segment admits [[AcceptableBreaksFromReality this clearly isn't realistic, but their hands were tied]].

[[folder:Films - Animated]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''LightNovel/HeavyObject'' laser weapons are commonly used on Objects for point defense. Due to the speed at which an Object's pilot can identify and react to threats, combat planes have been rendered nearly obsolete as they're in the sky with nowhere to hide and they can't dodge something moving at the speed of light.

* In ''FanFic/{{Fractured}}'', a ''Franchise/MassEffect''[=/=]''Franchise/StarWars''[=/=]''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' [[MassiveMultiplayerCrossover crossover]] and its [[Fanfic/{{Origins}} two]] [[Fanfic/FrontierSovereignGFC sequels]], this trope is in full effect (as to be expected with something involving ''Star Wars'') however the GARDIAN systems of the ''Mass Effect'' universe (being harder sci-fi) actually still act like lasers.

* ''Series/{{Space 1999}}'' had what are possibly the slowest laser beams in television history. The beams had a clearly defined beginning and end.
* In the original ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica|1978}}'', both the hand-held guns and the viper-mounted guns were "lasers". The little red or blue bolts they fired travelled with visible slowness.

* ''Series/{{UFO}}''. The aliens have a laser weapon in their ships. It fires a bolt of energy that travels slow enough for the human eye to see it moving.

** It is less subtle in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 2}}'', though in the turn based context it doesn't really matter that it's presented as a moving sprite.

* Wiki/SCPFoundation

* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' features the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFRbGppLaUI "Thermal Discouragement Beam"]]. It behaves exactly like a real laser save for being highly visible, passes through glass, and can be redirected with "Discouragement Redirection Cubes". It's also one of only two ways (in the player's control) to actually destroy a turret, but it's surprisingly non-fatal when the player touches it -- it won't kill you but it hurts enough that you can't simply walk through it.

** XL2 lasergun in the series fires non-hitscan lasers.

** ''VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown'' has laser weapons that behave more realistically, producing a single burst/beam of light that cuts straight out and [[{{hitscan}} hits the target instantly]].

* ''WesternAnimation/OverTheHedge'': Subverted when Hammy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXr7J7Ss8lA casually outpaces a laser:]] it's not slow, [[CaffeineBulletTime he's just moving that fast.]]

* The ''Videogame/{{MOTHER}}'' series features the PK Beam series of [[PsychicPowers PSI]], which are only usable only by [[BadassAdorable Ana]] and which don't appear in either of the later games. Some of the mechanical enemies and the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Starman]] enemies are particularly fond of attacking with them, one variation of which is a OneHitKill if the target isn't wearing a Franklin Badge. Some of Lloyd and Jeff's weapons are {{Ray Gun}}s.

* The ''Videogame/{{MOTHER}}'' series features the PK Beam series of [[PsychicPowers PSI]], which are only usable only by [[BadassAdorable Ana]] and which don't appear in either of the later games. Some of the mechanical enemies and the [[SufficientlyAdvancedAlien Starman]] enemies are particularly fond of attacking with them, one variation of which is a OneHitKill if the target isn't wearing a Franklin Badge. Some of [[{{Nerd}} Lloyd and Jeff's]] weapons are {{Ray Gun}}s.

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* At the end of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue Recreation'', [[spoiler:Epsilon Church]] discovers that his new body has this ability.
-->[[spoiler:'''Epsilon Church:''']] I am not a thing! My name is [[spoiler:Leonard Chuch]] and YOU WILL FEAR MY LASER FACE!
* ''WebAnimation/{{Dreamscape}}'': Anjren, while in her robot suit, can shoot red lasers from her hands.
** Melissa's is weird. She surrounds her opponent with [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Unoun-H]] kind of things and they fire lasers at them.
** Drake can fire a red laser from below his target.
[[/folder]]

* At the end of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue Recreation'', [[spoiler:Epsilon Church]] discovers that his new body has this ability.

* ''Franchise/StarTrek'': While they're called "Phasers" and they form a solid glowy line, they hit the target almost instantaneously. They are a bit slower then they should be, however, with a visible (albeit inconsistent) delay between firing and hitting the target. This is explained by phasers being a particle-based weapon. In the technical manual, they are stated as firing a stream of "nadion" particles.

* ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament'''s Shock Rifle does something similar, although the effect varies. The weapon [[{{hitscan}} hits instantly]], but the beam does not. The result is that when you fire you see the target light up with the blast shockwave before the actual bolt reaches it.
** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with ''UT 2003'' onward, as the Shock Rifle now appears to shoot a typical laser beam.

* Averted in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRenegade'', which has perhaps one of the most realistic instances of lasers. They are {{hitscan}}, fire in short pulses (with gatling lasers being able to saturate the target faster thanks to its three collimators), and their blooming effect causes the air to be translucent rather than opaque. Perhaps one of the few unrealistic effects of the laser is that on Easy mode, auto-aiming will cause the lasers to turn slightly from a direct line to hit targets.

* The ''Franchise/BattleTech'' [[Franchise/BattleTechExpandedUniverse Expande dUniverse]] zig-zags on the matter:

* ''VideoGame/{{Shatterhand}}'' has a bot that shoots lasers.