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15[[quoteright:349:[[WesternAnimation/MegasXLR https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/megas_xlr_light_gun_coop.png]]]]
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17A sufficiently large gun (larger BFG to WaveMotionGun) robs its user of being able to look cool by actually wielding it. Solution: Provide a device for aiming and firing the thing by remote control that actually looks like a human-scale gun itself.
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19TruthInTelevision: laser designator systems for aerial bombs and missiles often fit this. The laser emitter is carried by a person or mounted on a vehicle and is used to guide the actual missile (which is usually launched from a ship or plane) to its target. Related to HelmetMountedSight and LaserSight. Both are real life uses of a similar principle. See [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DHY_307_laser_target_designator_P1220816.jpg a photo of an actual military grade laser designator]] which is not quite so "gun-like" as some fictional depictions.
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21Often fills the "special" slot of StandardFPSGuns, and may or may not be equipped with a LaserSight to aid the user.
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23Not to be confused with [[AbnormalAmmo a gun that fires puppets]].
24
25Compare MotionCaptureMecha for a similar phenomenon of guiding a big thing using a miniature, FullContactMagic for "mime a punch, and a giant fist manifests to strike your opponent", and TargetSpotter for characters who tell distant allies where to aim their attacks. A FlareGun may be used as this.
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27----
28!!Examples:
29[[foldercontrol]]
30
31[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
32* To fire the big gun the titular character in ''Anime/TheGirlWhoLeaptThroughSpace'' has to aim a smaller gun.
33* ''Anime/HeroicAge'': [[spoiler:When using the [[CoolShip Argonaut's]] [[WaveMotionGun ultimate weapon]], in which the ''ship itself'' transforms into an enormous energy cannon, the ship's resident AI turns into a handgun which the captain must use to aim and fire.]]
34* ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam00'': Lockon Stratos uses a device that looks like a [[OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture blocky sort of gun]] to aim and fire his {{Humongous Mecha}}'s GN Sniper Rifle.
35* ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'''s [[RobotGirl Chachamaru]]'s [[SuperpowerLottery Artifact]] is a cute little Hello-Kitty-looking handheld thingie that designates a target for a gigantic, also cat-themed KillSat.
36* ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato'': While the original WaveMotionGun wasn't really like this, the Wave Motion Gun type weapons used by Leader Desler certainly were.
37* ''Anime/SCryEd'': One of the villains had an Alter in the shape of a huge, floating gun, which he aimed and fired using a more normal-sized HandCannon.
38* Not quite the same thing, but in ''Anime/SpacePirateMito'', an entire spaceship can be used as a [[LaserBlade lightsaber]] by handling a model-sized version of said spaceship.
39* In ''Anime/StarshipGirlYamamotoYohko'', the WaveMotionGun mounted on the titular character's space fighter is fired from a virtual light gun game "gun". This is appropriate considering said character is a GamerChick to the core and initiates her craft's ignition by inserting a 100 Yen coin.
40[[/folder]]
41
42[[folder:Comic Books]]
43* In ''ComicBook/ThePunisher'' arc "Countdown", rogue SHIELD agent Stone Cold uses one to aim and launch a series of missiles at his target.
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Fan Works]]
47* In ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' DeconstructionFic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/4506768/1/His-Honor-The-Mayor-Drew-Lipsky His honor, the mayor, Drew Lipsky,]]'' the premise is that the cartoon is a VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory ShowWithinAShow similar to [[WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers The Rusty Venture Show]], and there are some important differeces. One difference is that Gemini's prosthetic hand fires homing beacons for missiles. Missiles his minions place wherever he goes since he [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome couldn't possibly store that many in the prosthetic itself]]. This almost leads to a KarmicDeath when he tries to assassinate Drakken at a party when a ContrivedCoincidence leads to Drakken deflecting his tracker back onto him when the missile fires. Fortunately for Gemini, he uses surface to surface missiles so [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome he manages to jump in a swimming pool to save himself while the missiles explode on the surface.]]
48[[/folder]]
49
50[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
51* In ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'', commandos on the ground frame a Colombian drug lord for a terrorist attack by targeting his pickup so the bomb falls into it before exploding. Taken from the book of the same name, where John Clark personally lases the pickup truck.
52* In ''Film/VantagePoint'', the terrorists use a rifle on a remote-controlled mount to assassinate the president[[spoiler:'s body double]].
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
56* ''Franchise/KamenRider''
57** ''Series/KamenRiderRyuki'': Most {{Finishing Move}}s are a CombinationAttack between a Rider and their [[BondCreature Contract Beast]], which occasionally takes this form:
58*** Ryuki's Strike Vent lets him shoot a fireball from his gauntlet that's accompanied by a burst of [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragredder]]'s BreathWeapon. After unlocking [[SuperMode Survive Mode]], his Shoot Vent does the same thing with a pistol shot.
59*** Kamen Rider Zolda's [[LimitBreak Final Vent]] is a cross between this and BifurcatedWeapon - connecting his rifle to the mecha-like Magnugiga's back causes its body to unfold into a giant mass of cannons and missile launchers, [[AlphaStrike firing all of them at once]] when the trigger is pulled.
60** ''Series/KamenRiderDenO'''s Gun Form performs the FinishingMove for its CoolTrain by pointing his own gun at the enemy and pulling the trigger. [[DragonRider While riding atop its "head".]]
61* About five seasons into ''Series/StargateSG1'', the SGC employed a missile they could fire through the stargate on a parabolic path, then have seek a target marked by a laser from either a UAV or troops already on the other side.
62* ''Franchise/SuperSentai''[=/=]''Franchise/PowerRangers'': In many entries, the protagonists gain control of their CombiningMecha by inserting their gun, sword or [[GunBlade gunsword]] into a slot in the cockpit. Some extend this by having the team pull out their weapons and mime an attack in order to activate the mecha's FinishingMove. This has become especially common in the New Tens era of ''Power Rangers'', since it's an easy way to introduce [[MerchandiseDriven a new piece of merchandise]] as the "puppet" weapon without having to spend resources on altering the existing ''Sentai'' fight scenes.
63** In ''Series/MiraiSentaiTimeranger''[=/=]''Series/PowerRangersTimeForce'', [[SixthRanger TimeFire/Quantum Ranger]] can make the [[TransformingMecha dinosaur form]] of his HumongousMecha fire its lasers by standing on its back and firing his handgun.
64** The more advanced mecha {{Finishing Move}}s in ''Series/EngineSentaiGoOnger'' are aimed with Handle Blasters (steering wheels transformed into guns!)
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
68* ''TabletopGame/BattleTech'' has the Target Acquisition Gear, or TAG, which is a spotting laser used to paint a target for a guided Arrow IV artillery missile hit, or for specialized [[MacrossMissileMassacre LRM]] munitions to home in on.
69* ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'': The Tau have markerlights, a laser designator mounted in a standard Tau rifle that allows the user to designate a target, then a nearby Skyray fires a missile at it.
70[[/folder]]
71
72[[folder:Video Games]]
73* ''[[VideoGame/{{ARMA}} Armed Assault II]]'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXWb19aLL60 checked its facts first.]]
74* Boris in the ''Yuri's Revenge'' expansion for ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2'' uses a laser designator to call in airstrikes from several fighter-bombers against buildings. It's much slower than the C4 that the Allies' Tanya and Navy [=SEALs=] use, since you have to wait for the bombers to make their run, then leave the area to reload before he can hit the next building. It also means [[CripplingOverspecialization he's stuck plinking away at enemy tanks with his rifle]] and hoping that the difference in experience is big enough that his [[GradualRegeneration natural health regen]] can outpace the damage the tank does to him, unlike Tanya who can also use her C4 on enemy vehicles (his only upshot is that, as a HeroUnit, he shares her immunity to being simply [[CarFu splattered underneath it]]). However, the tradeoff is that he's much more effective on his own against static defenses like pillboxes and Prism Towers, since he can call the strike on the defensive structure - or, more cripplingly, its power supply - from beyond the range of anything in the game short of France's unique Grand Cannon, versus Tanya or [=SEALs=] requiring support from stronger units to go in and take out static defenses for them.
75* A few levels of the old ''VideoGame/DeltaForce'' games let you take along a laser designator to call in artillery strikes, most commonly on objectives such as parked helicopters.
76* Kira of ''VideoGame/DirtyBomb'' uses her "Orbital Strike" ability to call in a giant laser from a KillSat. She can even move the beam around, as it persists for a few seconds.
77-->'''Kira''': Why won't people just see me for who I am, and not for the colossally destructive weapons satellite I control?
78* The Air Raider class from the ''VideoGame/EarthDefenseForce'' series can carry a laser designator to guide missiles launched by their allies. In fact, certain weapons carried by the Fencer class can't be fired at all without that guidance, limiting them to multiplayer matches. Certain air strikes have dedicated designators to mark targets for cruise missiles or a KillSat and are even able to redirect them in flight.
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80* The Network Tap from ''James Bond VideoGame/EverythingOrNothing''. In practice, it's more of an EleventhHourSuperpower: Q has to very hurriedly send it into the field (read: Moscow) and you only get to use it in two out of the last four levels.
81* Euclid's C-Finder in ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'' looks like a [[{{Zeerust}} cartoony ray-gun]], but it's linked to a solar-powered KillSat called [[WaveMotionGun ARCHIMEDES II]]. It's in the possession of a young child when the game starts. Thankfully, ARCHIMEDES II is unpowered by that time, considering the young child thinks Euclid's C-Finder is what it looks like (a toy) and so has pulled the trigger while playing with his friends. The player can also come into possession of it before knowing what it is, and it will [[LethalJokeItem seem entirely useless until the satellite is brought online]].
82* The Hammer of Dawn from ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' falls into this category. It's a KillSat that's controlled by a more pistol-like object.
83* A variation without a gun: Goldeneye's EM Hack in ''VideoGame/GoldeneyeRogueAgent'', which turns enemy turrets and other armaments over to your side.
84* The Apollo Lens in ''VideoGame/GoldenSunDarkDawn'', which must be aimed using a giant statue that amplifies your Psyenergy. A miniaturized version of the controls is located inside said statue.
85* In ''VideoGame/{{Gunbound}}'', the A-Sate shoots small tracer- lasers that mark the spot where its minuature {{Kill Sat}}s are going to fire. Other vehicles can do similar things with lighting and Thor, ''the'' resident {{Kill Sat}}, which all the other vehicles can occasionally use but only one is specialized in it.
86* Combine gunships and Striders in ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' are decidedly not PointDefenseless and can use their chin-mounted machine gun to shoot down rockets fired directly at them. The solution LaResistance came up with is a laser-guided missile launcher with which they can steer the missile past the target, then turn it to hit from behind or above.
87* ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' and ''VideoGame/Halo4'' features a fairly realistic laser designator for artillery strikes in some missions (albeit the ''Halo 4'' use is at such close range they should've been able to do it ''by eye'').
88* In ''VideoGame/TheLastRemnant'', David's [[LostTechnology Remnant]], Gae Bolg functions like this with David using the similar, scaled down version, Ex Machina as a targeting device. Ex Machina itself doubles as a HandCannon.
89* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' features a boss battle where Shepard, on foot, uses a designator to call down the firepower of an entire battle fleet on a Reaper Destroyer.
90* Some levels in ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' give you a button you can press to emit a LaserSight from your gun for the purpose of aiming something larger. The singleplayer mission "Exodus" has it pulling double-duty to target for a friendly Stryker armored vehicle then artillery strikes on enemy AA guns, while the cooperative Spec Ops mission "Overwatch" allows the first player to use it to direct fire from the second at the guns of an AC-130 gunship.
91* This is how the protagonist offs the final boss in ''VideoGame/Persona5'', using his model pistol to aim and fire his ultimate Persona [[spoiler:Satanael]]'s ''massive'' gun for a BoomHeadshot.
92* By the same token, the Harbinger/Supernova designator of ''VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked''.
93* ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil5'' gives the player a pointlessly huge laser designator to use against its largest boss. It's about the size of a rocket launcher. Chris then reuses it in ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3'' as one of his [[LimitBreak Hyper Combos]].
94* In ''VideoGame/SaintsRowTheThird'', you eventually obtain a "gun" that paints a laser designator to rain down missiles from the sky. That being said, the "gun" looks more like a modified police speed radar than anything else...
95* The Satellite Laser from ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' is similar.
96* In ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', Ghosts send laser-guided nuclear strikes.
97* ''VideoGame/StarsiegeTribes'' and the sequel feature a laser painter that provides mortar and grenade launcher equipped teammates with the direction and elevation for them to fire at a target as well as allowing missile locks even without a thermal signature or line-of-sight.
98* While it's not entirely gun-like, ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' has the Engineer's Wrangler, an old-school joystick duct-taped to a pistol grip that lets you aim your Sentry at wherever you are looking and fire it manually.
99* The Ion Painter and Target Painter in ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'' act as spotting devices for an orbital satellite and an airborne bombing run, respectively.
100** The GameMod ''VideoGame/BallisticWeapons'' handles this in an odd manner with one of its mounted weapons, the J2329 HAMR - one of its SecondaryFire functions sends out a sort of energy-tracer, only visible through the weapon's aiming mode, that matches the ballistics of the main gun to let you aim more accurately without wasting ammo.
101[[/folder]]
102
103[[folder:Webcomics]]
104* In ''Webcomic/MSPaintAdventures'': ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', Pickle Inspector aims the Clock Tower Cannon via the Sniper Rifle.
105[[/folder]]
106
107[[folder:Western Animation]]
108* Pictured above is one of the myriad of video game-like weapons Coop installed in his HumongousMecha from ''WesternAnimation/MegasXLR''. In this case, it's an actual PlasmaCannon that operates like an arcade LightGunGame, even including the typical "Reload" message from when ammo runs out.
109[[/folder]]
110
111[[folder:Real Life]]
112* A related concept is the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotting_rifle spotting rifle]], a special rifle or machine gun that is usually directly attached to a cannon or rocket launcher, its ballistics calibrated so that if you hit your target with the little gun, you'll hit it with the big one. Sometimes pulls double duty as a coaxial anti-infantry weapon.
113** Relatedly, tank crews during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII would sometimes use their [[MoreDakka coaxial machine guns]] as impromptu sighting rifles for the main cannon if the range was very short (the trajectory of the machine gun usually diverged from that of the cannon after about a couple hundred meters).
114* Before the advent of laser-guided weapons, the usual method of marking targets for friendly aircraft and sometimes artillery was with coloured smoke, preferably with shells from a mortar but often thrown by hand (such as the US M18 smoke grenade) or launched from an underbarrel GrenadeLauncher (like the M713, M715, and M716 grenades).
115* The British Army Air Corps issues its Apache helicopter crews carbines with magazines of [[EveryBulletIsATracer 100% red tracer]] for this purpose; if they're brought down, their wingmates will concentrate their fire on whatever that stream of tracers is aimed at. The same tactic is occasionally used by regular infantry with a machine gun, but only if they've lost radio contact.
116* The US military considered applying this trope to ''sniper bullets'' to increase the efficiency of... well, their snipers. Though the prohibitive cost of the laser-recognizing bullets, and advances in actual laser weapons, eventually rendered this moot.
117[[/folder]]

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