A pulse pistol was a small arms version of pulse weaponry that was one of the most common types of weapons in the galaxy. The standard issue Peacekeeper sidearm fired small bolts of yellow or red energy powered by chakan oil that were able to kill most species save for Scarrans.
The pistol could be set to overload, causing a large explosion relative to the amount of ammunition remaining. Despite the fact that the weapon did not use expendable shell casings, they were capable of jamming resulting in shots that would flicker weakly and fall to the ground after only a few feet. There was a mount on the right side, where a laser sight could be attached.
John Crichton eventually adopted one particular pulse pistol as his own which he christened "Winona". He considered it to be more dependable than other pistols.
Scorpius used a larger version of the standard pulse-pistol. ("The Hidden Memory"; Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars; "Liars, Guns and Money - Plan B") He used this weapon to kill Gilina Renaez. In addition, Scorpius also carried a single shot pulse device in his cooling rod mechanism. Rygel XVI used this weapon while trapped with Scorpius. ("I-Yensch, You-Yensch")
Variants[]
- Mini pistol - A small sidearm carried by Peacekeeper infantry, the mini pistol is a miniaturized version of the Peacekeeper Pulse Pistol. Meant for easy concealment, it is no larger than the palm of the hand. It does not have an ammo cartridge, but a reservoir of chakan oil that must be refilled. The number of shots possible before a refill is unknown. The user is often seen licking the underside of the cartridge, possibly because the taste indicates the amount of oil inside (i.e., the sweeter the taste, the more oil is in the reservoir). It shoots yellow pulse blasts.
- Pulse pistol - The standard issue Peacekeeper sidearm, 7 inches in length, 6 inches in height. It fires small bolts of red plasma able to kill most species, but will not penetrate Scarran hide. The pistol can be set to stun, kill, or higher, but the standard setting used by most is kill. For ammunition, it uses chakan oil cartridges that are loaded into the grip. The maximum number of shots per cartridge is 500, although Crichton suggested that Winona (his personal pulse pistol) could fire 600 and possibly others can as well. The pistol can be set to overload, causing an explosion proportional to the amount of chakan oil remaining. There is a mount on the right side, where a laser sight can be attached.