It’s difficult to imagine a franchise with more iconic weaponry thanHalo. From the bulky M41 SPNKr rocket launcher to the fearsome energy sword,Haloboasts a downright unforgettable lineup of weapon choices.Halo’s arsenal generally falls into two categories: guns developed by the UNSC—that shoot familiar armor-piercing bullets—and weapons wielded by the Covenant that typically employ plasma technology.
When matter is superheated, negatively charged electrons rip free from their atoms creating a plasma of unbound particles. More importantly, plasma is easily manipulated by electromagnetic fields, a property that quickly made it the top choice for theCovenant faction’s weapons inHalo. Whenever fans see weapons emitting glowing blue energy, it’s a safe bet that the weapon is employing plasma technology.
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How Covenant Weapons Harness Plasma
It’s important to note that much of theCovenant’s technology comes fromHalo’s Forerunners—a long-extinct but highly advanced species that left behind technologies that inform most of what fans see in the franchise. An important relic of the Forerunners' technology is plasma weaponry. In order for any of the Covenant weapons to operate, they either need to spontaneously generate and fire off plasma, as seems to be the case with the Plasma Rifle, or contain it steadily within an electromagnetic field.
Although it’s considered one of theworst weapons inHalo, the Plasma Pistol perfectly illustrates the concept of plasma weaponry within the franchise. As the user holds their thumb down to charge the plasma pistol, a ball of plasma is created between the upper and lower receiver of the weapon, contained by an electromagnetic force. When the thumb is removed and the weapon is fired, the ball of plasma is propelled—its shape still contained by electromagnetic forces—toward an enemy.
The vast majority of plasma-based weaponry inHalouses a similar logic. The Plasma Rifle performs the same process as the Plasma Pistol only at a greater rate of fire. The heavy-mounted Focus Cannon seen in Covenant siege weaponry molds plasma in a linear shape via a magnetic field. EvenHalo’s Energy Sword, arguably the franchise’s most iconic weapon, is an example of plasma technology. It is nothing more than plasma held in a sword-like shape by an electromagnetic field.
How Plasma Would Actually Damage Enemies
Gettinghit byHalo’s Plasma grenadeor other plasma-based weaponry would be a decidedly more gruesome fate than depicted in the games. Since plasma is, in essence, superheated matter, it would damage enemies with extreme heat. It’s also the case that plasma shot by a weapon like the Plasma Pistol or Plasma Rifle would possess a fair bit of kinetic energy, piercing a target through those means. Needless to say, plasma weapons would be a far more terrifying prospect if imagined more realistically.
The way in which plasma weaponry operates also explains why they are the more effective choice forbreaking enemy shields inHalo. Since plasma is tightly contained in an electromagnetic field, impact with a shield would cause it to splash—much like it does in-game—and cover a much larger surface area. As opposed to traditional ammunition, which pierces a small portion of an enemy’s armor or shield, plasma weapons would theoretically damage a much greater portion of an all-encompassing energy shield.
Also, while traditional armor would catch and disperse the energy of a project fired at it, it’s unlikely either faction would be able to create armor durable enough to resist the heat of the Covenant’s plasma-based weaponry. It’s difficult to say for certain how plasma weaponry and protection against it would function, but, regardless, theHalofranchise deserves serious props for weaving theoretical lore into such believable in-game mechanics.
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