The wrist gun[1] was a concealable, compact, semi-automatic pistol. It was a "disposable", meaning that it was not designed to be reloaded, and was simply intended to be discarded after expending the magazine.[2]
Christie, a crew member aboard the Betty, notably utilized dual wrist guns mounted on custom sliding mechanisms during the Xenomorph outbreak aboard the USM Auriga in 2381.[3]
Overview[]
The wrist gun was designed for concealed carry. It was a "disposable" weapon; that is, it could not be reloaded, but was simply discarded when empty.[2] As a result, it could deliver more powerful rounds and withstand greater punishment than traditional, reloadable weaponry because long-term reliability and survivability was not an issue. Notably, this gave the weapon the capability of firing underwater.[2] Although the round fired by the wrist gun was powerful enough to penetrate a standard United Systems Military helmet,[4] it remained a predominantly short-ranged weapon.[1]
Christie notably designed and constructed a mechanism that attached his wrist guns to his forearms and would spring them out into his hands to be fired when necessary.[5] When concealed, the wrist gun's grip would fold backward to allow the weapons to fit inconspicuously up Christie's sleeves.[6]
The wrist gun was considered a Prohibited Weapon.[1]
Behind the Scenes[]
Christie's wrist guns, like most of the concealed weaponry carried by the crew of the Betty, were designed by conceptual artist Sylvain Despretz.[7] As with all of the weapons created for Alien Resurrection, the wrist guns were not built around any existing firearms but were fabricated completely from scratch. This was a markedly different approach when compared to the fictional weapons that had appeared in the film series previously, all of which were constructed around functional, real-world weapons. In fact, the prop pistols contained no genuine firearm components whatsoever and were therefore incapable of firing blank ammunition. Instead, some of the weapons were able to fire pyrotechnic charges that simulated gunfire on set.
Travis practices drawing the S&W Escort in Taxi Driver.
The design of Wrist Gun was inspired by the concealed gun used by Robert De Niro's character Travis Bickle in the film Taxi Driver.[7] In that film, Bickle mounted the gun (a Smith & Wesson Escort) on a drawer slide designed to hide the weapon up his sleeve and draw it into his hand when he needed it, just like the guns used by Christie. As a result of its influence, Christie's signature weapon was commonly referred to as the "Taxi Driver gun" by the film's crew.[7]
Appearances[]
Gallery[]
![The Aliens/Predator CCG "WRIST GUNS" card number 121.[8]](/wiki/File:Wristgunsvp0.jpg "Wristgunsvp0.jpg (49 KB)")
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Aliens/Predator Collectible Card Game trading cards — Alien Resurrection Expansion Set — 121. Wrist Guns (1997), HarperPrism.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Joss Whedon (writer), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director). Alien Resurrection Special Edition (2003), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
- ↑ S. D. Perry. Alien: The Weyland-Yutani Report, p. 9 (2014), Insight Editions.
- ↑ Joss Whedon (writer), Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director). Alien Resurrection (1997), 20th Century Fox [DVD].
- ↑ A. C. Crispin, Kathleen O'Malley. Alien Resurrection, p. 68 (2015), Titan Books.
- ↑ Andrew Murdock, Rachel Aberly. The Making of Alien Resurrection, p. 110 (1997), HarperPrism.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Andrew Murdock, Rachel Aberly. The Making of Alien Resurrection, p. 111 (1997), HarperPrism.
- ↑ "Trade Cards Online - Wrist Guns". Retrieved on 2013-10-07.