ES-4 Electrostatic Pistol

ES-4 Electrostatic Pistol
Production Information
Manufacturer	Weyland Corp
Model	ES-4
Type	Semi-automatic pistol
Technical Information
Size	Length 17.19 in (43.7 cm) Barrel length 107mm-115mm
Fire mode(s)	Semi-automatic
Operation	Electrostatic kinetic energy
Range	Medium
Usage
Era(s)	2080s
Affiliation	Weyland Corp USCSS Prometheus crew Independent Core System Colonies Office of the Colonial Marshals

The Weyland Corp ES-4 Semi-automatic Electrostatic Pistol was a semi-automatic pistol manufactured in the 2080s.

Members of the USCSS Prometheus' crew notably carried the pistol for self-defense during the exploration of LV-223 in 2093.

Overview

The pistol fired high speed armor piercing rounds charged with energy giving the weapon a blue muzzle-flash. The pistol is quite accurate, possess anti-armor capabilities and is able to stun its target on impact. While its a quality weapon, it fell out of use before the Weyland-Yutani merger due to its cost and upkeep requirements—if not cleaned properly each day, a shot fired will sometimes stun the shooter as well.

The weapon had anatomical grips and a vibration-absorbing plastic sleeve around the barrel, increasing the pistol's accuracy and although lacking a front sight, the pistol had fully adjustable rear sights. The pistol has a blued finish and an orange Weyland Corp logo located on the left-hand side of the pistol.

History

The pistols were notably carried by the mercenaries aboard the USCSS Prometheus during the vessel's exploration of LV-223 during 2093-2094. However, the only time the weapons were fired was when Fifield, mutated by Chemical A0-3959X.91 – 15, began running rampant and killing crew members inside the ship's hangar. However, the weapons seemed to have little to no effect on the mutant Fifield.

In the 2180s, it can be found in use amongst high level corporate security teams from the ICSC, a select number of Colonial Marshal offices are testing out a newer model as their standard sidearm on the Frontier—along with a pair of insulator gloves.

Behind the Scenes

The pistols are likely supposed to be the "automatic pistols" carried by the crew of the ship in Jon Spaihts' original script for Prometheus, titled Alien: Engineers.

A .22 Walther GSP Expert.

The pistol props used in Prometheus were based on the Walther GSP Expert, likely chambered in .32 S&W Long; the .32 caliber model is generally identified with the extended magazine and blue finish seen in the film. Owing to the pistol's already unusual appearance, few modifications were actually made to the weapons for the film; the magazines were painted orange, the Weyland Corp logo was added to the left-hand side of the body (also in orange) and the pistols' front sights were removed. It seems that at least two props were constructed for the film, as that is how many are seen on-screen at once, but what exactly what became of the them after the filming of Prometheus is unknown.

The unaltered muzzle flash seen in the trailer.

The pistols' muzzle flash was digitally altered to blue in post-production, implying they are some form of energy-based weapon. However, the decision to alter the pistols's muzzle flash to blue seems to have been made sometime after the debut trailer for the film was released as, in the trailer, the pistols' muzzle flash is still unaltered (orange). Another reason that the muzzle flashes were unaltered in the trailer could have also been that all of the film's editing was not finished when the trailer was released or that, as the scene seen in the trailer was cut from the final film (see Prometheus deleted scenes), editing the muzzle flashes was unnecessary, but they still decided to use in the trailer.

Appearances

• Prometheus
• Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Colonial Marines Operations Manual
• Alien: The Roleplaying Game — Heart of Darkness

Gallery

A crew member with their pistol

A crew member firing their pistol. note the blue muzzle flash.

Taplow with his pistol

Vladimir aims his pistol

The crew with pistols in a scene only appearing in the Prometheus trailer.

Another, slightly closer shot of the pistols in the trailer for Prometheus.

A fairly accurate fan-made replica of the pistol. However, the pistols in the film did not appear to have front sights.

A fan-made replica.

Ditto.