Post by Daubee on Mar 12, 2008 23:59:18 GMT -5
The staff weapon is a common weapon for Jaffa soldiers, both serving in the armies of the Goa'uld and under their own rule. The weapon is powered by liquid naqahdah. There is a switch along the staff that opens an almond-like head at the tip; the same switch then delivers a strong energy blast from the opened end. The energy bolts from a staff weapon penetrate armor easily, and the blast is powerful enough to punch a hole the size of a man's head through the target. A single clean hit to the chest is usually sufficient to kill, although a hit to the thigh or shoulder areas may be survived if the target is lucky. The heavy, rounded ends of the weapon and its sturdy length allow it to be used in melee combat for striking and knocking down an opponent when the enemy is too close to safely or effectively use the energy assault.
In highly skilled hands, it can be quite effective, but its design is not optimized for military use. In the episode "The Warrior", the staff weapon was demonstrated to be significantly less accurate at long range than the FN P90, even in the hands of an exceptionally skilled Jaffa warrior. With no means of rapid-fire for engaging multiple opponents other than repeatedly pressing the button which fires at, as Bra'Tac did on one episode to confuse enemies, and equipped with no means of increasing accuracy for combat over anything beyond point-blank range, it is revealed that the Goa'uld supplied the Jaffa with weaponry that would be both awe inspiring and destructive, with no thought to its effectiveness. Jack O'Neill, comparing the staff weapon to his P90 explained, "[The staff weapon] is a weapon of terror: it's made to intimidate the enemy. This is a weapon of war: it's made to kill the enemy."
Sodan troops use a variant of the staff weapon in which the back meter or so of the weapon has been removed; it eliminates the quarterstaff function of standard staff weapons, but it makes it lighter and easier to carry; among other things, it has allowed the Sodan to strap their weapons to their backs.
Kull Warriors use a wrist-mounted version of the staff weapon, but with smaller blasts and a significantly higher rate of fire.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staff_weapon#Staff_weapon
In highly skilled hands, it can be quite effective, but its design is not optimized for military use. In the episode "The Warrior", the staff weapon was demonstrated to be significantly less accurate at long range than the FN P90, even in the hands of an exceptionally skilled Jaffa warrior. With no means of rapid-fire for engaging multiple opponents other than repeatedly pressing the button which fires at, as Bra'Tac did on one episode to confuse enemies, and equipped with no means of increasing accuracy for combat over anything beyond point-blank range, it is revealed that the Goa'uld supplied the Jaffa with weaponry that would be both awe inspiring and destructive, with no thought to its effectiveness. Jack O'Neill, comparing the staff weapon to his P90 explained, "[The staff weapon] is a weapon of terror: it's made to intimidate the enemy. This is a weapon of war: it's made to kill the enemy."
Sodan troops use a variant of the staff weapon in which the back meter or so of the weapon has been removed; it eliminates the quarterstaff function of standard staff weapons, but it makes it lighter and easier to carry; among other things, it has allowed the Sodan to strap their weapons to their backs.
Kull Warriors use a wrist-mounted version of the staff weapon, but with smaller blasts and a significantly higher rate of fire.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staff_weapon#Staff_weapon