Proton Pack
In the Ghostbusters universe
In the Ghostbusters universe
The Proton Pack is a man-portable particle accelerator system that is used to create a charged particle beam - composed of protons - that is fired by the proton gun (also referred to as the "neutrona wand"). It is described in the first movie as a "positron collider", and presumably functions by colliding high-energy positrons to generate its proton beam. The positive electric charge of the proton beams allows a ghostbuster to contain and hold "negatively charged ectoplasmic entities". This containment ability allows the wielder to position a ghost above a trap for capture. Dr. Egon Spengler designed the pack, intending it for this purpose. A cut scene from "Ghostbusters" showed Egon plugging the pack into a wall outlet to recharge it, only to have the plug melt.[citation needed]
While the Ghostbusters' dialogue indicates that the accelerator system operates similarly to a cyclotron (and indeed Dr. Peter Venkman refers to the Proton Packs in one scene as "unlicensed nuclear accelerators"), modern particle accelerators produce well collimated particle beams. This is far different from the beam from a Proton Pack, which tends to undulate wildly (though it still stays within the general area at which the user is aiming). The proton stream is quite destructive to physical objects, and can cause extensive property damage.
In the 2009 Ghostbusters game, Ray explains how the Proton Pack works early in the game; the energy emitted by the Proton Stream helps to dissipate PK energy which ghosts use to manifest themselves. Draining them of their PK energy weakens them, allowing them to be captured in their portable ghost traps.
According to a line spoken by Egon in Ghostbusters II, each pack's energy cell has a half-life of 5,000 years. Knobs on the main stock of the Proton Pack can perform various functions to customize the proton stream, including adjustments for stream intensity, length, and degrees of polarization.[citation needed] In the cartoon series, The Real Ghostbusters, the maximum power setting for the Proton Packs is "500,000 Mhz," which possibly refers to the rate of positron collisions occurring within the pack's accelerator system. In the cartoon the packs also have a self-destruct mechanism capable of affecting at least a half-mile radius. The Real Ghostbusters also made proton packs less efficient with power cells, allowing them to run out of energy when appropriate for dramatic tension.
Crossing the Streams
"There's something very important I forgot to tell you. Don't cross the streams It would be bad Try to imagine all life as you know it stopping instantaneously and every molecule in your body exploding at the speed of light."
gon Spengler on crossing proton streams
Crossing the streams was initially discouraged, as Egon believed that "total protonic reversal" would occur: this effect would have catastrophic results (see quote above). However, in a desperate effort to stop the powerful Gozer the Gozerian, Egon noted that the door to Gozer's temple "swings both ways" and that by crossing the streams, they may be able to create enough force to close the door on Gozer and its control. As Peter points out, Egon said crossing the streams was "bad" but Egon says "there is definitely a very slim chance we'll survive." As the Ghostbusters cross the streams, the combination of that much energy closes the door to Gozer's dimension and severs its ties to our world. The resulting blast destroys a good portion of the roof and blows up the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
As props in the real world
The props representing proton packs were created by the prop department of Columbia Pictures. They are made of molded fiberglass shells on aluminium backplates (or "motherboards") bolted to military surplus A.L.I.C.E. frames. The basic shape was sculpted from foam; later, a rubber mold was made of it, from which fiberglass shells were pulled. The "wand" had an extending barrel mechanism and the electronics were quite advanced for the time. They were then finished with various surplus 1960s resistors, pneumatic fittings, hoses and ribbon cable, and surplus warning labels and custom-made metal fittings. The overall weight of these props is said to be around 35lbs. These "hero" props were substituted in stunt scenes by flimsy foam rubber pulls from the same mould. The proton packs have a lightbar with 15 blue scrolling lights in a box on the left-hand side and 4 red lights in the circular "cyclotron" portion of the bottom of the prop that light up in rotation. The "wand" also featured numerous light features; the most elaborate versions had fluorescent bargraphs, incandescent bulbs, and strobing flashes in the tip for the visual effects crew to synchronize the 'streams' to.
Some of the Packs from Ghostbusters were used in the followup Ghostbusters II; these packs were slightly redressed with a black crank knob and thinner ribbon cable. The angle of the gun, or "wand" mount was changed to pitch forward slightly, in order to make the prop easier for the actor to use. In addition to these redressed props, one of the originals was hastily cast as a buck to produce basic lightweight "midgrade" props (as a solution to complaints by the actors about the weight of the original prop). These midgrade pieces featured many details cast in as part of the mould, instead of separate fittings. The electronics and mechanisms were also cut down greatly, reducing the total weight. The original GB1 props would appear in close-ups, the midgrade in all other scenes, and new rubber "stunt" packs were made for whenever the actor needed to take a fall. Several GB2 packs have surfaced for auctiont least one rubber stunt, and one fibreglass midgrade prop. The auctioned midgrade prop was lost shortly after sale in an airport baggage mishap. The piece was documented before its loss, and revealed much of the shoddy casting techniques used in its creation. All three variations of the GB2 pack have been displayed at various Planet Hollywood restaurants around the U.S.
Many movie prop replica communities have sprung up regarding proton pack research and contain various methods and plans for constructing a replica proton pack. Early script descriptions of the proton pack stated each pack had two neutrona wands, strapped to the wrists, rather than one held in a fashion similar to an assault rifle.[citation needed] Toy proton packs were formerly made by Kenner and became available in toy shops. They consisted of a plastic hollow pack and gun, with a yellow foam cylinder attached to the front of the gun to represent the beam.[citation needed]
References
^ a b c d Reitman, Ivan (Director), Aykroyd, Dan and Ramis, Harold (Writers). (1984-07-08). Ghostbusters. [Motion picture]. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
^ Particle accelerator
^ Reitman, Ivan (Director), Aykroyd, Dan and Ramis, Harold (Writers). (1989-07-16). Ghostbusters II. [Motion picture]. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097428/. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
^ The Real Ghostbusters. [Television show]. 1986. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090506/. Retrieved 2009-09-13.
^ Eisenberg, Adam (1989). "Ghostbusters Revisited". Cinefex. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Lot/2976/ghostrevisited1.html. Retrieved 14 September 2009.
vde
Ghostbusters franchise
Films
Ghostbusters (1984) Ghostbusters II (1989) Ghostbusters III (2011)
Television
The Real Ghostbusters (episodes) Extreme Ghostbusters Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (cameo appearance)
Other media
Comics
The Real Ghostbusters Ghostbusters: Legion
Songs
"Ghostbusters" "Disco Inferno" "On Our Own" "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher"
Other
Role-playing game Ghostbusters Spooktacular
Video games
Ghostbusters (1984) The Real Ghostbusters (1987) Ghostbusters II (1989) Ghostbusters (1990) The Real Ghostbusters (Game Boy) (1993) Extreme Ghostbusters (2001) Extreme Ghostbusters: Code Ecto-1 (2002) Extreme Ghostbusters: The Ultimate Invasion (2004) Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009)
Universe
Peter Venkman Ray Stantz Egon Spengler Winston Zeddemore Janine Melnitz Stay Puft Marshmallow Man 55 Central Park West Proton pack Slime Blower Ectomobile
Categories: Ghostbusters | Fictional technology | RaygunsHidden categories: Articles lacking sources from August 2009 | All articles lacking sources | Wikipedia articles needing style editing from February 2009 | All articles needing style editing | Articles that may contain original research from February 2009 | Articles with topics of unclear notability from February 2009 | Articles needing cleanup from September 2007 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles which may contain unencyclopedic material | All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements from September 2009 | Articles with unsourced statements from February 2007
by: gaga
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