5 Sci-Fi Gadgets We Wish Really Existed

Greetings, dear BGR reader. Do we have an offer for you today? Ever enjoyed a sci-fi story and dreamt that some of the tech that appeared in the middle of it was a real thing? How much would you pay for a real-life phaser from "Star Trek"? What about the portal gun cost you from "Rick and Morty"? Well, unfortunately, due to humanity slacking off and being too busy with things like artificial intelligence and making really thin phones (yeah, we said it), the future of mankind has gone in another direction. Not today, though.

Nope, today you're in luck, because on a one-time-only, extra special, BGR has an offer for the ages; we've got a batch of good gear together from some of the best science fiction stories ever, and they're all available for absolutely nothing. That's right! Through wild technological means, we've managed to obtain a fantastic collection of gadgets from various corners of sci-fi history. Some of them come from staples of sci-fi that changed pop culture forever, and others are overlooked items that don't get enough praise for the potential they could have if you messed around with them enough.

We need to make it abundantly clear, though, that once they're in your possession, we take zero accountability for whatever happens after that. So what are you waiting for? Go nuts, have fun, and please keep it out of reach of children or people who abuse power to catastrophic lengths. Enjoy!

You'd either love having a lightsaber, or you have no soul. It's honestly that simple. The coveted and easily best weapon of the "Star Wars" franchise ignited something in science fiction fans that has never been extinguished, and why would it? This weapon can be custom-made and comes in a variety of colors (thanks for that input, Samuel L. Jackson), sizes, and styles, and would make you one of the coolest warriors in the galaxy.

Created by George Lucas way back in 1977 with "Star Wars: A New Hope," his revered and revolutionary laser sword has often been imitated across pop culture, but nothing quite beats the crackle, clash, and iconic firing up of the original. We're not stupid, though. We're fully aware of the safety measures that would be tossed aside with reckless abandon when it comes to a laser blade that can literally cut through your knife set like butter. Sure, you might take your own eye out, or experience a power malfunction if you set it down on the kitchen counter and it melts through the whole thing, but after careful training with a Jedi Master (or Sith Lord, if you're so inclined), you could iron out those issues in no time.

And yes, having a trusty blaster by your side is cool and all, but carrying a torch you can also use to trim your garden hedges is something that will never get old, as has been made abundantly clear at any Star Wars Celebration for the past decade. We want a lightsaber, and we want one now. Kyber crystals sold separately.

If anything, this is this BGR writer's chance to argue that the size-shifting powers wielded by Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) are arguably the most overlooked in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Besides the franchise completely ignoring the obvious "just embiggen in Thanos' butt" argument that could've saved the universe, there are so many perks to Scott Lang and Hank Pym's highly sought-after Pym particles that don't get the respect they deserve.

Need to park your car? Shrink it. Struggling for luggage space on a flight? Shrink it. Heck, you could stow away in someone's pocket and not even pay for the flight. Actually, that's a slippery slope to becoming a Marvel villain, isn't it? What about ending third-world hunger instead?

Just think of it. Every scrap of food could be enlarged or shrunk to any specific size, which could have a historical impact on society as a whole. Meanwhile, you're perhaps going a bit wild with the power and turning your pet rabbit into the size of a Great Dane just because. There's also the ingenious idea shown in "Ant-Man and the Wasp" where you can shrink down and watch all your favorite films on your phone as if it's your own personal IMAX screen, all while eating from a giant single piece of popcorn. Take that, Christopher Nolan!

We're not ones to besmirch the good names of Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale — the creative duo behind the almost impeccable "Back to the Future" trilogy — but if we go by that movie's timeline, the world is 11 years overdue for Mattel's hoverboards. A mind-blowingly cool upgrade from Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) simple skateboard in the previous film, the hoverboard not only became a crucial part of 2015 in "Back to the Future Part II" but also floated its way onto the wish lists of every science fiction fan from then on.

On first inspection, handling a hoverboard seems pretty simple. Strap your preferred foot to it and use the other to push yourself along while the board rests on absolutely nothing. The extra concerns are just that speed and power (which you need to work on water, apparently) don't bear thinking about. What's important is how you'll be the envy of all your friends who have to move around on wheeled vehicles like absolute cave people.

The only setback, however, is that it looks like it'll be some time before this becomes a reality. Just face it: hovercars are still in the pipe dream format, so the idea of having your own personal board to get from A to B is close to getting erased from existence by this point.

"Star Wars" might have lightsabers, but the greatest thing to come out of "Star Trek" besides Leonard Nimoy's cool salute and William Shatner's perma-posing at the captain's chair is the transporter. David Cronenberg might've painted a bleak warning about the technology in his gruesome body horror movie, "The Fly," but Gene Roddenberry showed just how great it could be if a transportation beam was a real thing.

A common means of transportation in "Star Trek," teleportation could pick up and drop off crew members or visitors of the Enterprise to any vessel or planet within around 40,000 kilometers, or in the event of a subspace transporter, several light years. Now admittedly, the transporter machine isn't without its setbacks, the first of which was in the very first season of the show involving Captain Kirk himself.

In "The Enemy Within," which was written by the author of "I Am Legend," Richard Matheson, Kirk takes a trip through the teleporter only to be split into two versions, with one being good and the other evil. The same happened for everyone's strange seating second-in-command, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." There have also been instances of characters converging, getting replaced by their Mirror Universe doppelganger, or being sent back through time. Besides all that, though, transporter beams are absolutely BGR-approved, if that means anything. Please note: BGR is also not liable for any transporter beam issues that may happen should it become a commonly used means of travel.

The movie might not rank the highest in Adam Sandler's long list of funny movies, but there's no doubt that "Click" has one of the coolest props in the Sandman's filmography. The Universal Remote that Michael Newman (Sandler) comes into possession of can do it all. Pause when you want, rewind when you like, and put things on a loop for some of the best moments life has to offer. That's certainly the best way to use the zapper, rather than cutting corners or pausing your boss (played here by David Hasselhoff) repeatedly in the face.

The only downside of this nifty bit of kit is that it has been handcrafted by the Angel of Death himself, who looks remarkably like Christopher Walken. In fact, this thing is less of a highly-advanced remote control and more of a Monkey's Paw scenario that you can use to mute people you don't have the energy to listen to. Sure, you'll be able to have some fun with it to begin with, but how long will it last, really? With that in mind, we'd advise using it at your own risk. Just don't come crying to us when you find yourself missing out on family encounters or life-changing moments that will make you rethink a few things. Don't say we didn't warn you.