Energy weapons usually appear on the big screen in the form of lovingly created special effects. Laser bolts, energy beams, light sabers and plasma torpedoes would all fall into this category.

Interestingly, we've noticed that it's quite rare for any major characters of note to die from this category. The reason is possibly that traditionally, energy weapons have been portrayed as quite a sanitised way of killing someone. ie: - there is a bright bolt of light from a ray gun and the victim slumps to the floor, painlessly.

Perhaps if realistic consequences were shown, the category would be a more popular device for killing important characters.