Altered Carbon is a 2018 Netflix original neo-noir/sci-fi detective series set in the year 2384. Takeshi Kovacs, a rogue Special Forces operative turned terrorist/rebel played by multiple actors, is 250 years into an infinite prison sentence when he is brought back to investigate a suspicious death. As he investigates, events play out both in the present and as he flashes back to his past.
The following weapons were used in the television series Altered Carbon:
The basic premise of Altered Carbon is that a technology called Digital Human Freight (DHF), a mind-uploading method which stores a digitized version of a human's memories, personality and consciousness on a device called a "stack", which is kept at the top of the spine. Said stack can be plugged into any body, with the body simply referred to as a "sleeve". As a result of such technology, the death of the body can be survived by uploading the stack to a new one, and even the destruction of the stack itself ("Real Death, or "getting RD'd") can be survived (after a fashion) by those rich enough to maintain backups.
As a result, a character can be played by multiple actors, and the main character of Takeshi Kovacs is played by four actors. Morgan Gao plays him as a boy (credited as "Young Tak") Will Yun Lee playing his "birth sleeve" (as "Stronghold Kovacs"), Byron Mann plays him in an older body (as "O.G. Kovas"), and Joel Kinnaman plays the body he uses in 2384 ("Takeshi Kovacs"). Additionally, Byron Mann appears as a body won by another character in 2384, and Joel Kinnaman is the "birth sleeve" of a police officer.
For purposes of the page, "Kovacs" refers to all incarnations of the character, though specific names are sometimes used.
Pistols
Heckler & Koch Mk. 23
A modified Heckler & Koch Mark 23 fitted with a large sight mount is seen used by Kovacs and other characters.
An unidentified pistol in a "Timecop Beretta" shell seems to be the standard-issue Envoy handgun, known as the "Sun Jet".
Error creating thumbnail: File missing"Sun Jet 2030. Classics never go out of style" Vernon Elliott (Ato Essandoh) picks out a handgun during the gun buying scene in "In a Lonely Place" (Episode 3Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe handgun is confiscated by security at a party.Error creating thumbnail: File missing"I would have left it in the car, but I really don't trust this neighborhood" Kovacs snarks at the security guard at Sunshine House (which is several thousand feet up.)Error creating thumbnail: File missingYoung Tak (Morgan Gao) holds what appears to be a Sun Jet after RDing his father to save his sister in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7)Error creating thumbnail: File missingA Yakuza thug with a Sun Jet gets hit during a shootout in "Nora Inu"Error creating thumbnail: File missingQuellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry) tells the Envoys they must learn the weakness of weapons, prompting Kovacs to note that that is "easy to say with a Sun Jet in you hand".
Steyr M9-A1
The Steyr M9-A1 with external modification is used by police officers.
Jaeger (Daniel Bernhardt) carries a Beretta Px4 Storm fitted with a laser module in "Out of the Past" (Episode 1). Takeshi Kovacs (Will Yun Lee) carries a similar pistol while serving as a Colonial Tactical Assault Corp (CTAC) Praetorian. He is seen with it holstered in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7), where it is drawn and used by Rei (Dichen Lachman) during a shootout. Kovacs then keeps the handgun while serving with the Envoys. Other CTAC troops carry the Px4 as well, suggesting that is the standard weapon.
Police Lieutenant Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda) carries a prop handgun that doesn't seem to be based on anything and has no ejection port for empty cases
Dimitri "Dimi the Twin" Kadmin (Tahmoh Penikett) carries a "Second model Nemex" energy pistol when he attempts to abduct Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) in the first episode. Kovacs takes the weapon for himself after Dimitri's death and carries it for the rest of the series. It is implied to be a high-end and fairly rare weapon by several other characters. While it appears similar to the Chiappa Rhino revolver, and some concept art is based on the Rhino, it does not appear to have any any actual firearm as its base.
The revolver is based on a modern-day Chiappa Rhino, with a futuristic twist. Instead of a traditional 6-round cylinder, this design features a high capacity fuel cell, transforming the gun into an energy weapon.
Takeshi Kovacs Joel Kinnaman obtains a "Ingram-40 flechette gun" from a weapons dealer in Episode 3, "In a Lonely Place". It is describe as a C-TAC prototype firing flanged armor-piercing homing rounds from a 10-round clip. The flechettes are magnetically fired, and can be recalled to the weapon, allowing for functionally infinite ammo and the ability to hit targets from the rear.
Sarah (Olga Fonda) uses a Zoraki 925 blank-fire-only machine pistol in a shootout with CTAC in "Out of the Past" (Episode 1). Rei (Dichen Lachman) attempts to draw another during a training session in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7) but is disarmed. Interestingly, concept art shows the 925 as the base for a proposed police handgun.
Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh), undercover as a General, is issued a bolt pistol to kill his prostitute at the Head In The Clouds brothel in "Rage in Heaven" (Episode 9). The weapon is an Accles & Shelvoke "Cash Special" captive bolt pistol fitted with a trigger guard and a shroud over the rear of the action.
A "particle blaster" energy weapon belonging to Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) is used in his suicide/suspected murder that sets the series's events in motion.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingIn a possible version of Bancroft's death, he is forced to kill himself with his own weapon. Unfortunately, this is the only clear shot.
Umarex Elite Force Racegun
Reileen "Rei" Kawahara (Dichen Lachman) uses an enormous handgun firing some sort of blaster bolts. She first uses it in "Man With My Face" (Episode 6) when rescuing Kovacs from Fight Dome and the weapons shows up later in "The Killers" (Episode 10) This is an airgun made by Umarex, called the Elite Force "Race Gun" with a futuristic shell covering everything except the grip.
Some odd handguns are seen holstered in scenes where they are not drawn.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingLieutenant Ortega (Martha Higareda) carries a different pistol from her usual in a hip holster in "Out of the Past" (Episode 1).Error creating thumbnail: File missingHer partner, Samir Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter) carries the same weapon as they examine the grisly aftermath of Kovacs's rampage/escape through the VR torture facility in "Force of Evil" (Episode 3).
Unidentified pistol 3
Error creating thumbnail: File missingLizzie Elliot (Hayley Law) shows her parents the gun she is practicing with in VR in "Clash by Night" (Episode 8).
Glock 17
Vidura (Katie Stuart) is seen with Glock 17 well hidden in a futuristic shell after the Rawling virus strike in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7)
Poe (Chris Conner), the AI proprietor of The Raven hotel, uses a Winchester Model 1897 riot gun to defend his establishment.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingWinchester Model 1897 Riot Gun - 12 gaugeError creating thumbnail: File missingPoe opens fire on Dimi's team with his Model 1897.Error creating thumbnail: File missingHaving shot the last mercenary, he then takes a break to have a drink. Terrible trigger discipline, but then he is an AI who thinks taking a drink break in a firefight is a good idea.Error creating thumbnail: File missing"Ask this of your microwave, miscreant". Poe holds his shotgun after finishing Dmitri and gives us a nice view of the receiver, which is clearly a pre-model 1901 based on the cutout over the ejection port that was omitted with the upgrade to smokeless powder.Error creating thumbnail: File missingPoe absently points the shotgun over his shoulder, finger still on the trigger, after deciding not to shoot Mickey in "Rage in Heaven" (Episode 9).
Kel-Tec KSG
Reileen "Rei" Kawahara (Dichen Lachman) is seen with a Kel-Tec KSG shotgun in a flashback to her time in the Yakuza on Harlan's World in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7). She uses alongside her brother in a shootout before abandoning it for the Envoy blaster.
A heavily modified 5.45mm AK-pattern rifle (probably an AKS-74U) is the standard C-TAC assault rifle in flashbacks. According to concept art, it uses conventional ammo with a secondary magnetic rail to increase velocity. At least one firing prop was made, as Kovacs's rifle is seen cycling.
TRIVIA: A conventional firearm with an integrated coilgun system to increase velocity is a widely used concept in near-future science fiction. The idea is that using a relatively weak round means low recoil with the same performance you could get from a much more powerful one. The only issue with this is that it is completely wrong, and not how physics works whatsoever. It doesn't matter how the projectile is launched, because of Newton's third law, firing a projectile of a certain weight at a certain velocity with a coilgun system will give you identical recoil to firing that same projectile at that same velocity with gunpowder. The ONLY advantage this would have would be being slightly quieter, and perhaps the logistical benefits of being able to retrofit preexisting rifles for different roles, as the additional components would make for an extremely heavy and expensive weapon.
The modified AK is used in the show's flashback sequences. It features an updated barrel which increases the bullet's velocity using a magnetic rail.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingAbout the only thing that didn't end up on the real rifle was the integrated light on top.Error creating thumbnail: File missingNote that even the later iteration of the concept art shows a more curved magazine akin to a mag for 7.62x39mm-chambered AK, whereas the final version has a 5.45x39mm mag. This change was likely done because the firing prop would have been easier to make by simply gluing 3D printed plastic components to a functioning AKS-74U, then shortening down any other type of 7.62x39mm AK (which would require actual gunsmithing) and then attaching the plastic components.
Envoy Blaster
The standard weapon of the Envoy special forces is a assault rifle/blaster built off of a Tippman Cronus paintball marker. It is fitted with a side-folding stock, EOTech 3X-FTS magnifier as a dot sight, plenty of rails, a light/laser combo, and a "shark teeth" style muzzle device.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingAn Envoy with his blaster as they ambush Kovacs and Rei's campsite in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7). Note how the yellow disk in front of the sight is flipped up in this scene. Considering it is seen down in all other scenes, it may be some sort of night-vision aid/device. Also, the light is too far to the rear to actually do anything, as the user's hand blocks the light.Error creating thumbnail: File missingEnvoys, including Vidura (Katie Stuart) (at right), hold blasters as they secure a bridge being used as an improvised holding cell.Error creating thumbnail: File missingAnother Envoy moves up to cover Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry) as she speaks with Kovacs.Error creating thumbnail: File missingFalconer holds her blaster as the team exfiltrates from a Protectorate facility.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA close-up of the grip as a blaster is maintained by a worker.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA close-up as Kovacs engages CTAC troops after the fall of Stronghold. If you couldn't tell yet, Episode 7 is the "Wounded Character Exposits Backstory Via Flashback" episode.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA high-quality BTS photo gives a clear view of the gun. It is apparently made by the in-universe company "NKO ARMS".
Magnetic Assault Rifle
Vernon Elliott (Ato Essandoh) uses a magnetically fired assault rifle, described by Kovacs as a "TAC Marine standard-issue AR". The prop itself proclaims it to be a "DUAL STAGE MAG-TIC RAIL". Concept art refers to it as a "Shock Trooper Railgun" and states that it is a refined evolution of the AK-74-based weapon used 250 years earlier.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingVernon hold the weapon in a video death threat in "Fallen Angel" (Episode 2)Error creating thumbnail: File missingOne Zoom and Enhance later, the serial number is visible-as Kovacs notes, "you might as well have signed your name" (as apparently the Protectorate allows soldiers to keep their issue railgun when they retire). The cut-off text at the top right reads "PROTEC.(Protectorate) USE ONLY."Error creating thumbnail: File missingVernon confronts Kovacs when the later barges through a locked door.Error creating thumbnail: File missingKovacs wins the ensuing fight and gives us a nice view of the side.Error creating thumbnail: File missingVernon hold the assault rifle as he arrives a bit late to rescue Kovacs, who has clearly got the situation (and Dimi the Twin's other half) well in hand.
Concept Art
The railgun used by the Protectorate builds on the technology used in the AK and streamlines it into a single unit, with additional stack-interfacing optics.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingConcept art of the Magnetic Rifle. It is apparently made by "BIOT-SAART Rail system Weapons" and is chambered in 7.6x34mm. Neither detail made it to the final prop. If the "20KJ" on the barrel is the muzzle energy, that would put the weapon somewhere between .50BMG and 14.5x114mm Soviet in power. Assuming an 8 gram/123 grain projectile (in line with other rounds of the same size), this would put muzzle velocity at around 2236m/s, breaking the sound barrier an obscene six times over.Error creating thumbnail: File missingIts not really clear why the concept art has a bunch of missile names on the side, or why the Soviet missile designations switch between Soviet and NATO naming convention. 96K6 is the Pantsir (NATO name SA-22) anti-air system and SA-19 is the 2K22 Tunguska, which predates Pantsir.
Sniper Rifles
Nemesis Arms Vanquish
A few Envoy soldiers are seen with Nemesis Arms Vanquish snipers rifles in "Nora Inu"
Envoy troops are seen with some sort of suppressed semi-auto scoped rifles in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7). The prop is actually a SMK Synergy Syntarg air rifle modified with a suppressor and a large dummy magazine mounted into the bottom of the stock between the trigger guard and palm swell.
Sarah (Olga Fonda) uses a prop grenade during a shootout in "Out Of The Past" (Episode 1). Judging by the blue-white explosion and "electrical arcs" effects on its targets, it seems to be an EMP grenade intended to fry an enemy's stack and RD them. Reileen Kawahara (Dichen Lachman) has a similar grenade on her gear in "Nora Inu" (Episode 7). Kovacs has several in the present as well.
Error creating thumbnail: File missingSarah pulls the pin on a grenade after running out of ammo for her Zoraki in "Out of the Past"Error creating thumbnail: File missingThe grenade explodes. Note the blue-white effects and the beginning of "electrocution" effects on the helmet to the left.Error creating thumbnail: File missingA grenade is seen on Rei's gear as she and Stronghold Kovacs move through a forest in "Nora Inu". For some reason she has rifle rounds on her strap, despite carrying a shotgun.Error creating thumbnail: File missingKovacs grabs a trio of grenades as he loads up in "Rage in Heaven" (Episode 9)
Blast grenade
Dimi (Byron Mann) uses some sort of less-lethal blast grenade in "Man with My Face" (Episode 6). Somehow it throws Kovacs and Ortega backward and through a window without killing them and, from all appearances, missing Dimi.
Poe has a pair of rotary Gatling-style weapons in the ceiling of the lobby for defense and puts them to good use in "Out of the Past" (Episode 1). While resembling old-fashioned Gatling Guns with their brass bodies and general layout, they have electric drive and belt feed, with the old-fashioned look being continuation of the hotel's theme.
