For the various Ghostbusters Cartoon series. Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters and more!
User avatar
By Captain_Howdy1444
#4934816
A question that has bugged me for several years regarding the choice in ghost wrangle/trapping equipment is; would it not be easier to use just the trap in the place of the proton wands? I know this may sound absolutely insane to some of you and honestly, as I type this out, I question my own sanity.

Stay with me though. In several episodes of Both RGB and Extreme GB, they are able to simply point the trap in the direction or path of a ghost and Trap it without the use of the proton pack. Why not make a more compact pack that uses the same tech as the trap? I know property destruction resulting from the use of the proton beam is a huge staple of the Ghostbusters but all of that could be avoided as well as make the catching/trapping of a ghost significantly easier, more cost effective although less entertaining.

I feel like this is a significant plot hole in the GB universe. I am aware that the proton throwers are essential for dispatching entity's over a certain class/level like Gozer and those alike. In most cases, a larger scale trap with a higher storage capacity would work just fine.

You might say " A trap can only contain a certain amount of ghost at a time" you would be right to do so. I propose that a small scale containment grid could be fixed into the ecto-1 to temporarily hold a number of ghosts until the team is able to return to Headquarters in order to transfer the payload into the main containment unit. After proofreading this, I'm pretty sure I'm completely overthinking this.
Last edited by Kingpin on May 15th, 2020, 3:55 am, edited 1 time in total.Reason: Added paragraph breaks.
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4934825
I dispute that it's a plot hole, in other forms of pest control, those employees often have separate devices to snare and contain the pests in question.

While the Traps do feature a degree of suction via the capture vortex, it's likely to say they still have a limited field of influence, and the bigger the room the ghost is in, the less effective the capture vortex is to the ghost.

The streams are not only a way to wrangle the creature physically, they can also serve as the deterrent, and given most ghosts can pass through walls without incident, you want as many tools as you can get to ensure it goes into the Trap. They can also be used to 'tire' the ghost out (as established by Ghostbusters: The Video Game), ultimately making the ghosts easier to trap. Finally, some can possess items, meaning you have to strip that item away before you can more easily trap the ghost.

Then there's taking into consideration the capacity of the Ghost Trap batteries - the amount of times the capture vortex can be activated and how long it can be activated for will have an effect on how long the trap is able to maintain containment.
Captain_Howdy1444 liked this
User avatar
By Captain_Howdy1444
#4934836
Kingpin wrote: May 15th, 2020, 4:08 am While the Traps do feature a degree of suction via the capture vortex, it's likely to say they still have a limited field of influence
I agree but is it not feasible to say that the field of influence could be extended as well as the battery or number of times it can be activated?
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4934840
Sure, the field of range can be increased... But you then need a bigger battery, and likely make the thing less portable. And the game showed that even having the Super Slammer on Ecto-1B, that Trap's effectiveness is still limited to where the car can get to.

And to add another example, some ghosts are too dangerous to get up-close to. Some you physically can't get any closer to, such as the apparition that knocks Egon off the top of the World Trade Center, or any ghosts out on open water.

The Packs can also be used to disrupt a ghost's attacks, or spectral influence on an area, collection of people, or physical items.
Captain_Howdy1444 liked this
User avatar
By Captain_Howdy1444
#4934852
You also have to take under consideration that the ghost being trapped by the ecto-1 in the game are about the same class as the exact ones in the series that are being trapped simply by pointing the trap at the ghost. I feel like you're only taking the game into consideration with your rebuttal when clearly, comparing it to the series, there is no real continuity in how trapping is achieved. as far as battery size and increasing it is concerned, If the thrower is no longer used, the battery could be held on a similar size pack.
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4934866
There's no continuity in the trapping because we're talking about stories dealing with a fictional science that've been written by various different people interpreting the limited sequences and science provided by the movie. :) Maybe try cut them a little slack. ;)

Another point I'll raise is that in terms of the series, Egon made an attempt in Ghost Fight at the O.K. Corral to build a more powerful Ghost Trap, which featured increased suction. The device ultimately ripped a hole in the ceiling of the Firehouse garage before it destroyed itself... Suggesting the suction capability of the Trap has a limit of how powerful it can be before it actually presents a hazard to the local environment. Not to mention the likely conclusion that the size of the Trap has to be increased in order for it to not to destroy itself through its operation because of the increase in power - leading back to the point of more power resulting in bigger, less wieldy Traps.

Now, of course... That same lack of continuity can present itself with the garbage truck Traps build by Ray in Bustman's Holiday, which were bigger and exhibited a wider field of influence...

However, I think there's two points to be considered here. One, assuming these enlarged Traps did feature a greater degree of suction to capture the ghosts from the Battle of Dunkeld (which seems likely based on the visuals), as shown in the episode, they required a direct connection to Scotland's national grid to power them. Two, they were stationed out in the open countryside, meaning whatever damage caused by their suction would be minimised.

As I touched on earlier, the ghosts the Ghostbusters encounter are widely-ranging and over very unpredictable in nature, between that and their incorporeal nature all they have to do to evade these hypothetical Pack-less Ghostbusters is to phase through the roof, or the wall, and then they can make their getaway whilst the Ghostbusters physically traverse from indoors to outdoors, or from one building to another... Tricky enough as it is with an open, public building... Let alone the collection of high-security labs, space stations, abandoned buildings or downright dangerous locations they've visited over the years.

The Ghostbusters can't do their job properly without some kind of "lasso" to snare their targets, and the premise is all the more entertaining/visually appealing for it. :)
By Winston1986
#4934898
Funny. Your topic reminds me of the scene in Ghostbusters 2 where Ray and Peter trap a ghost of a Jogger by simply putting the trap over the area he runs and then just springing the trap sucking him in. That scene proves you don't always need the proton pack to catch every ghost and when thinking on that scene they could have thought to do a similar thing to catch Slimer in the first movie but didn't think of it. I guess the real answer though is that it isn't as much fun to watch hence why the cartoons don't do that.
Captain_Howdy1444 liked this
User avatar
By Kingpin
#4934903
The jogger ghost was likely a repeater, following the same path around the reservoir in Central Park. Had it not been so easy to trap, the guys would've then likely used the Packs... However I feel it should be pointed out the jogger ghost was an exception to the rule, most ghosts encountered by the Ghostbusters are a lot less cooperative.

I doubt they'd have nearly had as much success with trying that tactic on Slimer at the Sedgewick.
User avatar
By Captain_Howdy1444
#4935007
Winston1986 , I feel like you get what I'm trying to say. I've mentioned that not only would it not be as entertaining but that it could be used for a majority of the ghost that they encounter.

    My Little Pony/Ghostbusters crossover done by my d[…]

    Great work identifying the RS Temperature Control […]

    I read Back in Town #1. Spoilers : Hate to b[…]

    I'd really like to see the new t-shirt unlocks tra[…]