Will laser blasters ever be possible?

160,782 plays|

Christopher Baird |

TED-Ed

• January 2026

A fleet of rebel spaceships is greeted by a frenzy of laser blasts – illuminating the sector with brilliant bursts of light. Science fiction has shown us scenes like this for decades, but the lasers in our daily lives seem far less dazzling and destructive. So, could sci-fi laser weaponry ever exist? And how do lasers even work in the first place? Christopher Baird investigates. [Directed by Igor Ćorić, Artrake Studio, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Cem Misirlioglu, Brooks Ball].