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The Giga Meter[1] is another device created to detect ethereal energies. Specifically, it measures psychomagnotheric energy in Giga Electron Volts, which are the standard unit of measurement for high-energy physics.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters II[]

Around the time the Ghostbusters' dissolution after the Gozer incident, Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz, were working on a theory that the human emotional state has a measurable effect on the psychomagnotheric energy field. Egon continued to gather data on this theory while he was employed at the Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research. The theory and research culminated in the invention of the Giga Meter. The Giga Meter was used in late 1989 in response to the activity generated by the Psychomagnotheric Slime discovered below the streets of New York. While investigating Dana Barrett's apartment and First Avenue, Egon used the Giga Meter in conjunction with Ray using the original P.K.E. Meter. While the P.K.E. Meter acted as a psychokinetic dowsing rod, the Giga Meter served as a measuring instrument, for recording the exact levels of psychomagnotheric energy generated in a measurable unit. Before they found the Psychomagnotheric Slime underground, Egon stood on First Avenue where Oscar's carriage stopped and the Giga Meter had a reading of 2.5 Giga Electron Volts whereas the P.K.E. Meter measured 1118. On Friday evening, after Egon made a very big hole in First Avenue with a jack hammer, he used the Giga Meter again. Egon remarked it was very intense and suggested they get a deeper reading. Ray agreed and eventually realized Peter and Egon had chosen him to go down. The Giga Meter was one of the devices confiscated by the police and displayed as one of the exhibits during the Ghostbusters' trial. After the Ghostbusters went back in business, Egon took the Giga Meter on cases, including the one at Orrefors, checking out Dana's bathroom, investigating the Manhattan Museum of Art, the search on foot for the New York Pneumatic Railroad and River of Slime, and returning to the museum with the Statue of Liberty.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife[]

Egon Spengler left the Giga Meter on a table near his wall of degrees in his Farmhouse's underground laboratory.

Secondary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game[]

The Giga Meter was not used during the Shandor Incident because the primary slime that is utilized, Black Slime, is supersaturated with negative energy and not psychomagnotheric energy. It was not similar enough to warrant the Giga Meter's use.

IDW Comics[]

Egon used a Giga Meter to take an initial scan of Fantastic Land once the Ghostbusters entered the grounds. Months later, in November, Egon ran a sweep of Herald Square with the Giga Meter after Death, Eugene Visitor, and the Megaspook vanished. Kylie Griffin used a Giga Meter to track Gareth Dibello throughout Central Park. The meter was able to pinpoint him 150 yards away at Bridge #24. Egon brought the Giga Meter along on the investigation of the gravitational anomalies that manifested on Columbus Circle.

While in Venice for a couple hours, Ray attempted to establish a baseline for psychokinetic activity in preparation for their case on Poveglia. He took readings with a Giga Meter but was surprised he buried the needle due to the abundance of benign ghosts in the area. Ray tuned the meter to compensate for and sift through the heavy local concentration of P.K.E. in order to track entities on Poveglia. The adjustment aided the Ghostbusters in detection of the Plague Doctor Ghost, the biggest individual reading on the island. After entering the asylum, Ray picked up a double reading, a second layer of data. In a basement, he discovered the source of the stronger reading - the Poveglian Artifact. However, the ghost reappeared behind him and the meter registered a "88.0" reading. After the ghost was trapped, Ray observed they drastically reduced the local psychokinetic energy but it soon recovered at an exponential rate. The meter's dome sustained irreparable damage when Kaia May released the Unknown Soldier Ghosts in a Paris police station while in search of the Poveglian Artifact.

Egon used a Giga Meter when he and Ray went into the sewers under Coney Island. They discovered a pool of Psychomagnotheric Slime but upon further inspection, realized it was positively charged. During the dimensional bleed incident, Abby Yates used the Giga Meter when the Ghostbusters 101 pilot team were interviewed about using the Interspatial Teleportation Unit. Ray used the Giga Meter during the Ghostbusters' investigation of City Water Tunnel No. 3.

Description[]

The Giga Meter appears as a hand-held black unit, with a large sensor 'dome' mounted to the front underside at a slight angle. Above this, two electronic probes sway back and forth, presumably to pick up or filter out energy.

It was shown to be kept in a silvery carrying case.[2]

Contradictions in Appearance[]

It is unknown why but in some promotional materials, such as the Puzzle Book and Coloring Book, the Giga Meter instead is portrayed as a box like device.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters II Trivia[]

  • In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft the reason for having a new type of P.K.E. Meter is explained. Egon discovered the anti-particle of psychokinetic energy and stated its abundance in the environment, without understanding its purpose or origin. He labelled these anti-particles as the psychomagnetic force (PMF), and the Giga Meter was invented to measure the energy detected from it, psychomagnetic energy, in giga-electron volts.[3][4][5][6]
  • In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, the Giga Meter is used instead of Ray to investigate underground. The Giga Meter that is lowered down the hole they make. The readings are so strong, the meter is half-melted and fried to a crisp.[7][8]
  • In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, the Giga Meter reads 3 GeVs of psychomagnetic force off a normal human.[9]
  • The base of the Giga Meter prop is a Redman Corporation Power Scrubber 'N' Buffer, an off-the-shelf hand held cleaning device. A plastic dome equipped with spinning lights and a pair of motorized condenser microphones were added to the prop.[10]
  • On page 23 of the February 27, 1989 draft of the Ghostbusters II script, Ray Stantz reveals he and Egon Spengler "have been working on a gauge to measure psychomagnotheric energy in GEVs - giga electron volts."[11]
  • In the November 27, 1988 draft, on page 75, Ray uses the Giga Meter during the sweep at the Manhattan Museum of Art whereas in the movie, Egon uses it.
  • In the deleted scene Driving Miss Liberty, while the Statue of Liberty was walking through the Hudson River, Egon looked at the Giga Meter and reported it was now at full power.

Ghostbusters: Answer The Call Trivia[]

  • The back of the P.K.E. Meter (2016) prop has a label that references Ray and Egon's readings of 1118 on the P.K.E. Meter and 2.5 GeVs on the Giga meter in Ghostbusters II, Chapter 5: Investigating Oscar.

IDW Comics Trivia[]

Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed Trivia[]

Miscellaneous Tertiary Canon Trivia[]


Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]


Expanded Universe

Secondary Canon Appearances[]

Tertiary Canon Appearances[]

References[]

  1. Egon Spengler (1999). Ghostbusters II, Chapter 5: Investigating Oscar (1989) (DVD ts. 20:42-20:43). Columbia Pictures. Egon Spengler says: "2.5 GEVs on the Giga Meter."
  2. The Giga meter carrying case (1989). Ghostbusters II (1989) (DVD ts. 21:50-22:03). Columbia Pictures.
  3. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 18). Egon Spengler says: "Ray and I have been working on a radical new theory. We know that PKE, psychokinetic energy, is the unifying force on the so-called etheric plane."
  4. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 19). Egon Spengler says: "Even though we traditionally think of energy traveling in waves, we know from quantum mechanics that energy is actually composed of particles' and we also know that every particle has an antiparticle."
  5. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 19). Egon Spengler says: "We've discovered a new energy composed of PKE antiparticles. I call it the "psychomagnetic force" and I've been able to detect it everywhere I've looked."
  6. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 26). Ray Stantz says: "Egon and I have been working on it. It measures psychomagnetic energy in GeVs--giga-electron-volts."
  7. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 29). Paragraph reads: "They lower the gigameter into the hole on a very long line."
  8. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 29). Paragraph reads: "There is a bright flash deep down the hole. They quickly pull up the line and gape at the gigameter, which is half-melted and fried to a crisp."
  9. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1988). Ghostbusters II (August 5, 1988 Draft) (Script p. 74). Egon Spengler says: "You're reading three at the moment. That's normal. The different between 3 and 130 in terms of potential volatility is like the difference between a firecracker and a stick of dynamite."
  10. Wallace, Daniel (2015). Ghostbusters The Ultimate Visual History, p. 154. Insight Editions, San Rafael CA USA, ISBN 9781608875108. Line reads: "The Giga Meter prop was built around an off-the-shelf hand-held cleaning device, the Redman Corporation Power Scrubber 'N' Buffer. The finished prop had a plastic dome equipped with spinning lights added, plus a pair of motorized condenser microphones."
  11. Aykroyd, Dan & Ramis, Harold (1989). Ghostbusters II (February 27, 1989 Draft) (Script p. 23). Ray Stantz says: "Egon and I have been working on a gauge to measure psychomagnetheric energy in GEVs - giga electron volts."
  12. Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes (2017). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters 101 #4" (2017) (Comic p.24). Ghostbusters 101 Class Notes reads: "Giga meters (to detect and measure psychoreactive substances, such as mood slime)."
  13. Eddy Chan; After Act 1 Scene 3 cutscene (2022). Ghostbusters: Spirits UnleashedFirehouse (2022) (PS4/PS5/PC/Xbox One/Xbox Series X). Illfonic. Eddy Chan says: "I bet you're wondering why we're not using the more advanced giga-meters, huh? The never ending struggle between science and... budget constraints."

Gallery[]

Collages[]

Primary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Tertiary Canon Images[]

Behind the Scenes Images[]

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