Containment Unit

Containment Unit
Use:	For Permanent Storage of Ghosts
Appeared In:	Ghostbusters Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Ghostbusters: The Video Game IDW Comics See "Appearances" header for more detailed list
Expires On:	May 22, 2024 (Frozen Empire)

“

May I please see the storage facility?

”

— Walter Peck; Ghostbusters

The Containment Unit (also known as as the Ecto-Containment System, Storage Facility and Protection Grid) is located in the basement of the Firehouse. It is a large, laser-confinement grid that holds and restrains all the vapors and entities that the Ghostbusters trap.

Canonicity

The Containment Unit in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984), Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. The Containment Unit (prime) appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions). The Containment Unit in 88MPH Comics, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows the events of Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. The Containment Unit in Ghostbusters: The Board Game, deemed a Tertiary Canon, loosely follows the events of IDW Comics.

History

Primary Canon History

Ghostbusters (1984)

In 1984, the Containment Unit was constructed in the Firehouse. It took up most of the basement, which was walled-off to create a space in which the captured ghosts could be incarcerated, leaving only a relatively small portion of the basement accessible. As well as the main power supplies and monitoring equipment, the most prominent feature of the Containment Unit was the "air-lock" through which the ghosts were transferred into the Unit from the Traps. A few weeks after the Ghostbusters were founded, the newly-hired Winston Zeddemore was taken down to the basement to empty Traps into the Containment Unit. Ray Stantz briefly informed Winston about the unit and taught him the proper procedure on how to empty a Trap into it. Egon Spengler worried that it was getting crowded in the Containment Unit in the midst of unusually high P.K.E. levels in New York.

Eventually, EPA inspector Walter Peck visited the Firehouse due to concerns about the presence of dangerous and potentially harmful waste-chemicals that the storage facility might be producing. When he failed to convince Peter Venkman to show him the storage facility, he returned a couple weeks later with a search warrant and police escort. Egon warned that turning off everything in the basement would be extremely hazardous. Peck was not swayed and told him the Ghostbusters were facing federal prosecution for at least half a dozen environmental violations. He again ordered Egon to shut everything off and threatened they would shut them off for him if he did not. Egon tried to explain it was a high-voltage laser containment system and simply turning it off would be like dropping a bomb on the city. The Con Edison electrician pointed out he never saw anything like the Containment Unit before and he was unsure about touching anything. Peck was not interested in his opinion and ordered him to just shut it off. The Con Edison electrician was nervous about proceeding but pulled a gray lever down. The lights dimmed and several alarms went off. The red light above the Containment Unit flashed. The D.C. Microamperes gauge plummeted from 100 to 0. Almost immediately, it became apparent that Egon's warnings were not exaggerated as the whole unit began to rumble and cracks began to appear in the retaining wall before entire blocks were blown out, prompting all present to flee. Ultimately, the vast amount of psycho-kinetic energy released from the system was enough to punch through all three floors and the roof of the Firehouse.

After Ghostbusters (1984)

At some point after Gozer was defeated, the Containment Unit was rebuilt.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

In summer 2021, shortly after Winston purchased the Firehouse, the button on the Containment Unit for setting the entry grid suddenly lit up in red and started blinking.

Before Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The Ghostbusters Engineer Corps built a new Containment with expanded capacity in the Paranormal Research Center. Ghosts extracted by the Ionic Separator were deposited into the new unit. Winston decided to wait until it was fully completed before he revealed it to the new Ghostbusters team. The new unit was built with five access panels with six docks each for a total of 30.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

In the summer of 2024, the Containment Unit slightly rumbled after Gary Grooberson pushed the buttons to set the entry grid and neutronize the field. He struggled to pull the lever down. Callie Spengler helped and after some effort they eventually pulled the lever all the way down and finished depositing Sewer Dragon. The green light illuminated. A Death Chill unleashed from the Orb of Garraka while it was in Ray's Occult Books shook the basement. The wall the unit was mounted on had large visible cracks in the aftermath. Frost started to develop on the unit. Janine Melnitz checked out the basement with Gary. He asked if the original Ghostbusters even emptied it. Janine sarcastically asked where they could have done that and suggested the East River. She took a photo of the unit with her phone and promised to let Winston's engineers know about the problem. The next day, Lars Pinfield took readings of the Containment Unit with a Narda Electromagnetic Radiation Monitor and Isotropic Probe. Gary tried to make small talk and asked if his equipment helped him hear the ghosts in the unit. Lars replied silence helped him hear the ghosts. Gary and Phoebe exchanged looks. Lars was startled by a klanging sound from the unit. Winston, Janine, and Lars met with the new team and went over Egon's original designs for the Containment Unit then addressed the problem of it running out of space after 40 years of compiling spiritual waste. Janine admitted in the '80s nobody was concerned about the future. Winston emphasized his concern about the rift the momentary burst of spiritual energy created in 1984 when the unit was shut down. Callie asked if he meant Heaven. Winston admitted he didn't know and that's what scared him. Janine and Winston stated they bought the Firehouse back for a reason: for the Ghostbusters to be the "finger in the dam" dealing with spiritual acitivty and the Firehouse needed to be protected. Trevor Spengler asked why another Containment Unit couldn't be built. Lars was surprised they didn't know already. Winston admitted his engineers already did.

The meeting shifted to the Paranormal Research Center. Winston presented the new unit. Ray remarked it could spin the equivalent of 50 million cubic hectares of plasmic confinement, a space equal to the American West. He and Gary did a riff on "Home, Home on the Range". Callie cut to the chase and asked how long it would take to transfer the ghosts in the Containment Unit to the new one. Lucky Domingo estimated in regular shifts, going Trap by Trap, it would take three to seven years. The next day, the basement was hit again. Gaping holes in the wall were created in the second rumbling. The unit was even more frosted over. Gary, Callie, and Phoebe checked the unit. The green light was still on.

Secondary Canon History

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions)

Read more at Containment Unit (Realistic Variant)

Egon recently added a viewer to the unit, something that fascinated Slimer. At the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday in 1991, the Rookie accidentally hit the unit with a Proton Stream, which allowed the Sloth Ghost to escape. Egon maintained it was "his fault" because he was fine-tuning the interspatial gasket earlier in the day and set to work repairing the damage whilst Ray and the Rookie pursued the escapees. 

IDW Comics

The Containment Unit was built as a fully secured system. Even if power was lost, the unit designed to operate for awhile. After the first bust concluded, the Ghostbusters returned from the Sedgewick Hotel. Egon was too excited to eat and wanted to use the Containment Unit for the first time, prematurely declaring a clean sweep of functional equipment. They deposited Slimer but the unit made an odd noise. The red alert activated and they were knocked on their backs. Egon speculated the field was not properly neutronized. Suddenly, a P.K.E. Meter lit up. Slimer investigated Tribeca but was recaptured by Egon and properly placed in the Containment Unit. The massive influx of P.K.E. from the coming of Gozer in 1984 and the Containment Unit pushing capacity created a unique and unforeseen problem. When Walter Peck ordered the power to be shut off, the ghosts inside the unit could no longer resist the pull of the ambient P.K.E. and violently shot out like iron to a magnet. Following Gozer's defeat, Egon already had a failsafe against the incident in mind.

In need of funds to start repairs on the Firehouse and Containment Unit, Egon agreed to be involved in a biographical book about the Ghostbusters that Peter brokered with a publishing company. Winston accompanied the book's author, Rebecca Morales, to the Firehouse. He found Egon in the basement scanning around the Containment Unit with the Gamma Rate Meter. Naturally, Rebecca's attention turned to the Containment Unit and she asked if that was were the ghosts were stored then asked him if he ever thought that exploding as soon as it lost power was a major design flaw. She pointed out blackouts could happen. Egon asked her where she heard that. Rebecca looked at the hole in the unit and told him she was very thorough then asked why there was no failsafe. Egon was annoyed and stated it was a fully secured system. He explained what really happened with the unit. Rebecca asked if that was an admission of fault. Egon denied it and pointed out he was not the one who ordered the power to be turned off. He asserted the scenario would be accounted for when the unit was rebuilt. She asked him if he thought ghosts would continue to be a problem, citing regular sightings diminished after the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man exploded. Egon thought some would continue to be a problem like the first ghost they captured. Winston recalled Ray's story about it escaping the first time they tried to put it in the unit. Rebecca was mock surprised something else escaped from the fully secured system. Egon sarcastically thanked Winston for bringing it up. Winston excused himself to run an errand. Rebecca wanted to hear the story.

At some point after the Shandor Incident in November 1991, the Containment Unit was modified into a much larger version. Parts from the previous version were re-purposed and integrated into the side of the new unit as a set of controls and safety measures. This mark has its own self-contained power source. It can be reached through a side panel on the bottom right of the unit. Stuck in the Old West era, Peter Venkman made his own Containment Unit, as close as he could jury rig, to hold the ghosts suddenly appearing. The last known entities deposited in it were The Rudely Mallard Gang.

A new group of Poltergeists possess a unique energy signature different from a standard entity. This development allows these entities to escape the Containment Unit. During the breach, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man also escapes. After Egon jury-rigs a zombie radar to track the Zombies, he decides to move it downstairs into the basement and connect it to the grid's generator for more power.

By March of the following year, a biometric security measure was added to the Containment Unit and could only be accessed by senior staff. Over a year later, Janine's security clearance to the unit was a determining factor in her remaining a member of the New Ghostbusters team. As part of her plans to mess with Gozer, Tiamat blocked some of Ray's memories. During the course of battle with the Ghostbusters, Gozer remembered they had imprisoned some of his essence in the Containment Unit after their last battle a few years ago. Since Ray was possessed by Gozer and Tiamat, the unit's biometric security panel registered an invalid reading from Ray's palm print and refused him access. Utterly enraged, Gozer prepared to rip the unit apart physically but the others wrangled Ray. Once Tiamat assumed total control of Ray, she punched the hull of the unit and threatened to cause a physical rupture that would overload the grid, set off a chain reaction resulting in a massive explosion and lastly release all captured entities.

After Tiamat left Ray, he came to and Peter pointed him to the smoking containment grid. Ray grabbed a monkey wrench and went to work on the unit. With no other choice, Ray and Egon manually vented the Containment Unit to prevent a catastrophe. The venting worked but Ellen Gold, along with the Crybaby Ghost, were released and recaptured. After learning about the Turtles' Interspatial Teleportation Unit, Ray realized the Containment Unit's power source would be able to power a jury rigged unit and get them back to their proper dimension. He took Donatello down to the basement and verified his hunch. As Egon and Donatello worked on the Interspatial Teleportation Unit, they compensated for potential power surges but it still caused an intense drain on the grid's power supply when turned on. Egon wasn't so sure the Electromagnetic Pulse Emitter affected it despite the psychokinetic energy signature. They raced against time to correct the issue or risk the grid rupturing and exploding. While Egon rerouted power, Donatello worked on the guts of the power supply. They successfully prevented catastrophe and Tribeca was once again spared from being turned into a smoking crater.

To capture The Collectors once and for all, Egon and Donatello worked on an idea to combine the portal technology of the Interspatial Teleportation Unit with the Traps to directly transport them into the Containment Unit since a Trap alone failed in the past. Donatello devised a Trap-Gate. Egon and Ray were able to fine tune the Trap-Gate to closely match the Collectors' P.K.E. signature then they successfully sent them directly into the Containment Unit. Comparing notes with the Real Ghostbusters of Dimension 68-R made Ray curious about the inner workings of his team's Containment Unit. Beforehand, Ray assumed it functioned in a similar manner to the Traps and kept a ghost's psychokinetic energy compressed and inert. The possibility that they inadvertently tapped into a pocket dimension where captured entities could roam free was too tempting for Ray. He felt observation could lead to new understanding. Egon preferred to operate on the side of caution. Ray reminded him it was a lot of days since the last incident and the experiment would be safe as long as the Containment Unit and Interspatial Teleportation Unit weren't turned on at the same time. He left a diagnostic running to sync up the monitoring equipment to the interdimensional transport array. Ray decided to leave a note just to be safe. Peter returned from a bust and was in the process of depositing a ghost into the Containment Unit when the teleportation unit suddenly activated due to Ron and Holtzmann secretly testing their Remote Access Teleportation Unit. The basement was enveloped in a white flash.

Ray checked the Containment Unit and only saw a blown capacitor but Egon discovered several major entities were missing. Egon realized the structural integrity was compromised but Gareth Dibello was suddenly released. He took control of a Proton Pack and fired at Holtzmann while the others took cover. The teleportation unit activated and several miniature portals were generated. Dibello flew through one with Holtzmann but she got stuck halfway. Egon and Ray pulled Holtzmann back into the basement, with part of Dibello's arm, just in time before the portal closed. Egon looked at the logs and realized all the missing entities used similar portals to go to other dimensions. In order to capture and return all the entities in the quickest and most efficient manner, the Ghostbusters brought in the support staff, Chicago Ghostbusters, and nine teams from other dimensions they worked with before. They had to re-capture and return all the entities back into the Containment Unit then recalibrate it as soon as possible or else there would be a structural collapse followed by an explosion. To contain the situation, Ray and Egon moved the Interspatial Teleportation Unit and its array to the Warehouse. Several Trap-Gates were modified to fit atop Traps in order to send the missing ghosts directly back into the Containment Unit as efficiently and quickly as soon as possible once they were located. The Chicago Ghostbusters volunteered to monitor the Containment Unit in case any more ghosts escaped. After Kevin Tanaka finished updating Peck on the situation, he returned to the Firehouse to help watch the Containment Unit.

Despite the ghosts being recaptured and the ghosts captured in the team's absence, the Containment Unit was still nearing meltdown. Jenny called the Warehouse from the basement and informed Ray of the developments. She asked him if there were any filled Traps laying around. Ray checked the remote monitor but it stated the unit's capacity was back to where it was before the accident. It made no sense. Jenny checked the possibly skewed readings and estimated one more ghost was needed. However, time was up and the unit was about to blow up. With no choice and no time, Jenny sacrificed herself and went into the Containment Unit's hatch. It stabilized and returned to normal working order. After a day's worth of work, Egon, Ray, Egon 68-R, and Holtzmann of 80-C finished work on the Containment Observation Monitor. Once the grid was stable and the monitor was ready, it was turned on. It worked and Ray inputted Jenny's P.K.E. signature. Jenny was found but a Mail Fraud Ghost charged her. Ray was aghast but Holtzmann told him to slow down. Jenny punched out the ghost. Holtzmann declared they were locked in there with her. Ray was relieved and hugged everyone at once. Ray vowed to make sure Jenny's promise they would see each other again would come true even though it meant pioneering a whole new science.

Secondary Canon (Expanded Universe) History

Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions)

The unit is unchanged from its film appearance in the Stylized Version. The Player can dump a fresh trap into the Containment Unit after each level by interacting with the lever on the right side of the screen.

Tertiary Canon History

Read more at Containment Unit (Animated Variant)

After the Gozer incident, Egon Spengler decided to not only rebuild the Containment Unit but build a much bigger version. Though improved from the original version, the new unit still had its faults. One noticeable feature of the new unit was that it transported the ghosts captured to a containment dimension where they are free to roam around. The dimension seems to vary at times from a brightly colored realm with card tables to a dark realm of destruction.

Ghostbusters: The Board Game

Weeks after being released, Idulnas emptied the Ghostbusters' Containment Unit of every entity being held inside. After an earthquake, rocked the neighborhood, a horrid smell of sulfur and vomit and burnt flesh wafted up from the basement to the second floor. Ray raced down to check the Containment Unit. It was not damaged at all. The structural integrity of the unit was intact. He ran a diagnostic and realized the unit was completely empty.

Ghostbusters (Activision)

A portable containment grid could be purchased for use on the Ecto-1 vehicle, eliminating the need to return to HQ to empty traps.

Ghostbusters: Legion

The Containment Unit, six months after the Gozer incident, resembled the version seen in The Real Ghostbusters.

Technical Specifications

Primary Canon Specifications

There seems to be a limit to the amount of ghosts that can be contained in the Mark I Containment Unit, as evidenced by Egon Spengler's statement that the facility was "getting crowded". However the actual capacity of the Unit is never stated on-screen. The storage facility appears to work in much the same way as a ghost trap does, in that it uses an energy field or grid to act as a barrier which prevents escape.  

The storage facility is a concept that Dr. Ray Stantz and Dr. Egon Spengler first theorized when they gathered data during their first close contact with an actual ghost. Assuming that the ionization rate for all ectoplasmic entities remained constant, they calculated that it would be possible to trap and contain a ghost "indefinitely". Egon's grand vision was for the Containment Unit to act essentially as a giant Ghost Trap. Articulated streams of protons stabilized the particles of ghost deposited into the unit.

Secondary Canon Specifications

In the Realistic Version of the 2009 video game, the Containment Unit is shown to have incorporated some visual elements from the cartoon version.

Description and Procedure

Loaded traps are emptied into the Containment Unit by way of an apparatus whose operation resembles that of an airlock. This takes the form of a large, red piece of machinery which is mounted on the retaining wall and has apparently been designed for ease of use; the procedure is demonstrated to be "quite simple" by Ray.

1) Unlock and open the system - The locking handle is rotated 90 degrees and a large access panel is rotated down to the horizontal, exposing a "dock" for loaded Traps to be inserted for emptying.

2) Insert trap - A loaded Trap is inserted into the dock. The outer case and carry-handle assembly can then be released and set aside, leaving the Trap in the dock. A red warning light also comes on above the airlock at this point, indicating that a "live" Trap is now in the system.

3) Close and lock the system - The opposite of stage 1, the access panel is closed and locked.

4) Set entry grid - A single button-push primes the grid to receive the trapped ghost(s).

5) Neutronize field - Another single button-push operation, the effect of which is not made clear.

6) Empty the Trap - Initiated by pulling down a mechanical lever, the Traps contents are "flushed" into the Containment Unit. The red status light also goes out at this point and the green one illuminates to show that the system is now secure and that the Trap can be removed, presumably to be used again.

As Ray puts it: "Light is green - Trap is clean! Ghost is incarcerated here in our custom-made storage facility."

There also appears to be a red access panel or door built into the wall of the unit, to the left of the Trap-emptying machinery. However this is never seen to be used or even referred to.

Trivia

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia

• The Containment Unit was originally set up in a deserted Sunoco gas station in northern New Jersey taken over and converted by the Ghostbusters.
• In the August 5, 1983 and October 7, 1983 (Also referred to as "Final Shooting Script") drafts of the Ghostbusters script, there is a camera inside the Containment Unit which allowed the Ghostbusters to monitor incarcerated spirits via closed-circuit television. It was described as "a bleak repository for souls of many species. Strange lights, mists and spectral shapes waft about aimlessly. Human-like figures lean against the walls in despairing convict poses. Others flit and hand on the ceiling. It is a sad and frightening limbo and a most unholy makeshift asylum." Even Venkman declared that it was "too depressing" to watch the goings-on inside.
• The video monitor was deleted from the first movie because there wasn't any time left for another major effects sequence and there was concern the audience would feel sorry for the ghosts. Compositing large numbers of predominantly white, transparent entities on top of one of another would ultimately have resulted in a totally washed out image without any real sense of definition.
• When the Containment Unit is shut down, the effects were practical. Lights, dust, and wind were used. Technicians stood behind the wall and shook the individual bricks.
• In Ghostbusters: The Supernatural Spectacular, when Winston is first introduced to the Containment Unit, he peers through the view slit. One ghost "drifts to the viewport and stares back, like a grouper in an aquarium." The Unit is also described to have three slots or airlocks of different sizes for each of the custom traps that Ray Stantz put together. It is noted the type of trap Stantz uses to demonstrate with to Winston is a Mark II.

Ghostbusters II Trivia

• In the Ghostbusters II August 5, 1988 draft, page 44, Janine mentioned Egon and Ray were building a new storage facility.
• When Peter takes on Nunzio Scoleri, he alludes to the Containment Unit by calling it is "private zoo."

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire Trivia

• The new Containment Unit was originally straight along one wall but it was deemed boring and filling up too much wall. Eve Stewart and Gil Kenan decided to give it the L-design.

Assorted Video Game Trivia

• The containment grid also appears in the arcade game and the ending cutscenes of the PlayStation game

Ghostbusters III: Hellbent Trivia

• On page 26, the team featured in the drafts are volunteered to take the Ecto-50 Transfer Truck, a large surplus city maxi-sized crew cab five ton box truck, to transfer an excess of captured ghosts to the GB Jersey Storage Facility off the Pulaski Skyway. The signs on the perimeter notes it is EPA approved, has a Class XC permit, there is a very high voltage anti-personnel fence, and Akita attack dogs. The transfer is completed but Franky fails to lock the clipping on a shunt. After they leave, ghosts escape and leads to a code purple emergency the next day that requires all teams to rectify.

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia

• In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), at the start of Welcome to the Hotel Sedgewick, the seventh message on the Firehouse answering machine is prank call substituting the refrigerator for the Containment Unit.

IDW Comics Trivia

• The Containment Unit appears on the Subscription Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #5.
• One page 12 of Ghostbusters 101 #6, in panel 4, in the bottom center, under the trap is the yellow Ghost Trap decal that originated from the trap slot of the Containment Unit in the first movie.
• On page 10 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #3, the trap slot is loosely based on the Containment Unit's from the first Ghostbusters movie.
• The Ghostbusturtles' Containment Unit looks like the Ghostbusters' unit.
• On page 18 of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #5:
  • The interior of this Containment Unit was previously seen in the first hardcover collection, Total Containment.
  • In the lower left are:
    • Stingy Jack from Ghostbusters Volume 2 #9.
    • H2 Ghost from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #1.
    • Kenner's Brain Matter from the Mini Ghost Figure: Mini Gooper set.
    • Kenner's Banshee Bomber from the Gooper Ghost Figures.
  • In the upper right are:
    • Bug-Eye Ghost from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters #1.
    • With its back to the reader, the red ghost that appears when Slimer enters the Containment Unit in The Real Ghostbusters episode "Janine Melnitz, Ghostbuster".
    • Master Takeda from the Ghostbusters Funko Universe one-shot.
    • The Five Points Killer from Ghostbusters Volume 2 #13.
    • Gareth Dibello from Ghostbusters Volume 2 #2.
    • Kenner's Sludge Bucket from the Gooper Ghost Figures.
    • The Werecat Ghost from Ghostbusters International #1.
  • Luis Antonio Delgado's 15 easter egg is on the pipe to the right of Stingy Jack.
• The Containment Unit was mentioned in Walter Pecks' bio on the 35th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, posted on June 19, 2018.
• On page 4 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #1, Ray speculates about a pocket dimension in the Containment Unit. In the Total Containment hardcover collection and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #5, such a dimension was seen.
• The Egon Spengler of 68-R revealed his team offered to help upgrade the Containment Unit to hold a Class 7 entity.
• The Containment Unit was mentioned in the Fire Goblin's bio in the 44th Crossing Over Virtual Trading Card, released on July 18, 2018.
• On page 3 of Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #5, Peck alludes to when he had the Containment Unit turned off in the first Ghostbusters movie.
• The Containment Unit maintained by the Ghostbusters of Dimension 50-S is also protected by a secure access system on it.
• In the IDW canon, Egon created the Containment Unit on his own.
• On cover B of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4, Janine's phone references the Containment Unit.

Ghostbusters: The Board Game Trivia

• On page 2 of Ghostbusters: The Board Game's Operations and Field Manual comic, the original Ecto Containment Unit was defined as a storage facility that safely compressed and neutralized the psychokinetic energy and autonomy of most classes of supernatural entities.

Tertiary Canon Trivia

• On page 8 of Egon's Journal, a supplement of the Hasbro Haslab Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack, it is revealed Peter had an idea to bypass the restraining order in New York and take Ghostbusters national by converting an 18 wheel tanker truck into a mobile Containment Unit.

See Also

• Containment Unit (Animated Variant)
• Containment Unit (Realistic Variant)
• Paranormal Containment Research Tank
• Portable Ecto-Containment Unit
• Containment Unit (Spirits Unleashed Variant)

Appearances

Primary Canon Appearances

• Ghostbusters
  • Chapter 04: Terminated
    • Mentioned by Ray Stantz.
  • Chapter 14: Welcome Aboard
  • Chapter 15: E.P.A. Man
  • Chapter 21: Out of Biz
  • Chapter 24: Biblical
    • Alluded to by Ray Stantz.
• Ghostbusters II
  • Chapter 12: Two in the Box
    • Alluded to by Peter Venkman.
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
  • Chapter 16
• Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

Secondary Canon Appearances

• Ghostbusters: The Video Game
  
  
• IDW Comics
  • Ghostbusters: The Other Side
    • Issue #2
      • Ray calls Purgatory a karmic Containment Unit.
    • Issue #3
      • Janine refers to it when helping Fred find Traps.
    • Issue #4
      • Egon mentions it after Lucky's Demon is trapped.
  • Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression
    • Issue #1
  • Ghostbusters: Infestation
    • Issue #2
  • Ongoing Series
    • Volume One
      • Issue #3
    • Volume Two
      • Issue #1
        • Mentioned by Walter Peck on page 12
      • Issue #19
      • Issue #20
    • Ghostbusters: Total Containment
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ghostbusters
      • Issue #2
      • Issue #4
    • Ghostbusters Get Real
      • Issue #1
      • Issue #3
    • Ghostbusters Annual 2015
      • On page 3, panel 2, Egon mentions the Containment Unit.
    • Volume 3
      • Ghostbusters International #3
        • Mentioned on page 23 in the Spectral Incident Report.
      • Ghostbusters International #5
        • Mentioned by Egon on page 6.
      • Ghostbusters International #8
    • Ghostbusters 101
      • Issue #1
      • Issue #2
      • Issue #3
      • Issue #4
        • Mentioned on page 24 in Ghost Trap section.
      • Issue #5
        • Mentioned by Egon on page 4.
    • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2
      • Issue #1
      • Issue #2
        • Egon mentions the Containment Unit on page 5.
        • Donatello mentions the Containment Unit on page 18.
      • Issue #3
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
      • Issue #4
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
        • Mentioned by Egon on page 17.
      • Issue #5
    • Ghostbusters Annual 2018
      • Mentioned by Ron Alexander on page 10.
    • Ghostbusters Crossing Over
      • Issue #1
      • Issue #2
      • Issue #3
      • Issue #4
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
        • Mentioned on page 10 by Bridget Gibbons of Dimension 50-S and Egon Spengler of Dimension 68-R.
      • Issue #5
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
        • Mentioned by Peck on page 2.
        • Mentioned by Jenny on page 2.
        • Mentioned by Peck on page 3.
      • Issue #6.
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
        • Mentioned on page 1 by Ray Stantz 68-R.
        • Mentioned on page 17 by Erin Gilbert 80-C.
      • Issue #7
        • Mentioned on What Came Before page.
      • Issue #8
    • Transformers/Ghostbusters
      • Issue #3
        • Mentioned by Peter Venkman on page 6.
      • Issue #5
        • Alluded to Peter on page 17.
    • Ghostbusters Year One
      • Issue #1
        • Mentioned in Egon Spengler's biography on Dramatis Personae page.
      • Issue #3
        • Mentioned by Rebecca Morales on page 7.
      • Issue #4
  • Ghostbusters IDW 20/20
    • Mentioned by Egon 50-S on page 10.
    • Referenced as a cage by Wat 50-S on page 14.
    • Mentioned by Egon 50-S on page 14.
    • Mentioned by Samuel Hazer on page 16.
• Insight Editions
  • Tobin's Spirit Guide
    • Section I: Ghosts of New York
      • Mentioned on Page 12.
    • Section III: Metaspecters
      • Mentioned on Page 60.
    • Section IV: Gods and Major Demons
      • Mentioned on Page 66.

Tertiary Canon Appearances

• IDW Comics
  • The X-Files: Conspiracy: Ghostbusters
  • Ghostbusters: Deviations
    • On page 13, Egon mentions the Containment Unit.
      
      
• Cryptozoic Entertainment
  • Ghostbusters: The Board Game
    • Operations and Field Manual comic only
      
      
• 88MPH Studios
  • Legion Issue # 1

Gallery

Primary Canon Images

As seen in Ghostbusters

As seen in Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Secondary Canon Images

Peter's ECU seen in "Displaced Aggression 1"

As seen in "Ghostbusters: Infestation 2"

With Zombie Radar

As seen in Issue #3

As seen in Issue #3

Rear seen on back cover of Ghostbusters: Total Containment

Interior seen in Total Containment

Interior seen in Total Containment

As seen in Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #19

As seen in Volume 2 Issue #19

As seen in Volume 2 Issue #19

As seen in Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #20

As seen in Volume 2 Issue #20

Power source seen in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Issue #2

As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #2

As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #2

As seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #4

Power source seen in TMNT/Ghostbusters Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters 101 #2

As seen in Ghostbusters 101 #3

As seen on Subscription Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #5

Reference seen in Ghostbusters 101 #6

Old trap slot repurposed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #3

As seen in Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2

As seen in Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2

As seen in Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2

As seen in Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #2

As seen in Ghostbusters Crossing Over Issue #8

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

As seen in Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4

Secondary Canon (Expanded Universe) Images

As seen in Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions)

Tertiary Canon Images

Mobile Containment Unit design on page 8 of Egon's Journal, a supplement of the Hasbro Haslab Ghostbusters Plasma Series Spengler's Proton Pack.

As seen in Ghostbusters: Legion Issue #1

Behind the Scenes Images

Brent Boates' concept for unused viewport in first movie

Ghostbusters: Afterlife additional photography in Los Angeles on August 11, 2021 (Credit: Oscar Rivera Facebook private post)

Seen in basement concept view 2 version 2 for Frozen Empire by Andrew Smith dated 12/9/2022

Seen in basement concept view 1 version 4 by Andrew Smith for Frozen Empire dated 2/1/2022

Seen in destroyed basement concept view 2 version 2 by Andrew Smith for Frozen Empire dated 1/18/2022

Seen in melting basement concept view 1 version 1 by Andrew Smith for Frozen Empire dated 2/2/2022

Parts made for the interior by Nico Monterosso and James Hunt for Frozen Empire (Credit: James Hunt)

Basement of Firehouse set (Credit: Yes Have Some)

Frozen Empire Containment Unit (Credit: Yes Have Some)

Frozen Empire Containment Unit (Credit: Yes Have Some)

Luke Whitelock of Whitelock Design in basement of Firehouse set during Frozen Empire production (Credit: Whitelock Design)

Behind-the-scenes Frozen Empire still posted December 18, 2023 (Credit: Empire)

New Containment Unit, seen in Tested 3/26/2024

Kevin Mangold at new Containment Unit during Frozen Empire production (Credit: Kevin Mangold)

New Containment Unit, seen in Tested 3/26/2024

New Containment Unit, seen in Tested 3/26/2024

New Containment Unit, seen in Tested 3/26/2024

6 docks in 1 access panel of new Containment Unit in Frozen Empire (Credit: Yes Have Some)

New Containment Unit, seen in Tested 3/26/2024