General Staal uses his baton to repair a teleport pod which was damaged by the Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver. (TV: The Sontaran Stratagem).
The Sontaran baton was a device of Sontaran design which was carried by certain high ranking officers of the Sontaran Empire. They were symbols of rank and status, as well as multi-function tools.[source needed]
These long black coloured batons were capable of firing an orange or red beam that was able to stun, injure or kill a target. Furthermore, they were able to repair minor damage to Sontaran technology such as the teleport pod.[source needed]
Group Marshal Stike carried a baton, (TV: The Two Doctors) as did General Staal of the Tenth Sontaran Battle Fleet. (TV: The Sontaran Stratagem / The Poison Sky)
Commander Steg shooting and killing Nikos. (HOMEVID: Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans)
Fleet Marshal Stentor carried a Battle Standard instead of a baton. (PROSE: Lords of the Storm)
Commander Steg and his troops all carried batons. On his weapons there was a concealed safety catch on the butt of the gun that prevented individuals who were not in possession of this knowledge from firing the gun. (HOMEVID: Shakedown: Return of the Sontarans)
Behind the scenes
A number of official magazines licenced by the BBC (Doctor Who DVD Files, Doctor Who Monster Invasion and Doctor Who Magazine) refer to this weapon as a "Sontaran swagger stick."