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The fictional Star Wars universe features an intricate array of different weapons, whose uses and powers range from interpersonal combat to destroying entire space stations or even planets and solar systems in single sweeps. Some of them resemble stereotypical science fiction weapons, while others, perhaps most notably the lightsaber, are uniquely associated with the franchise.
Ship Weapons
Blasters
"Blaster" is a term that can be used interchangeably with the term "laser" for everyday conversation. Regardless, blasters and lasers are particle beam weapons, which fire a "bolt" of energy. The designs of blasters are a fair bit older than that of lasers, becoming less common in newer ships. With their design, blasters have high fire cylce rates, enabling them to multifire, a mode of fire in which the rate of discharge is increased at the cost of accuracy. Blasters, because they are weaker than laser of similar size, are limited to starfighters.
Among the oldest and most venerable of blaster technology is the triple blaster, which dates back to the old, old days of the Old Republic. It works by using three separate blasters connected to the same targeting system, often found in coordinated sets of two or four, to fire simultaneously on a target. No company still mass produces them, and by the Rise of the Empire, triple blasters become exeedingly rare.
An updated version of blaster technology is the autoblaster, a modern redesign. Designed for the B-wing fighter, it has an even higher rate of fire than other blasters, but is not available to other models until after the Battle of Endor.
Blasters are allowed on civilian vessels except for heavy blaster cannons during the Rise of the Empire, when they are restricted to corporations thourgh the purchase of Imperial licenses.
The most common manufacturer of blasters during the films is BlasTech, which among other lines has a contract with oth the Imperial Military and the Rebellion. It also manufactures the Protector civilian fighter-grade blaster line.
Lasers
In the Star Wars Universe, quad laser cannons have been mentioned on the Millenium Falcon and the Trade Federation battleships. They consist of a regular laser or blaster cannon that is sent through a splitter to turn it into four beams.
Turbolasers
Turbolasers are the immensely scaled up versions of the blaster and laser cannon that are shown on the films. They can also be planet-based weapons, with power to match their immense proportions. These can be seen on the Death Star as they are the turrets that the rebel fighters avoid with their speed and are shooting at them when they go down the trench.
Ion Cannons
Capital Ship Ion Cannons are designed to knock out electrical systems and enable capture of an enemy vessel. They can also be planet-based weapons, as seen in the Battle of Hoth when the Rebels used them as a diversion to escape from the attacking Imperial forces.
Tractor Beams
Tractor beams (which are commonly used in most science-fiction works) are used by ships to bring small ships into the docking bay of large vessels. Tractor beams require their own generators, making them somewhat inefficent. The tractor beams aboard the Death Star took energy from the main reactor, giving them a constant flow of power and making it impossible for a vessel caught in it to escape. However, if one of the tractor beam's seven links to the reactor was severed, the projectors would be inactive and vessels would be allowed to escape, as Obi-Wan Kenobi discovered.
Concussion Missiles
These missiles came in different shapes and sizes, from capital ship-range to starfighters. The Millennium Falcon modified freighter and Slave I patrol ship were armed with concussion missiles.
Energy Torpedoes
Proton Torpedoes
Proton torpedoes are guided torpedos fired from tubes on various spacecraft. Their tubes commonly mounted on Rebel starfighters, torpedos are the staple warhead of the Rebel Alliance. It was one of these that was shot from Luke Skywalker's X-Wing into the exhaust port of the first Death Star that saved Yavin 4 and many other planets from sure destruction.
Ranged Weapons
Blasters
Overview
The standard weapon of classic science fiction, the ray gun, is also the most common weapon in the Star Wars universe, although the lasers of Star Wars are actually high power plasma weapons. There are many variations of blasters; pistols, carbines, cannons, assault rifles and even machine guns. For example, Princess Leia Organa wielded a Sporting Blaster when her ship was boarded by Darth Vader's forces, while Han Solo prefers a Heavy Blaster Pistol (a "Blastech DL-44"). The most common blaster is the E-11 blaster rifle, the standard weapon of Imperial Stormtroopers. Several of Star Wars' fictional weapons are modified from real-life blank firing prop guns; Han Solo's pistol is a customised Mauser C96, whilst the Stormtroopers carry Sterling submachineguns or MG42 WW2 German heavy machine guns (most easily seen in the detention center break-in in Episode IV).
The average output of a blaster (data from tech manuals) is about 8 megajoules. Starship scale blasters are called lasers, while capital scale blasters basing on a slightly expanded technology (supported by capacitors and turbines) are called turbolasers. According to official literature on blaster output, the heavy turbolasers mounted on the Old Republic-era Acclamator have an energy output of 200 gigatons per shot. Newer ships in the classic Star Destroyer line are equipped with much larger weapons.
The blasters supposedly operate off of a gas cartridge and a power pack, similar to the way lasers operate.
The E-11 Blaster Rifle
The basic E-11 is 43.8 cm long (folded), and weighs 2.6 kilograms. The powercell housing opens on the left side of the action housing, above the trigger, giving the E11 a very low profile (useful when shooting prone or from a barricade), with a standard powercell providing 100 shots. The blaster gas chamber contains sufficient supplies for thirty powercells.
All moving and/or metal parts are fitted with a corrosion-proof, vacuum-rated, dry lubricant. The top of the receiver has a universal, quick detach sight rail, which comes from the factory mounted with a light, ring reticle, 2x optical scope. The basic, three piece folding stock rides along the left side, under the powercell. When ordering from the factory, one may specify that they wish a fixed stock or a one-piece, right-folding stock at no extra cost.
DL-44 Blaster Pistol
Han Solo's favored weapon, the DL-44 is a heavy blaster pistol. It packs far more power than most pistols, but this means that the power pack is exhausted after just 25 shots, as opposed to 100 or so shots from conventional pistols.
Melee Weapons
Lightsabers
"This is the weapon of a Jedi Knight. Not as clumsy or as random as a blaster, but an elegant weapon for a more civilized age."
- — Obi-Wan Kenobi
 Lightsabers of all colors. The lightsaber is the traditional elegant weapon of the Jedi Knights in the Star Wars fictional universe. They were invented in 9,990 BBY. Using a lightsaber in combat takes skill, confidence and dexterity. Attunement to the Force is very helpful as well. The first Archaic Lightsabers were developed as a siege weapon, using "frozen blaster" technology. These required a separate power pack which was often worn on the back. The power sources and components were miniaturized in the construction to create the simple weapon used in the later era.
In the original film trilogy, lightsabers were limited to blue and green for the Jedi, while red-bladed lightsabers are associated with evil Jedi Knights or Sith. The various expanded universe sources and the prequel films opened up the spectrum of blade colors to include (among others) purple, pink, orange, and yellow. Obi-Wan Kenobi primarily wielded a blue-bladed lightsaber, while Mace Windu famously uses a purple-bladed lightsaber. The color of a lightsaber's blade is dependent upon the crystals used to focus it.
The very rare Great Lightsaber, similar to a standard lightsaber, had focusing crystals and a power supply producing a blade up to 300 centimeters in length. The rare Dual-Phase Lightsaber is any lightsaber constructed to operate at two different blade lengths. Darth Vader's lightsaber is an example of this, as he has buttons on his hilt allowing him to change the blade length at will. The Electrum Lightsaber are lightsabers with hilts forged from electrum.
Training
A deviation created by the Jedi Order from standard lightsabers, the training lightsabers helped train apprentices in the use of a standard lightsaber. Training lightsabers are similar to a standard lightsaber. However, the power is greatly diminished and the size is reduced. Training lightsabers are used in combat education in the Jedi academy of the Old Republic.
Use
In the hands of someone trained to use the Force, a lightsaber is a powerful and versatile tool. A lightsaber can cut through anything (blast doors and enemies alike) except another lightsaber blade. The only known exceptions to this rule is the cortosis ore, capable of repelling or even shorting out a lightsaber blade (as shown in the novel I, Jedi and the video game Knights of the Old Republic), an unnamed metal superconductor used for ship armour hundreds of years before the Empire (as shown in the novel Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover), and certain types of energy shields. Cortosis ore sets up a feedback loop in the lightsaber blade assembly which shuts it down. Using the Force, a Jedi can use his lightsaber to deflect and reflect incoming energy attacks. Lightsabers are melee weapons but can also be thrown for a ranged attack and recalled through psychokinesis, a basic Jedi skill. There are many different 'styles' of lightsaber fighting, including Darth Vader's 'heavy' style, incorporating large, forcefull sweeping attacks. While it excels in offense, it often leaves the wielder open to counter attack. There is also the basic 'medium' stance, the first one learned in Jedi training. Average in defense as well as offense, it is the most common stance. Last is the 'light' style, emphasizing quick, brutal slashing attacks. There are also the more 'exotic' ways of wielding the lightsaber as a weapon, such as the rare double-bladed lightsaber stlyle, as seen used by Darth Maul in Episode I: The Phantom Menace. One of the rarest styles of lightsaber use is dual-wielding them. Used briefly in Episode II: Attack of The Clones by the young Anakin Skywalker, as well as in an animated miniseries, this style incorporates blinding fast attacks and devastating sweeps, but each individual swing is weak and easily deflected. While not really unique styles, some more experienced Jedi choose to wield their lightsabers in non-conventional ways, such as backhanded or half-backhanded.
History
It is the principal weapon of the Jedi but are also used by the Sith. After the extermination of the Jedi, lightsabers became rare relics. The use of it is usually restricted to the Jedi, partially because it is too dangerous for an unskilled user, but also partly because, for non-Jedi, blasters are more effective. Typically a Jedi is given his lightsaber on his first day of training. Jedi Masters emphasise that the lightsaber is a measure of progress for an apprentice as lightsaber techniques take great skill and concentration. It is considered a final test for a Jedi student to be able to construct their own saber.
The crystal is the heart of the blade.
The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.
The Jedi is the crystal of the Force.
The Force is the blade of the heart.
All are intertwined:
The crystal,The blade,The Jedi.
You are one.
- Speech made during lightsaber construction ceremony
"Clone Wars Micro Series" Cartoon Network
Construction details
The lightsaber is made up of a short polished metallic cylindrical tube (30 centimetres) that emits a beam of plasma that acts as a sword blade.
All lightsabers contain some common basic components
- A handgrip
- An activation stud plate
- A safety switch
- An emitter matrix
- A lens assembly (focusing crystal)
- A blade-length adjuster (only on Dual-Length Lightsabers)
- A power cell
- A power conduit
- A recharge socket
- A belt ring (optional)
Lightsabers are powered from the control studs by a circuits channel and focusing crystal found only in nature on the planet Ilum. Before 1,000 BBY, the Jedi also used crystals from the planet Ruusan. Since the Jedi control the supply of suitable crystals, the Sith use synthetic crystals that generate a red blade. Shadows of the Empire has Luke Skywalker using a synthetic crystal in his lightsaber construction.
The Dual-Phase Lightsaber used crystals that handle differing power level requirements. These are wired to the diantium power cell, which acts like an energy source for the lightsaber. The crystal is also wired to three knobs: the blade length adjust, the blade width adjust, and the activator.
When the activator is pushed, internal power cells create photoelectric energy and the blade is focused from the crystal. A tight, non-thermal parallel beam of plasma energy appears on command which is focused through one, two, or three multi-faceted crystals. The activation button energizes the weapon forming a positively-charged shaft of coherent packets of energy about a meter long. The plasma beam is attracted back to the saber hilt by a negatively-charged, high-energy flux aperture. The plasma packets are recycled to create the glowing blade by a power cell superconductor. The saber hums and scintillates with a distinct sound and has a shimmering blade. The entire functioning processes are completely contained and self-regenerative.
The typical design of the helm is generally of straight tube. Count Dooku however, preferred a curved helm.
The knowledge of lightsaber construction largely disappeared during the extermination of the Jedi, but Luke Skywalker found records and the materials he needed to construct his first sabre on his own in Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut on Tatooine.
Also, according to the EU novel I, Jedi, there were myths at one point that the lightsaber was powered by the Jedi's connection to the Force. However, records preserved by Corran Horn's grandfather Rostek Horn indicate that the Force is only used at the end of construction. Once all the pieces are assembled, the Jedi uses the Force to meld them on a molecular or lower level, permitting unheard-of energy efficiency. This efficiency is what allows the blades to remain lit and active for long periods of time. The only real energy drain is when the blade comes into contact with something.
Filming with lightsabers
The original film prop hilts were constructed from old camera-flash cylinders. The 'switched-on' sword props were designed with the intention of creating an 'in-camera' glowing effect. The 'blade' was three-sided and coated with super-reflective material-- the same sort used for highway signs. A lamp was positioned to the side of the taking camera and reflected towards the subject through 45-degree angled glass so that the sword would appear to glow from the camera's point-of-view. A motor in the hilt caused the blade to spin so that a reflective surface was always presented directly to the camera. This also created the familiar 'flickering' effect. Ultimately, this process yielded unsatisfactory results and animation was employed to enhance the brightness of the sabers. It was at this point that the artistic decision was made to assign different colors to the blades.
For The Empire Strikes Back, the lightsaber-blade props were simple white rods and the glow effect was achieved entirely through animation.
For Return of the Jedi and the later movies, the hilts were custom machined from aluminum. In place of the glowing blade, carbon rods were used as blade reference during fight scenes. In the first two prequel films, they upgraded to resin "stunt" handles and aluminum tubes. For the final film of the Star Wars saga, Revenge of the Sith, the aluminum was replaced by a carbon-fiber blend specifically manufactured for the production.
In the original trilogy, the 'glow' effect was hand-drawn animation superimposed on the film, using the prop as a guide. In the later prequel movies, the blades were created digitally. Many have commented that the lightsabers in the DVD release look worse than the original, an unfortunate result of the advanced remastering algorithm used to clean up the films for their digital release; in a true special effects gaffe, the color of Luke's lightsaber on board the Millenium Falcon in episode IV was green (instead of blue).
Creators of fan films have used various techniques for creating the coveted "lightsaber effect," most of which involve programs such as Adobe After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, MainVision, The GIMP, or Blender.
The characteristic sound was, of course, added later by the sound effects team, but Ewan McGregor mouthed his own lightsaber noises before being asked to 'leave it to the professionals' when filming The Phantom Menace.
Arguably one of the most lusted-after props in film history, various toy replicas have been released, ranging from essentially a flashlight with a plastic tube attached, to accurate copies (http://www.masterreplicas.com) of the original film props, complete with motion-sensitive sound effects, and coloured blade. Reproducing the beam of pure energy boasted by the originals still seems to be some time off, however.
Energy Sword
The Energy Sword is an ancient development in weaponry. Its has ceremonial functions and was deadly precise. The energy sword was simply a plasma charged blade from a power cell in the hilt. It has a pair of focusing velmorite crystals. Velmorian duel traditions settled disputes with Energy Swords. While similar to the lightsaber of the Jedi Knights, the energy sword is not comparable in strength to the Jedi weapon.
Thermal Detonators
Thermal detonators are highly unstable grenade-like weapons used primarily by bounty hunters and mercenaries. They cause enormous damage by initiating a fusion reaction upon detonation, damaging a radius of eight meters.
The only appearance of thermal detonators in the film series was in - a detonator was used by a disguised Princess Leia to help free Han Solo from his carbonite prison inside Jabba the Hutt's palace. The weapon has also been used in various Star Wars computer games.
References
- Sansweet, Stephen J. (1998). Star Wars Encyclopedia. The Ballantine Publishing Group. ISBN 0-345-40227-8.
- Slavicsek, Bill, Collins, Andy, and Wiker, JD (2002). Revised Core Rulebook (Star Wars Roleplaying Game). Lucas Books. ISBN 0-7869-2876-X.
- Grubb, Jeff and Stephens, Owen K.C. (2002). Arms and Equipment Guide (Star Wars Roleplaying Game). Lucas Books. ISBN 0-7869-2782-8.
- Stephens, Owen K. C. (2001). Starships of the Galaxy (Star Wars Roleplaying Game). Lucas Books. ISBN 0-7869-1859-4.
See also
External link
- Turbolaser Commentaries (http://www.stardestroyer.net/tlc/) - a study and quantitative assessment of Star Wars turbolasers
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