Wikipedia

Blaster (Star Wars)

Ablasteris a fictionalgunthat appears in theStar Warsuniverse.Lucasfilmdefines the blaster as "ranged energized particle weaponry". Many blasters mirror the appearance, functions, components, operation, and usage of real life firearms. They are also said to be able to be modified with certain add-ons and attachments, withHan Solo's blaster being said to be illegally modified to provide greater damage without increasing power consumption.

Blaster
Star Warsfranchise element
An E-11 blaster rifle, the standard issue weapon used by Imperialstormtroopers
(The prop is based on the frame of a realSterling submachine gun.)
Production companyLucasfilm
First appearanceStar Wars
Created byGeorge Lucas
GenreScience fiction
In-universe information
TypeRaygun
FunctionShooting
AffiliationGalactic Republic
Confederacy of Independent Systems
Galactic Empire
Rebel Alliance
First Order
Resistance
Other

The iconic E-11, a standard mid-range weapon used primarily bystormtroopers,is based on the real-lifeSterling sub-machine gunused by thearmed forces of the United Kingdomover the second half of the 20th century. Several design changes were made by the filmmakers, such as alterations to themagazine.[1]

Design in films

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In the films, the design of the E-11 blaster rifle was based on theSterling submachine gun.The design of the modified DL-44 blaster pistol owned by Han Solo was based on the7.63-caliber Mauser C96,an early and successful automatic pistol that was used inWorld War IandWorld War II.Lucasfilm's prop department added a scope and an emitter nozzle to the pistol.[2]The blaster made for the 1977 filmA New Hopewas lost, and a second blaster was made with resin from the cast used for the first one. The blaster was subsequently used as a prop inThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi.[3]Other heavy repeating blasters wereLewis light machine gunswith the barrel shroud and pan magazine removed.

Stormtrooper wielding the E-11 blaster rifle

Functional Sterlings firing blank cartridges were used in some scenes with the laser bolt added later inpost-production.These blank cartridges are responsible for the muzzle flash seen on screen and, in some scenes, the cartridges themselves can be seen being ejected from the guns, or the actual sound of the blank cartridge is not dubbed over by a sound effect.[4]

Ben Burtt,asound designerwho worked on theStar Warsfilms, came up with the sound of blaster fire during a family backpacking trip in thePocono Mountainsin 1976.[5]Burtt hit theguy-wireof anAM radiotransmitter tower with a hammer and recorded the sound with a microphone close to the impact.[6]

In a chapter of the bookMyth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars,Michael Kaminski, writing about the influence of Japanese directorAkira Kurosawaon theStar Warsfilms, said that Kurosawa'sRan(1985) influenced the exchange of blaster fire in prequel trilogy. Like inRan,color-coding and an "onscreen sense of direction" of blaster fire are used to depict opposing forces. In theStar Warsoriginal trilogy, rebels employed red blaster fire and often attack from the left, while the Empire also employed red blaster fire, using green blaster fire only withTIE fighters,and attack from the right. InStar Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones,the second film of the prequel trilogy, the color and the direction were reversed. In that film, the Republic employed green and blue blaster fire and attack from the right, while the Separatists employed red blaster fire and attack from the left.[7]

In-universe technology

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The inner workings of blasters essentially create particle beams to pierce, melt and disintegrate targets.[8][9]When the trigger is pulled, high-energy gas is excited by a power cell and converted intoplasma.This plasma is fired throughcollimatingcomponents in the barrel such as galven circuitry and focusing lens to emerge as a coherent energy bolt held together viamagnetic bottleeffect. However the bolt's inherent instability is a limiting factor in precision aiming, and it will start to lose coherence while traveling to the target as the plasma dissipates. The longer the barrel the more collimating components it can be fitted with to rectify these problems for increased range and accuracy.[10]Prolonged use will also result in overheating the weapon,[9][11]which can be counteracted by utilizing alloys with greater heat resistance,[12]and employing heat-dispersal vents[13]and cooling packs and compressors.[11]

Blaster weaponry can vary the intensity of their output, generating bolts of greater destructive power but with corresponding trade-offs. For example, the DC-15 blaster rifle used byclone trooperscan blast a hole.5 m (1 ft 8 in) wide in a wall made of the fictional material ferroconcrete when set on maximum power, but doing so consumes more gas and reduces its ammunition capacity from 500 shots to 300.[14][15]A more powerful blaster bolt also generates morerecoilwhich can make it more difficult to use the weapon.[16]

Different types of gas are used as blaster ammunition, such as the fictional Tibanna gas found in the lower atmosphere ofBespinused to power weapons and other devices.[17]This also results in different coloration depending on the gas used. The least expensive type of gas generate red-colored particle beams, while more expensive gases produce a green particle beam.[9]

Blastersmall armscome in a range of sizes, from small hand-held blasters to carbines and larger laser rifles. Some are equipped with features such as a targeting scope or flash and noise suppressor.[10]Others are highly customizable like the A300 blaster rifle used by Rebel commandos onScarif,with a removableshoulder stock,swappable barrels of different sizes, and other attachments.[16]Certain modifications however are considered inhumane and banned on civilized worlds: theTrandoshandoubler or tripler when added to the barrel of a blaster pistol turns it into a devastating hand cannon.[18]Crew-servedblasters also exist, an example being the E-web heavy repeating blaster deployed bysnowtroopersonHoth.The most powerful repeating blaster employed by the Empire, the weapon requires a crew of two to set up its power generator and a rigid mount to counteract the fearsome weapon's recoil.[19]

Larger versions of blaster weaponry in theStar Warsuniverse are referred to asblaster cannonsandlaser cannonsand commonly found onvehicles,starfightersand otherspacecraft.Of the two, laser cannons are considered to be more powerful and to possess greater range.[20]The laser cannons on aRepublicLAATgunship, as an example, can fire bolts of up to fivegigajoulesin destructive power.[21]Laser cannons may also be fitted on fixed emplacements to defend an area from attack, like the Golan Arms DF.9 anti-infantry battery employed by Rebel defenders at theBattle of Hoth.These cannons have an effective range of 16 km (9.9 mi) and can take out an entire squad of infantry with a single blast.[22]

A more powerful form of the laser cannon is theturbolaserfound onStar Warscapital ships,operating on the same principles but with larger power generators and multiperson crews. Such weapons can be used to penetrate the defenses of other capital ships or conduct planetary bombardments.[23]Turbolasers can vary their power intensity depending on the needs of the mission, from simply crippling a target to outright vaporizing it, with true warships like theVenator-class Star Destroyerable to feed nearly their entire reactor output into its heavy turbolasers.[24]With this weaponry, a fleet of warships can reduce the upper crust of a planet to molten slag as part of a "Base Delta Zero" bombardment.[25]

Analysis

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External videos
Is This a Real Life Star Wars Laser? – IGN News

Alaseris a device which emits a beam ofcoherentlightat a target. Controlling or containing the direction of light energy is also known assynchronization.This concentration of energy in one direction gives it strong and sometimes powerful intensity.[26]Lasers have different uses for military purposes, many of which strongly differ from what is seen inStar Wars,but still follow the same concepts of concentrating energy and/or material within a limited magnetic range.[27]

Rhett Allai, associate professor of physics atSoutheastern Louisiana University,argues the energy bolts fail to fit the definition oflaserand explains that in many ways the laser cannons inStar Warsactuallydefythe rules of physics.[28]

However, a 1995 paper by Richard E. Russo from the National Laboratory in Berkeley, California, discusses the functions of lasers and mildly argues theStar Warsdepiction of lasers as accurate.[29]

Researchers at the Laser Centre of the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences, in partnership with the Faculty of Physics at theUniversity of Warsaw,published a video that seems to show a laser pulse in flight, as seen in the Star Wars films. To create this video, they filmed many laser pulses at slightly different times with an exposure time of less than one billionth of a second, then combined the still images into a film. The laser is so powerful and intense that it resulted in the air beingionized.The interaction of the pulse with the plasma generates light of many different wavelengths, which appears white.[30][31][32]

A more recent and advanced development in 2017 involved students atMacquarie Universityin Australia developed a method of multiplying laser power by the use of diamonds. This concept is similar to the fictional kyber crystals used in theStar Warsuniverse to power up laser weapons from smaller scale weapons (e.g. blasters,lightsabers) to super-scale intensity in the case of theDeath Star.The Death Star's laser power works in a similar method to this by concentrating multiple light beams into one spot from where they combine into a single beam. This beam has been described as more powerful than usual because it can be used for the purpose of destroying/damaging solid objects such as drones and debris that it was compared to the lasers used by the Death Star.[33]

In episode 236 ofMythbusters,Adam SavageandJamie Hynemanset out to test whether a person could dodge a blaster bolt fired by a stormtrooper. Adam was able to determine, based on examining footage from theStar Warsfilms, that the average speed of a blaster bolt was 130–135 mph (209–217 km/h). After building a pneumatic cannon to mimic a blaster and setting up a replica starship passageway, the team tested the myth by firing projectiles at each other from a distance of 40 feet to see if they could be dodged. The myth was declared busted when neither participant proved capable of dodging the shots, explaining that the limitations of humanreaction timemade it impossible to do so.[34]

Influence

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One prop of Han Solo's blaster was expected to sell at auction for US $200,000–300,000,[35]and another for $500,000.[36]

The AmericanAir Force Research Laboratoryis currently working on long term developments of aerial laser weapons. Their aim is to make fighter aircraft laser capable by the year 2030. The laser cannons use the same concept of ion-based technology as seen inStar Wars.[37][38]

The United States Navy has begun to induct laser weapons in its fleet since late 2014. The weapons will be used for both sea-to-air and sea-to-sea purposes.[39][better source needed]

Israeli companyRafael Advanced Defense Systemsclaimed in 2014 that it is close to developing laser shields namedIron Beam,which a company spokesman compared by similarity to the lasers ofStar Wars.The company claims that Iron Beam can deflect drones, missiles, rockets and mortars.[40]

In a similar development, Chinese scientists produced laser guns that can disable the sensors of missiles, satellites and other sensor equipped devices. The guns are expected to be used by the Chinese military in future warfare and have been compared toStar Warslaser guns.[41]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope".Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource.
  2. ^Henderson, Mary (1997).Star Wars: The Magic of Myth.Spectra. pp. 167, 170.ISBN978-0-553-37810-8.
  3. ^Child, Ben (December 2, 2013)."Star Wars: Han Solo's blaster to sell at auction".The Guardian.
  4. ^"Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope".Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource.
  5. ^Rinzler, J. W. (2010).The Sounds of Star Wars.Chronicle Books. p. 54.ISBN978-0-8118-7546-2.
  6. ^Whittington, William (2007).Sound Design and Science Fiction.University of Texas Press.ISBN978-0-292-71431-1.
  7. ^Kaminski, Michael (2012). "Under the Influence of Akira Kurosawa: The Visual Style of George Lucas". In Brode, Michael; Deyneka, Leah (eds.).Myth, Media, and Culture in Star Wars: An Anthology.Scarecrow Press. p. 97.ISBN978-0-8108-8512-7.
  8. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 11
  9. ^abcWindham (2019), p. 102-103
  10. ^abLuceno, et al. (2018), p. 15
  11. ^abWindham (2018), p. 78
  12. ^Luceno, et al. (2018), p. 109
  13. ^Barr, et al. (2019), p. 284
  14. ^Barr, et al. (2017), p. 167
  15. ^Barr, et al. (2019), p. 257
  16. ^abBarr, et al. (2019), p. 278
  17. ^Lund, et al. (2016), p. 152-153
  18. ^Barr, et al. (2017), p. 164
  19. ^Barr, et al. (2019), p. 282
  20. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 256
  21. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 73
  22. ^Barr, et al. (2019), p. 281
  23. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 257
  24. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 80
  25. ^Dougherty, et al. (2020), p. 69
  26. ^"How can a laser be a weapon? – HowStuffWorks".HowStuffWorks.2008-03-31.
  27. ^"Military Lasers – HowStuffWorks".HowStuffWorks.2008-03-31.
  28. ^"An Analysis of Blaster Fire in Star Wars".WIRED.2012-05-24.
  29. ^Richard E. Russo, "Laser Ablation," Appl. Spectrosc. 49, 14A-28A (1995)
  30. ^"People Are Researching How To Make a Star Wars Laser Pistol".IGN.
  31. ^"'Star Wars'-style laser blast caught on camera ".Allison Barrie.Fox News. 2015-03-24.
  32. ^"A 'Star Wars' Laser Bullet – This Is What It Really Looks Like".YouTube.
  33. ^"IRL 'Star Wars' Superlaser Probably Won't Be Used to Blow Up a Planet".Stephane Milot.Geek. 2017-04-07. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-08-04.Retrieved2020-11-19.
  34. ^"Star Wars 2".Mythbusters.Season 14. Episode 236. 5 September 2015. Discovery.
  35. ^McMillan, Graeme."Here's Your Chance to Own Han Solo's Blaster – For $300K".Wired.Condé Nast.RetrievedDecember 2,2013.
  36. ^Muncy, Julie (April 28, 2018)."Hokey Religion is No Match For This Authentic Han Solo Blaster Auction, Kid".io9.Univision Communications.RetrievedApril 28,2018.
  37. ^"Star Wars Era to come: US Air Force to employ laser cannons on jets by 2030".The Aviationist.2013-11-22.Retrieved2016-06-17.
  38. ^"Star Wars-Style Lasers Will be on Fighter Jets in 2014".Mashable.27 January 2013.
  39. ^"Star Wars to become reality as US Navy on course to arm ship with laser".The Independent.
  40. ^"Israel's Rafael Unveils 'Star Wars-style' Laser Missile Shield".Haaretz.2014-02-14.
  41. ^"Chinese Scientists Develop Star Wars-Like Laser Guns".Tech Times.2016-01-10.

Bibliography

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  • Barr, Tricia; Bray, Adam; Horton, Cole; Horton (2017).Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN978-1-4654-5962-6.
  • Barr, Patricia; Bray, Adam; Jones, Matt; Horton, Cole; Wallace, Daniel; Windham, Ryder (2019).Ultimate Star Wars New Edition.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN978-1-4654-7900-6.
  • Dougherty, Kerrie; Fry, Jason; Hidalgo, Pablo; Reynolds, David West; Saxton, Curtis; Windham, Ryder (2020).Star Wars Complete Vehicles New Edition.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN978-0-7440-2057-1.
  • Luceno, James; Reynolds, David West; Windham, Ryder; Fry, Jason; Hidalgo, Pablo (2018).Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN978-1-4654-7547-3.
  • Lund, Kristin; Beecroft, Simon; Dougherty, Kerrie; Luceno, James; Fry, Jason (2016).Star Wars: Complete Locations.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN978-1-4654-5272-6.
  • Walker, Landry Q. (2018).Star Wars Encyclopedia of Starfighters and Other Vehicles.United States: DK Publishing.ISBN9781465482716.
  • Windham, Ryder (2019).Star Wars TIE Fighter Owner's Workshop Manual.United States: Insight Editions.ISBN978-1-68383-527-1.
  • Windham, Ryder (2018).Star Wars YT-1300 Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual.United States: Insight Editions.ISBN978-1-68383-528-8.
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