19.05.2008, 01:07
The fictional technology of Star Wars blasters has been laid out in tabletop RPG and various fanfic and fancyclopedia published. Apparently a jet of gas (best results from Tibanna Gas which was what was being mined at Cloud City in Empire Strikes Back) , is injected into the barrel when the trigger is pressed and a laser actuator fires through that. The (again, fictional) effect is roughly equivalent to a particle accelerator. That is, it is a combination of molecular and radiation weapons. These were a relatively recent development in the Galactic Rim (of civilisation, one arc of the local galaxy like a pie slice). Lasers were used in the Old Republic days but they had massive power requirements and hand held weapons were heavy and underpowered. In fact colonists often continued to rely upon old "slug thrower" type weapons not dissimilar to conventional automatic rifles and large calibre handguns. Lasers themselves were largely left for ship based combat.
The blaster reportedly evolved for low powered vessels to gain similar firepower to military corvettes (and piracy became popular as a result), and also for infantry use.
In conventional military terms, translated to a WW2 setting from the Star Wars universe, a slugthrower would be like an infantry rifle or typical sidearm, a laser weapon like a submachine gun and a blaster weapon like a handheld Oerlikon cannon. Of course soon enough advanced polymer and alloy technologies were combined to produced incredibly lightweight armour which offered some (superficial) resistance to the particle accelerator effect of blaster weapons, like Stormtrooper armour. It of course gives much better protection against more archaic weapons however.
Some blaster pistols like that of Han Solo and certain Rebel Alliance members (many of whom were marginal citizens to begin with), were heavily modified with increased magazines of gas (held under the barrel where the bullets would normally go in the Mauser his gun is based upon), whilst the handle/receiver contained supermodern and quite a powerful battery for the laser actuator, with around 25 shots before a recharge. The gas reservoir has about as many "shots" too. This is a much more high powered blaster pistol than normally available (illegal to own and use), and will do blaster rifle damage at close range (roughly equivalent to a conventional bazooka).
Standard military blasters are a pistol design with both the charge battery and gas reservoir held in the receiver/handle for a total of 100 shots from each, before recharge and re-gassing. These are only about as powerful as something like a .50" calibre conventional firearm.
Blaster rifles are of course the things Stormtroopers run around with, and look like submachine guns. They'll take down most Star Wars light armoured vehicles with one or two shots.
[/supernerd mode]
The blaster reportedly evolved for low powered vessels to gain similar firepower to military corvettes (and piracy became popular as a result), and also for infantry use.
In conventional military terms, translated to a WW2 setting from the Star Wars universe, a slugthrower would be like an infantry rifle or typical sidearm, a laser weapon like a submachine gun and a blaster weapon like a handheld Oerlikon cannon. Of course soon enough advanced polymer and alloy technologies were combined to produced incredibly lightweight armour which offered some (superficial) resistance to the particle accelerator effect of blaster weapons, like Stormtrooper armour. It of course gives much better protection against more archaic weapons however.
Some blaster pistols like that of Han Solo and certain Rebel Alliance members (many of whom were marginal citizens to begin with), were heavily modified with increased magazines of gas (held under the barrel where the bullets would normally go in the Mauser his gun is based upon), whilst the handle/receiver contained supermodern and quite a powerful battery for the laser actuator, with around 25 shots before a recharge. The gas reservoir has about as many "shots" too. This is a much more high powered blaster pistol than normally available (illegal to own and use), and will do blaster rifle damage at close range (roughly equivalent to a conventional bazooka).
Standard military blasters are a pistol design with both the charge battery and gas reservoir held in the receiver/handle for a total of 100 shots from each, before recharge and re-gassing. These are only about as powerful as something like a .50" calibre conventional firearm.
Blaster rifles are of course the things Stormtroopers run around with, and look like submachine guns. They'll take down most Star Wars light armoured vehicles with one or two shots.
[/supernerd mode]