All weapons from stellar. Are Star Wars weapons real? Types of lightsabers

How effective are the weapons presented by filmmakers in Star Wars from an engineer's point of view.
The myth about the power of this weapon tried to destroy the portal "Popular Mechanics"

1. BTV - an armored transport all-terrain vehicle, one of the most famous vehicles of the Empire. But the certainly spectacular appearance does not justify the extremely dubious effectiveness of this monster in battle. ATVs are too massive, clumsy, clearly visible from a distance and, despite the armor, can be easily defeated - which happened repeatedly in films.

2.RTV - reconnaissance transport all-terrain vehicle, another canonical imperial combat walker. Despite good cross-country ability in any territory and an impressive view, weak skin and vulnerable legs practically signed the verdict for any RTV pilot. They were destroyed even with the help of logs and battering rams - what good is that?

3. The Hailfire droid tank introduced to viewers in The Clone Wars finally moved on wheels instead of dubious legs. Only now, with the size of these wheels, there was a clear bust, as well as with the angle at which they were located. For a real vehicle, such frills are completely unnecessary.

4. STAU - self-propelled heavy artillery. Of course, back on his feet, and on a whole pile. Why not put tracks or wheels in their place? The plate on the gun for focusing the beam also looks pointless. Real-life prototype weapons with saucers exist, but they emit painful microwaves, not a bright laser.

5. VOP - an all-terrain defensive platform, the idea of \u200b\u200ba "robot chicken" in the most absurd execution possible. Walkers basically give the feeling that they were invented for beautiful falls and explosions, but this example goes beyond any reasonable limits. This is a device for defense, not intelligence, so why is it so fragile ?!

6. The OG-9 homing spider droid is another creation of The Clone Wars. This droid can move through any terrain thanks to its four legs, but is too slow. In a real fight, mobility is the key to victory. A robot that carefully chooses where to put its foot will not live long.

7. V-OP - all-terrain vehicle - fire support, combat vehicle that performs the functions of both transport and a full-fledged tank. Of course, he suffers from the fear of damaging a limb typical of walkers. To control the V-OP, a team of as many as seven trained people is required, despite the fact that it is not difficult to destroy it both from the air and with one accurate missile hit.

8. The NR-N99 Persuader-class droid tank is one of the few tracked tanks in the Star Wars universe. And everything would be fine if it were not for the huge moving caterpillar in the center, the destruction of which entails a complete loss of efficiency of the combat vehicle.

9. Fromm's turret droid didn't appear in the mainstream movies, but did make appearances in comics and games. It even has quite realistic wheels! But that's where the advantage ends. A high and extremely vulnerable flamethrower turret, sluggishness and weak defense - the shortcomings of this "tank" are visible at a glance.

10. Seismic Tank - A crazy repulsor-powered platform that causes earthquakes with a hefty piston. You can list the shortcomings of this miracle of technology endlessly - low speed, huge weight, vulnerability to attacks from the ground and air ... Even by the standards of Star Wars, this thing turned out to be a failure.

However, this will not affect the tendency of filmmakers, igrodelov and comics to create unrealistic tanks. After all, the main thing is a spectacular picture.

Lightsabers have become a hallmark of Star Wars. This bright and spectacular weapon in the hands of the Jedi and Sith works wonders on the screen. And let's remember what all the other heroes of the space saga were armed with?

Given that the action takes place in the space age, then, of course, blasters. Which, if you look closely, look like examples of well-known modern firearms.

The bad guys often have weapons from the Third Reich in their hands, the good ones, as a rule, use Soviet models. Of course, there are also English machine guns and submachine guns and other samples, but this text will not be about them.

MG-34 on the dark side of the force

MG-34 is the best choice for an infantryman. It has a high rate of fire (up to 1000 rounds per minute), is lightweight (only 12 kg) and has lethal ammunition (7.92×57 Mauser). This machine gun could be carried, it could easily support infantry units with fire.

The disadvantage of weapons is sensitivity to pollution and high cost. The machine gun contained a large number of milled parts, special types of steel were required.

MG-34 and DLT-19. Photo: vignette.wiki/pinterest

An analogue similar in appearance and purpose in the Star Wars universe is the BlasTech Industries DLT-19 heavy blaster rifle. The weapon has a high rate of fire and deals heavy damage at long distances, so it is used by attack aircraft mainly for holding fire and eliminating large enemy groups.

It is possible to install an optical sight on the DLT-19, this model was called DLT-19x. By the way, optics were also installed on the MG-34.

MG-15, ibid.

In the hands of imperial stormtroopers, you can see another interesting item - RT-97C. This is a versatile heavy blaster equipped with long range optics. You can see it in Star Wars. Episode IV: A New Hope" and the game Star Wars Battlefront II.

RT-97C. Image YouTube/toyhaven.blogspot.com

Why George Lucas copied this weapon is quite simple to understand, just look at the German MG-15 aircraft machine gun. For the MG-15, a double "saddle-shaped" Doppeltrommel 34 magazine was designed for 75 rounds. The same store migrated unchanged to the RT-97C from Star Wars.

MG-15.Photo: kopanina.rf

MG-15, due to not the most outstanding characteristics, already in 1940 ceased to satisfy the Luftwaffe. In the last months of the war, machine guns stored in warehouses were confiscated to arm the Volkssturm and even Wehrmacht personnel units.

The favorite weapon of the Bolsheviks for Han Solo

Smuggler, rogue, rogue and just the hero of the Rebel Alliance Han Solo prefers a heavy blaster pistol DL-44. This is understandable, the weapon has the penetrating power of a powerful rifle, contained in a small hand weapon, only slightly larger than a conventional pistol.

The most effective firing range for the DL-44 is 25 meters, the maximum is 50 meters. Due to the high energy consumption, four times that of a standard blaster, the power pack is depleted after only 25 shots.

If you go beyond the fantasy universe, then the DL-44 is nothing but the favorite weapon of the Bolsheviks - Mauser K-96. A modification of this weapon with a barrel length of 99 mm (after the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden to produce pistols with a barrel length of more than 100 mm) even received the nickname in the West "Bolo-Mauser" - "Bolshevik Mauser".

Margolin pistol for Leia Organa

Leia Organa's personal weapon was the Defender, a hunting blaster manufactured by the Drearian Defense Industrial Conglomerate. Such weapons, due to their low power, were allowed to be carried on many worlds and were available to the civilian population. The optimal firing range is 30 meters, the maximum is 60 meters.

A powerful surge suppressor is required to protect the fragile blaster module, and the coherence of the beam is ensured by a number of complex technological components. Thanks to this, the weapon has a characteristic appearance.

Defender. Photo: thetuskentrader.com

The prototype of the “Defender” was the Margolin MTs target pistol. It is also low-powered - chambered for the .22LR cartridge and designed for sport shooting. Developed in 1947, the MC has been used more than once in championships and the Olympic Games.

Pistol Margolin MTs. Photo: militaryarms.ru

Creating his pistol, Margolin designed and debugged its parts by touch, since he completely lost his sight back in 1924.

Sinister Mi-24

The LAAT series of gunboats were designed to carry up to 30 clone troopers to the battlefield and support them. Early versions of the LAAT were designed to travel exclusively in the atmosphere, later they were modified to operate in the atmosphere. Gunboats are armed with missiles and laser turrets.

"These artillery ships fly like butcher beetles and cut us like bloody carvers," - this is how one of the high-ranking separatists, Archduke Poggle the Lesser, assessed the effectiveness of these aircraft.

Given that the action takes place in the space age, then, of course, blasters. Which, if you look closely, look like examples of well-known modern firearms.

MG-34 on the dark side of the force

The disadvantage of weapons is sensitivity to pollution and high cost. The machine gun contained a large number of milled parts, special types of steel were required.

MG-34 and DLT-19. Photo: vignette.wiki/pinterest

It is possible to install an optical sight on the DLT-19, this model was called DLT-19x. By the way, optics were also installed on the MG-34.

MG-15, ibid.

In the hands of Imperial stormtroopers, you can see another interesting item - RT-97C. This is a versatile heavy blaster equipped with long range optics. You can see it in Star Wars. Episode IV: A New Hope" and the game Star Wars Battlefront II.

RT-97C. Image: YouTube/toyhaven.blogspot.com

Why George Lucas copied this weapon is quite simple to understand, just look at the German MG-15 aircraft machine gun. For the MG-15, a double Doppeltrommel 34 "saddle" shaped magazine for 75 rounds was designed. The same store migrated unchanged to the RT-97C from Star Wars.

MG-15.Photo: kopanina.rf

The favorite weapon of the Bolsheviks for Han Solo

If you go beyond the fantasy universe, then the DL-44 is nothing but the favorite weapon of the Bolsheviks - the Mauser K-96. A modification of this weapon with a barrel length of 99 mm (after the First World War and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was forbidden to produce pistols with a barrel length of more than 100 mm) even received the nickname in the West "Bolo-Mauser" - "Bolshevik Mauser".

Margolin pistol for Leia Organa

Defender. Photo: thetuskentrader.com

The prototype of the Defender was the Margolin MTs target pistol. It is also low-powered - it is designed for the .22LR cartridge and is designed for sports shooting. Developed in 1947, the MC has been used more than once in championships and the Olympic Games.

Pistol Margolin MTs. Photo: militaryarms.ru

Creating his pistol, Margolin designed and debugged its parts by touch, since he completely lost his sight back in 1924.

Sinister Mi-24

The LAAT series of gunboats were designed to carry up to 30 clone troopers to the battlefield and support them. Early versions of LAAT were designed to travel exclusively in the atmosphere, later they were modified for operations in open space. Gunboats are armed with missiles and laser turrets.

“These artillery ships fly like butcher beetles and cut us like bloody carvers,” said one of the high-ranking separatists, Archduke Poggle the Lesser, about the effectiveness of these aircraft.

The prototype of LAAT could certainly be the Soviet Mi-24. The similarity of these combat vehicles is noticeable not only externally, but also in terms of purpose. The Soviet helicopter is armed with rockets, a cannon or a heavy machine gun, it can effectively destroy infantry, and it has a transport compartment for paratroopers.

Mi-24 without propellers and wings. Photo: russianplanes.net

And it is also the personification of Soviet military power, which has appeared more than once in American films and books. “We are not afraid of the Russians, but we are afraid of their helicopters” (Tom Clancy. Red Storm Rises).

The fact is that the well-armored Mi-24 was insensitive to small arms fire.

So why exactly blasters?

Reading disputes about the Star Wars universe, sooner or later you will definitely stumble upon epic connoisseurs who assure that a blaster is complete garbage compared to a shotgun or a Kalashnikov assault rifle. Such statements made me think, so what exactly could be the reasons that made weapons science go this way? I must say right away, since books, games and other encyclopedias are constantly declared non-canonical, the analysis will be carried out mainly on films, plus a little on series.

Blaster as it is.

So, weapons in the world of Star Wars are mostly energy weapons. Most often it shoots small bolts of energy, but there are variations with a long beam that has the ability to burn and cut. But the latter was found only in the field of heavy weapons. An ordinary hand blaster has a moderate rate of fire, at the level of a self-loading rifle, although, again, very nimble specimens came across. Also among the built-in options there is paralysis. Recall Episodes Four and Five.

Capture of Princess Leia.

Of the bright flaws, it is the unmasking beam that immediately catches the eye. Indeed, with such a weapon, there can be no talk of any shooting from an ambush. The damaging factor is also not fully understood. On the one hand, when meeting with metal or earth, it gives out a violent explosion of energy, causing considerable destruction. But on the other hand, when it enters the human body, we see only a sheaf of sparks. That is, the damage is applied exclusively locally. Not only that, the only recorded injury (Princess Leia in Episode 6) showed that the overall power was low. The heroine received a beam in her hand, but continued to fight, and a few hours later she danced quite cheerfully at the Ewok festival. So the damaging factor remains in question, but, apparently, there is a thermal penetrating wound.

Princess Leia's injury.

Is there a blaster protection? Complex issue. There are force fields, but they usually cover either stationary objects or combat vehicles. Even on battle droids, they are extremely rare. Pay attention to the Trade Federation droidekas. They turn on the force field only in exceptional cases, which indicates a considerable energy consumption. As for individual shields, such were recorded among the Gungans, where they were crossed in a rather ingenious way with the same blaster. True, while the latter, apparently, pretty lost in power. This is demonstrated in the shootout scene with the droid army. The footage clearly shows that they suffered most of the damage from energy grenades, rather than from fairly dense fire, which was fired at a relatively short distance.

Force shields and gungan tactics.

The Jedi also do a very good job with the blaster beam, but they will be discussed below. Well, of course, the armor of the imperial attack aircraft gives some protection. At this point, readers may object, remembering dozens of stormtroopers shot dead by the main characters and slaughtered with spears and arrows of the Ewoks. Kodak, I can object: yes, we saw hits and falls on stormtroopers, but we didn’t see corpses! If a bullet from a machine gun hits a soldier in a bulletproof vest, then he can fall simply under the influence of kinetic energy. And here is not just a bullet, but a shot of pure energy that can knock you down. Do you want facts? You are welcome!

The attack aircraft grabbed the discharge and now it will fall beautifully into the pit.

Let's take the Fourth episode and the Tantive-IV capture scene. Everyone remembers well the moment when the stormtroopers break down the door, and the defenders of the ship take up positions in a narrow corridor and hold it at gunpoint. In theory, they are in a winning position. Only one person at a time can pass through the narrow door, and the fire of a dozen and a half experienced shooters is capable of holding off attackers for a long time. However, it takes only twenty seconds for the stormtroopers to break through the defenders' positions, despite heavy fire. I repeat, the narrow corridor and the door are under attack, but at the same time the defenders suffer heavy losses, and the attack aircraft have only a couple of dead. And you still believe that the Imperials have bad armor?

The results of the battle for the gateway. Only two were killed.

An indirect confirmation of this theory is their combat tactics. In general, they do not hide much, preferring to attack the enemy in a group, overwhelming him with heavy fire. That is, the damage done, even if it is possible in such cases, is considered relatively acceptable. I understand that now they will again prove to me that Solo, Leia and Luke sent these soldiers to the other world in batches. But they are the main characters, endowed with exceptional abilities, so it is better to evaluate the characters of the extras, that is, ordinary rebels or droids, who just cannot boast of successful results.

Stormtroopers are not used to bending under enemy fire.

Now for the Ewoks. Apparently, the armor protects stormtroopers from energy impact, but is not designed for a collision with a stone. An indirect confirmation of this is the AT-ST flattened by logs. Can you imagine an armored personnel carrier, or at least an army jeep, flattened by logs? At most, there will be a dent. And here it was like under pressure.

Flattened logs AT-ST.

Before moving on to the next point, let's look at the question of the presence of other types of weapons in this universe. Oddly enough, it exists and is quite actively used. But... Let's start with the Fourth episode. The Rebels blow up the Death Star with homing torpedoes. True, their targeting is so-so, and the reaction of the pilots to the fact that instead of a blaster they should rely on something more material, suggests that this weapon is very specific. Harpoons and mines appear in the Fifth episode, catapults and Ewok bows appear in the Sixth, but in general the old trilogy does not indulge in variety. Another thing is the prequels.

Rough Ewoks.

Already in the first episode, we are shown the Gungan prodigies used to exterminate the droid army. Catapult with an energy ball against self-propelled vehicles with beam weapons. And in general it was difficult to understand who is stronger. It also turns out that the blasters are equipped with harpoons with lifts, and if we recall the experience of Luke Skywalker, we can agree that this is quite drawn to the weapon. And the Federation is also trying to use gas against the Jedi, however, to no avail.

Anti-tank artillery of the future.

The second episode pleases with a variety of weapons. For example, Jango Fett's armor with a dart thrower, a flamethrower, a rocket launcher and other not shown, but, I think, no less interesting devices. And the good mercenary's ship is equipped with homing missiles, although it's a little annoying that he only used them after he lightly fried Obi Wan's ship with his ray guns. In the Battle of Geonosis, we are again shown missiles on assault boats and missile chariots of the Trade Federation.

Trade Federation Rocket Prodigy.

In the third episode, the variety is again not enough. The only thing that attracts attention is homing missiles that shoot a horde of minidroids at the enemy ship, capable of disassembling it into pieces or taking control. It is strange that this idea did not become widespread in the future. But okay, everything has its time.

High-tech filling for rockets of the future.

What conclusions can be drawn from the above episodes? Yes, there are other weapons besides blasters. There are rockets, harpoons, mines. But excuse me, why such a small selection? Where are the mortars? Where is the long-range artillery capable of firing at closed positions? Where are the hand grenades? Where did it all go? Why did it all come down to beam weapons? Why is all of the above non-standard used only against enemy equipment, and not against mass accumulations? As an answer to this question, I have four theories.

1. Economic.

Above, I have already described the shortcomings of blasters, and now I will try to highlight their advantages. Let's start with the most undoubted, namely the firing range. In films, the fight is most often shown at close range, but there are a few amusing moments. The Wookiees on Kashyyyk and the rebels on Hoth open fire as soon as they see the enemy on the horizon. Even if we take into account the water vapor and the snow curtain as a visibility limitation, the distance is still serious: two or three kilometers at least. And if we take into account the fact that the beam flies faster than a bullet, is not affected by gravity and wind, then it turns out that the accuracy of shooting from hand weapons should be simply amazing.

AT-AT attacks.

Let's move on to the number of charges. We were never shown a stormtrooper or rebel reloading their weapons, and all the battles show mass shooting, which suggests that the energy consumption is clearly not taken into account by the arrows. Attack aircraft generally prefer to put up a dense fire screen, under the cover of which they reach the target. From this we conclude that one single blaster can fire several hundred shots without reloading. Now let's calculate how many rounds an assault rifle shooter should carry?

Stormtroopers suppress fire.

As for efficiency, there is nothing to even argue about. Even the desert savages have energy vintari, more like a samopal riveted on the knee. But even if we assume that these are just old copies sold on the cheap, you still get the feeling that at cost, one blaster is not much more expensive than an ordinary gun.

Tusken Raider Outfit.

From this we can draw the following conclusion: when the first energy guns were created in ancient times, they clearly occupied a narrow niche. However, it quickly became clear that in terms of range and accuracy, they are significantly superior to the old gunpowder models. And then new specimens began to be intensively adopted, because from now on one shooter with a blaster could keep a small detachment armed with standard machine guns at a distance. Of course, in this case, everything rested on tactics, but it seems that many people fell in love with the toy and soon became the main one in the troops. As for the unmasking beam, well, what to do, the issue again moved into the area of tactical decisions. At one time, when machine guns / aviation / ballistic missiles appeared, some people also said that with such weapons all wars became meaningless. But we now see that this is not the case.

Suppressive fire.

But where has everything else gone? Here, I think, the answer lies in the politics of the Old Republic. There are no mass wars, but there are small local conflicts that are more reminiscent of police operations. This is very clearly seen in the example of Naboo. Not the most backward planet was able to put up for defense only a few hundred fighters and three dozen fighters. The harsh Gungans sent into battle an impressive army of ... well, by eye it can be estimated at only five thousand. There were not many more droids, I think, and this, if you think about it, is the majority of the army defending the capital. Several thousand fighters and two dozen self-propelled guns - don't you think that this is not enough for a full-fledged invasion army?

Federation Strike Force.

And the solution is simple. The military is used to thinking in terms of police operations. Large forces are not needed, a few dozen fighters will suffice. Heavy weapons? And you don’t need it in close combat, because a blaster is enough for a shootout to blow up a wall or a door, and even multi-day military operations, given the difficult terrain, are out of the question. Therefore, it is not surprising that by the beginning of the clone wars, both sides, technically, could not please with anything interesting. What can I say, even if the Death Star was originally a peaceful means to deal with asteroids.

The epitome of horror and a masterpiece of engineering.

After a couple of years of war, interesting technical finds have already begun to appear, such as missiles with droids. Perhaps there were other novelties, unfortunately, not shown to us. But in general, the parties preferred to develop a theme more familiar to them. And then the glorious days of the Empire came, and here it was no longer up to scientific and technological progress. The Rebels preferred raiding tactics, for which they had enough of the available weapons, and the Empire swelled all means in the tactics of total intimidation, betting on the development of a fleet of giant ships and planet destroyers.

The fleet dominates.

In general, the tactic worked. What's the point of investing in ground troops if a fleet of Star Destroyers hanging in orbit can cool even the warmest hearts. Well, against the especially stubborn, some developments were still carried out. So, under Hoth, the rebels clearly did not expect a meeting with AT-AT. Indeed, their line of defense was designed for a battle with a maneuverable enemy and certainly not for a collision with heavy walking wunderwaffles. And even though the rebels knew about the AT-AT, in the end, Luke still had to improvise.

The weapon is useless.

It should be noted that partly some fault lies with other areas of scientific and technological progress. So, force fields make all long-range artillery useless. An enemy covered by a force field can ignore projectiles fired at him for a long time, thereby reviving the good old melee traditions. Therefore, it is not surprising that energy weapons began to dominate, while kinetic weapons moved into the category of secondary ones and began to be used as an auxiliary weapon and only against armored targets.

Even energy weapons are useless.

I summarize: Blasters have proven to be beneficial as multifunctional weapons with a wide range of uses. Clear superiority over other types of weapons in many areas, as well as the development of force fields, have made it the main weapon on the battlefield. And the absence of major wars and, accordingly, the stagnation in the development of weapons led to the absence of other alternatives.

Rationale: Demonstrated tactics and strategy.

2. Humanistic

I already wrote above that blasters include the option to paralyze an object. But if we assume that earlier this option was the main one? In general, the chain turns out to be amusing. Currently, as we know, non-lethal types of weapons are being developed. What if such a stunner became part of this program? Indeed, it turns out humanely, it allows you to wage wars with a minimum of casualties. It can be assumed that at one time a convention was adopted that limited armaments to only the energy part. Well, rocket weapons were left exclusively for combating equipment, and even then, for sure, with certain prohibitions, since the X-wing pilots were unhappy with what they had to fight.

Gigantic guns, but designed exclusively against ships.

But progress does not stand still, and it is likely that someone noticed that an increase in power turns a peaceful stunner into a combat blaster. This method has become a means of circumventing the convention without violating it. But at first they scored on it, especially since the weapon remained relatively humane. Instead of large-scale destruction of internal organs by bullets or shrapnel, a burn occurred at the site of the lesion, which prevented heavy bleeding. Moreover, there were no big wars, and a limited number of victims is not a reason to revise the convention. But then the clone wars began. The number of victims went into the millions, but nothing could be done. Those who made the decisions were themselves interested in having weapons in their hands that could withstand the enemy.

Serious strength.

And then everything went on knurled. The soldiers were accustomed to this weapon, so there was no need to invent a new one. Perhaps experimental developments were underway, but the tactics of the Empire did not allow them to be fully applied. Therefore, for a long time, it was energy weapons that continued to dominate the battlefield.

A mix of space combat.

And a small lyrical digression, indirectly confirming this theory. As we remember in the prequels, droids were preferred as the main fighting force. What is this if not a symbol of the fact that they tried to protect people from the horrors of war? But as always happens, good intentions led a little wrong.

Ordinary fighters of the Distant Galaxy.

I summarize: A failed attempt to create a humanistic weapon.

Rationale: A number of blaster functions, as well as the active use of mechanisms.

3. Conspiracy I

Let's think about which of the heroes of this universe is best protected from energy weapons? Maybe droids? But force fields are only on droidekas, and even those do not turn them on so often. Maybe gungans? There are few of them, and not to say that their power shields were especially helpful. Maybe stormtroopers? But they appeared not so long ago, and again it is difficult to call their protection effective. Therefore, we are left with only one group of warriors, reliably protected from blaster fire. Moreover, this type of weapon is simply optimally tuned to their fighting technique. I'm talking about the Jedi.

Carriers of good, inspiring horror.

Shooting a Jedi with a blaster is like committing suicide by kindly placing your weapon in the hands of an enemy. Nimble warriors are able to easily mirror the flow of energy in the opposite direction, or, at worst, beat it aside. But what happens if they encounter other types of weapons?

Surrounded but not broken.

No, if you go out with a Kalash or a shotgun against a Jedi, you should not count on your advantage. The Force allows the Jedi to determine the direction of a threat and respond accordingly. Another thing is that in these conditions it is no longer possible to attack remotely, beating the charges back. You will either have to close the distance or use the Force to launch something at the shooter, try to snatch the weapon from him (Darth Vader-style) or, at worst, use mind control. However, all this takes time and greatly complicates the work.

Master Yoda is able to give acceleration with one movement of his finger.

But the energy weapon in such a situation has become a kind of help. From now on, it was possible not to run and not look for ways to neutralize the enemy, but elegantly, with a slight movement of the light blade, send him a return gift. So I wouldn't be surprised if the Jedi, given the opportunity to influence the politics of the Republic, rushed to take action and introduce restrictions on the types of weapons.

A small team that determines big politics.

Well, then we return to the previous points. The military tried to get around all sorts of restrictions and created many varieties of energy guns. The Jedi, however, looked at it in a slipshod manner, as they were able to reflect back even solid charges. Well, as for the missiles, by transferring them to the spectrum of anti-tank weapons, they significantly protected themselves from a fragmentation damaging factor. As a result, by the beginning of the Clone Wars, the armies of the entire Galaxy Far, Far Away had an extremely limited set of means of warfare. A thousand-year gap is difficult to overcome even in twenty or thirty years.

The clones are on the attack.

I summarize: It was advantageous for the Jedi to have the blaster as their main weapon, since they alone had the full range of protection against it.

Rationale: Jedi tactics, plus their influence on the government.

4. Conspiracy II

Back to the prequels. As we remember, by that time there were practically no human armies left. There were small self-defense units that were more like police officers with advanced functions. But there were armies of droids. Looking back at the factory at Geonosis, we can conclude that a horde of war machines was quite profitable in economic terms, and an unlimited number of them could be stamped. There was only the question of weapons.

The production of soldiers is put on stream.

If you release robots against people, then ordinary machine guns will suffice. But what if the enemy also has droids? Even light armor made the droids hard to hit by small arms, and attaching heavy weapons reduced their power and maneuverability considerably. A way out was required, and it turned out to be an energy weapon. And indeed, as we remember, when working on biological objects, the latter received only burns, although severe ones, while when they hit a droid, its mechanism most often fell apart. Think back to what happened to C3PO in Episode 5 or what was left of the many droids after the battle with the Gungans.

Consequences of a fierce battle.

From this comes the following: for the robot, the blaster shot turned out to be fatal. Moreover, the dimensions of the new weapon made it possible to use it even for relatively small models. The cheapness of droids and the ability to quickly make up for losses led to the fact that the issue of protection was practically not raised. Of course, heavy variants were also developed, but they were intended more for special operations.

Anti-Jedi droids.

Due to the massive use of droids and blasters, people also had to switch to energy weapons. The resistance of robots to bullets and fragments has practically leveled most of the small arms, leaving only high-precision projectiles against heavy equipment. This could not but lead to a stagnation in the field of new developments, and we see what this has led to in films.

Lots of pretty rays.

I summarize: The blaster was the main weapon for droids and humans to fight droids. Using it against people was only a consequence of the lack of other alternatives.

Rationale: Active use of droids, as well as a clear demonstration of the difference in receiving damage from blaster fire in ordinary people and mechanical servants.

This concludes my analysis, knowing full well that there are many logical holes and inconsistencies in it. But, in my opinion, it allows you to understand that the use of exclusively blasters in the world of "Star Wars" is due to important reasons and can be explained by one of the above theories.

Created as much for elegant combat as for ceremony, the lightsaber was a special weapon, the very image of which was inextricably linked with the world of the Jedi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi: "It's a Jedi weapon. Not as crude and messy as a blaster, but an elegant weapon from a more civilized age."

It was a blade of pure energy (or rather plasma) emitted from the hilt, most often crafted by the owner of the weapon himself based on his own needs, requirements and style. Due to the unique balance of the sword - the concentration of all its weight in the handle - it was extremely difficult to handle it without special training. In the hands of masters of the Force, such as the Jedi or their dark brethren, the lightsaber inspired great respect and even fear. Being able to wield a lightsaber meant having incredible skill and focus, masterful agility, and generally attuned to the Force.

Over the millennia of use, the lightsaber has become an iconic attribute of the Jedi and their desire to maintain peace and bring justice to the entire galaxy. This perception persisted despite many early conflicts with the Dark Jedi, who also wielded this weapon, often referred to as the lightsaber. In particular, this is what Anakin Skywalker called the lightsaber when he first saw it with Qui-Gon Jinn.

Tionna Solusar: "As stated in the holocrons, the earliest swords were crude devices that used experimental "frozen blaster" technology to create a focused beam of energy of a certain length."

The rakata's power sword was the forerunner of the modern lightsaber. In this device, the energy of the dark side of the Force, passing through a crystal grown in the laboratory, was transformed into a luminous energy blade. The technology of power swords was the basis for the creation of lightsabers. Perhaps the very first functional lightsaber was the First Blade, crafted on Tython by an unknown weapon maker. Even then, the ancient Jedi Order, whose members used ordinary forged swords, “froze” the blade of the future lightsaber, having learned to combine the advanced technologies of other planets with their forging ritual. With the transformation into the Jedi Order after the Wars of Force, the Jedi Knights continued to use edged weapons remained a tradition for millennia.Lightsabers were not established for widespread use due to their general inefficiency and many shortcomings.

By 15,500 BBY, their research had come to fruition. The Jedi developed a method for producing a focused beam of energy, which led to the creation of the first lightsabers. They were still unstable and inefficient: they used up a huge amount of energy, so they only worked for a short period of time. As a result of these shortcomings, the first lightsabers were little more than cult objects. They were rarely worn, much less used.

Early references

Tionna Solusar: "...these archaic lightsabers were portable, so their use required a flexible cable that was connected to one side of the lightsaber's handle and the other to the power pack on the Jedi's belt."

The extreme weapon instability experienced by the Jedi in early designs faded over time. Also, bulky and rarely used weapons gave way to elegant and much more commonly used proto-swords. However, while these archaic lightsabers were far more resilient than their predecessors, they still suffered from power consumption issues, requiring the same power pack on their belt. A powerful cable fettered the owner in movements and did not allow using the Sword Throw. However, despite the shortcomings, the high stability of the blade provided a clear advantage in the fight against heavily armored enemies.

Screen developments and designs

Komok-Da: "While swords are excellent weapons, there is still nothing more satisfying than the feeling of warm blood spattering when someone is slashed with a real sword."

It was the Dark Lords of the Sith Empire who perfected lightsabers by placing the power pack and power cell in the hilt. A superconductor was introduced into the design, which transformed the cyclically returning energy from the negatively charged emitter back into the internal battery. With this modification, the battery only drained energy when the energy loop was broken, such as when something was cut with a lightsaber. Thus, the problem of nutrition was solved. Using the Tedrin holocron, the Sith also created the blueprint for the first light staff. Karness Muur was also among the owners of modern lightsabers. The Dark Jedi initially wielded an archaic lightsaber, but later switched to a modern, curved-hilted lightsaber.

Adoption of lightsabers by the Jedi

During Naga Sadow's invasion of the Republic in 5000 BBY and the subsequent outbreak of the Great Hyperspace War, the technological advances of the Sith Empire reached the Jedi. However, while the Sith army used lightsabers, the Jedi continued to fight with protoswords as they did not have time to fully learn the new technology. With the defeat of the Sith, modern lightsabers were fully adopted by the Jedi Order. In 4800 BBY, lightsabers became an integral part of any Jedi.

During the Great Sith War, renegade Jedi who flocked to Exar Kun continued to use their Jedi lightsabers, defying the traditions adopted by the Sith Empire. Other innovations have entered the ranks of the new Sith. So, Exar Kun created a staff of light for himself using circuits from a Sith holocron. By the time Exar Kun's rebellion ultimately failed, the idea of the lightsaber was adopted by the Jedi. This type of lightsaber saw widespread use during the early years of the Jedi Civil War.

Mechanism and specifications

Luke Skywalker: "Ideally, it would take a Jedi many months to create the perfect weapon that he would keep and use for the rest of his days. The lightsaber you once crafted will be your constant companion, your tool, and your ready defense."

The ritual of creating one's own lightsaber was an integral part of the Jedi's training, its completion, and included testing not only for technical skills, but also for harmony with the Force. During the days of the Old Republic, the ice caverns of Ilum were used as a ceremonial site where Padawans came to create their first lightsaber. Here and in places like this, such as the caves near the Jedi Enclave on Dantooine, the Jedi would select the most appropriate focusing crystals through meditation and connection to the Force, and then complete the assembly of the sword.

By tradition, the creation of a lightsaber took about a month. It involved assembling parts with both hands and the Force, as well as meditation to saturate the crystals. The assembly itself also required constant connection and harmony with the Force, since in order to achieve the best result, excluding accidental breakdowns and failures during future use, the utmost precision of movements and the closest fitting of parts were necessary. Nevertheless, in case of extreme need, the creation of the sword could be greatly accelerated. Corran Horn's first two-phase lightsaber, created during his time undercover as an Invid pirate ("Rebels"), was made using this technique.

Mechanism

At the base of the sword hilt was a metal cylinder, usually 25-30 centimeters long; however, the design and dimensions of the handle varied greatly depending on the preferences and physiological characteristics of each creator. The sheath of the hilt contained complex components that created the blade and gave it a unique shape. A high-power energy flow, passing through a system of positively charged focusing lenses and activators, formed an energy flow, which was drawn out from the base by about a meter, and then, forming a peripheral arc, returned to a negatively charged annular recess encircling the emitter; at the same time, a complex configuration of energy fields and an arcuate plasma cord was formed, which took the form of a blade.

The superconductor completed the energy loop by feeding the converted energy back to the internal battery, where the cycle began anew. With the addition of one to three focusing crystals with different properties, the length of the blade and the amount of energy output could be changed using control mechanisms built into the hilt. The two crystals created a branching pulse of cyclic ignition, which, combined with hermetically sealed insulation, allowed the sword to be used underwater.

All lightsabers contained some basic components:

Handle;
Button/activation panel;
Fuse;
Emitter Matrix;
Lens system;
power unit;
Energy source;
Charging connector;
One to three focusing crystals.

Many lightsabers, such as the one wielded by Zane Kerrick in 3964 BBY, had a pressure sensor in the hilt that deactivated the blade when released. It is worth noting that Darth Maul's double-bladed sword was not equipped with such a mechanism. Other swords were made either without a pressure sensor or alternatively with a locking mechanism that caused the blade to remain activated if the sword was thrown or dropped.

Traditionally, the crystal was the last component to be added. He was the very essence of the weapon and gave it both color and power. A lot of effort and time went into choosing this most important component of a lightsaber.

Much knowledge of lightsaber design was lost during the Jedi extermination, but Luke Skywalker discovered the records and materials needed to build his first lightsaber in Obi-Wan Kenobi's hut on Tatooine.

Anakin Skywalker's lightsaber cut

Cutting ability

Exar Kun: "Incredible! I thought a lightsaber could cut through anything. There is only a scratch on the wall. The only thing that can resist a lightsaber is... Mandalorian iron!"

The lightsaber blade radiated neither heat nor energy until it came into contact with anything. The strength of the energy blade was so great that it could cut through almost anything, although the speed of the blade's movement through the material was highly dependent on its density. Flesh cutting, for example, was completely unimpeded, while breaking through an explosion-proof door could take quite a long time. It is important to note that lightsaber wounds never bled, even when a limb was severed. The energy blade, inflicting a wound, immediately cauterized it, as a result of which there was practically no bleeding even with severe wounds.

Qui-Gon Jinn breaks through a blast door

Types of lightsabers

It should be noted separately:

Curved hilt lightsaber

Standard design during the heyday of the second form of lightsaber swordplay. The curved hilt allowed for more precise movements and more freedom in lightsaber-versus-lightsaber combat.

Guards shoto

A tonfu sword with a handle perpendicular to the axis of the sword was used by bodyguard Xinya of the Black Sun during her fight with Darth Maul. The Shoto of the Guard was also used by Maris Brood, apprentice of Jedi Master Shaak Ti.

Blade types

Dual phase lightsaber. This rare type of sword used a specific combination of focusing crystals to form a blade that could become twice the length of a normal sword. This lightsaber was worn by Gantoris, Corran Horn and Darth Vader.

Large lightsaber or lightsaber. Special focusing crystals and power systems allowed this rare type of lightsaber to generate a blade up to 3 meters in length. These large swords were only used by creatures of enormous stature. Gork, a mutated Gamorrean Dark Jedi, used such a weapon.

Short lightsaber. Shorter than conventional swords, the blade was handy in combat for smaller Jedi such as Jedi Master Yoda, Yaddle, and Tsui Choi. In addition, the short lightsaber was sometimes used in the Niman (Jar'Kai) style of swordsmanship used by, for example, the ancient Jedi Master Kavar.

Training lightsabers. Used by younglings to practice the art of swordsmanship with a lightsaber. Although not life-threatening, contact with their blade could leave a bruise or even a slight burn.

Light saber. A rare type of lightsaber. Created a powerful, slightly curved blade of black and gold color. Used by some notable Mandalorians as a means of personal protection. Saber wounds could not be healed even by the Force.

lightsaber colors

Oli Starstone: “…Jedi generally don't use scarlet blades. And largely because this color is associated with sieves.

The color of a lightsaber blade was determined by the focusing crystal used to create it. The Jedi mined crystals of various types and hues from natural deposits, while the Sith used man-made synthetic crystals that radiated shades of red.

Until the last Battle of Ruusan, the ancient Jedi wielded swords of all colors and shades, the most common colors being orange, yellow, blue, indigo, green, purple, silver, and gold. Some Jedi of the time, such as the Silvar, even used red-toned blades, despite the fact that the Order generally avoided colors that might associate them with the Sith.

During the Jedi Civil War era, the color of a Jedi's blade usually symbolized his path and the obligations he assumed while in the Order. The green blade was the mark of the Jedi Consulars - scientists, diplomats and orators. The blue color of the sword was associated with the Jedi Defenders - physically strong and determined defenders of the galaxy. The third color, yellow, was reserved for Jedi Guardians - Jedi whose skills were balanced between physical strength and learning the ways of the Force. Regarding the power of the swords, these crystals were exactly the same - the color was the only difference.

Lightsaber fight

The lightsaber is a highly versatile weapon, possessing a unique lightness and the ability to cut in any direction. It can be easily wielded with one hand, but the Jedi have always been trained to wield the sword both with both hands and with each hand separately, in order to be ready for any situation. The early years of the weapon's history, when the Sith were numerous, saw the heyday of the art of lightsaber dueling. In more recent periods, the Jedi rarely encountered an enemy who possessed a weapon capable of repelling a lightsaber strike. Self-defense against blasters and other energy weapons was taught to them early in their training. While a skilled Jedi could use his sword to deflect a blaster shot back at an opponent, non-energy projectiles (bullets, for example) were simply completely split by the blade.

The Jedi were trained to use the Force as a link between a fighter and his weapons. Through this connection to the Force, the blade became an extension of their nature; he moved instinctively, as if he were part of their body. The harmony of the Jedi with the Force was the reason for the almost superhuman agility and reaction that manifested itself in wielding a lightsaber.

Since the invention of the lightsaber, the Jedi have developed a variety of styles, or forms of lightsaber combat, to suit the unique characteristics of the lightsaber and its connection to its owner.

Since the only way to disarm a Jedi and leave him alive was to cut a blade or cut off a limb, the most common injury was that of the hand or forearm. It was common to see Jedi or Sith with cybernetic limbs.