Laser weapons operated in a similar fashion as blasters. They were usually mounted on starfighters, freighters, and other small spaceships; larger warships instead used turbolasers, which provided even more destructive power, but required cumbersome generators and other equipment. Laser cannons were sometimes mounted in turreted pairs, while ships such as Trade Federation Lucrehulk-class battleships and the Millennium Falcon were equipped with quad laser cannon turrets. Quad laser cannon mountings consisted of a regular laser cannon that was sent through a splitter to turn it into four beams, each funneled through its own cannon barrel.

Opirus Personal Lasers manufactured laser-engraving mechanisms.

The protocol droid I-5YQ was fitted with two finger lasers.

Contents 1 Behind the scenes 2 Appearances 3 Sources 3.1 In other languages

Behind the scenesEdit

Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, though lasers as seen in Star Wars bear few similarities to those in real life: plasma is part of the beam's composition, they can interact with one another and are visible in vacuum (on another note, laser is in fact the name for the device itself, not the beam it emits). They explode on contact with most surfaces and sometimes on contact with a deflector shields as well, and technically real lasers do not cause explosions unless they heat a flammable substance to a high temperature. As it is doubtful if "lasers" in Star Wars share the same principles of generation or fundamental nature as true lasers, it is possibly short for "Laser induced plasma weapon" or something similar but never properly retconned.

It has been suggested that laser gun/rifle/cannon, etc. is simply a slang term and so-called lasers operate like other blasters, but use an actual laser to superheat the blaster gas into plasma or energise it into charged particles, rather than a superconductor or other medium.

AppearancesEdit

• Crosscurrent
• Rogue Planet
• Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers
• Outbound Flight
• The Approaching Storm
• X-wing: Starfighters of Adumar
• LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (Non-canonical appearance)

SourcesEdit

• Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters, First Edition
• Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters, Second Edition
• Galaxy Guide 11: Criminal Organizations
• The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
• Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide