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.
Advanced laser technology was more powerful than regular laser technology,[1] and was available to upgrade attack vehicles in the time between the Invasion of Naboo[2] and the Galactic Civil War.[3]
Behind the scenes
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.
Lasers in the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron video game series could be upgraded to advanced lasers by finding various upgrades.
Appearances
- Crosscurrent
- Darth Maul: Shadow Hunter
- Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo
- Rogue Planet
- Jedi Apprentice Special Edition: The Followers
- Outbound Flight
- The Approaching Storm
- Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope (First appearance)
- Scoundrel's Luck
- Otherspace
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
- X-Wing: Starfighters of Adumar
- LEGO Star Wars: The Padawan Menace (Non-canonical appearance)
Sources
- The Star Wars Sourcebook
- Star Wars Campaign Pack
- Galaxy Guide 2: Yavin and Bespin
- Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters
- Galaxy Guide 6: Tramp Freighters, Second Edition
- Galaxy Guide 11: Criminal Organizations
- "Boba Fett: Mystery Man in Not-So-Shining Armor" — Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 1
- Shadows of the Empire Sourcebook
- The Secrets of Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
- 1996 Topps Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Card: Luke Scores a TIE) (backup link (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/sote/soteTC015.jpg) not verified!)
- 1996 Topps Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Card: Battle Over Coruscant: Part II) (backup link (http://www.rebelscum.com/photo.asp?image=/sote/soteTC067.jpg) not verified!)
- Shadows of the Empire Planets Guide
- Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire Micro Machines (Pack: Collection III) (backup link)
- Star Wars: Rebellion: Prima's Official Strategy Guide
- Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords: Prima Official Game Guide
- The Essential Guide to Warfare
- "Droids Re-Animated, Part 1 {{{3}}}" — {{{4}}} — [[{{{5}}}|{{{5}}}'s]] StarWars.com Blog (Droids Re-Animated, Part 1 backup link (2013/06/13/the-droids-re-animated-part-1//The Droids Re-Animated, Part 1) not verified!)
- Star Wars: Age of Rebellion Core Rulebook