Tag: darkhorizoncreations

Blasters: A look at the lethality of small arms in the Star Wars universe

Chief Warrant Officer Jyn Erso with Alliance SpecForces wields a Blastech A280 carbine during a mission.

One of the most famous aspects of the Star Wars universe are blasters, the individual small arms carried by just about everyone. Be it a DL-44 blaster pistol in a drop thigh rig, or the iconic Blastech E-11 carbine issued to the Stormtrooper Corps, blasters are everywhere in the galaxy.

In the Original Trilogy, we see the effects of blaster fire as civilians, Imperials, and rebels alike go down instantly when hit with a single shot. The all too familiar sound of blaster fire from Battlefront is still ringing in my ears, and I can smell the ozone in the atmosphere.

So how exactly do these weapons function, and what makes them so lethal that they can drop a person instantaneously with one round? To answer that, we first have to take a look at the inner workings of the blaster itself.

Small Arms Physics

Blasters are not like modern firearms, which utilize propellant ignited from a firing pin or striker in the base of the cartridge to propel a projectile downrange. The only in-universe weapons that use modern fierarms technology are referred to as slug throwers, and the only on screen use of these can be found with the Sandpeople of Tatoonie.

Blasters on the other hand utilize compressed and highly pressurized Tibanna gas that is stored in a detachable magazine or bottle. This is inserted in different locations on different weapons, with some utilizing internal storage, while others combine the gas within a detachable box “magazine” that also houses the power packs.

When the trigger on a blaster is pulled, it does two things simultaneously; it uses a burst of electrical charge from the power pack to an internal laser, which excites the Tibannna gas that is released at the same time. This creates a charged plasma beam, which is focused through a series of rings, and propelled down the chamber where it is encased in a magnetically charged field. This in turn propels down the barrel as a bolt of plasma energy.

This bolt is what you see exiting the weapons, and it is travelling as fast as you see it. Studies done of the on-screen shots place blaster bolts at somewhere between thirteen hundred and fifteen hundred feet per second, so they do not travel as fast as a modern firearm projectile. Individual small arms are also not as loud as a firearm, though they are loud enough.

The power behind these weapons is directly corelated to the type of gas utilized, with Tibanna gas being the most powerful. Some blasters like the Imperial E-11 series were equipped with a lower power stun setting which would incapacitate and render unconscious a target. That is not the case for most military grade weapons such as DMRs, sniper support rifles, heavy blasters, and crew served weapons.

A member of the Rebel Alliance SpecForces armed with a Blastech A392R Designated Marksmen Rifle

I should also note that during the reign of the Empire, it was illegal for civilians to carry and own blasters which could defeat body armor, but many often did. This includes those who used internal modifications to make weapons more powerful, as well as buying and using military grade arms like the Rebellion did.

Terminal Ballistics

Now that you understand how the weapons work, its time to turn our attention to the fun stuff; terminal ballistics. You’ve seen the blaster bolts, heard the distinctive report, and watched the drug pushers of the Pyke Syndicate as they get dropped on the streets of Mos Espa; So what exactly makes blasters lethal?

First, we need to go back and look at a previous piece of information that I provided, and that is what constitutes a blaster bolt, which is plasma. Bolts of magnetically encased plasma striking any flesh, cause a series of instantaneous and significant damage to living tissue.

The extent of that damage is dependent upon where on the body a person is hit. If an individual is trimmed on the shoulder for instance, they would be badly burned, with the wound instantly cauterizing itself. They would, however not be subjected to the same internal “pop” of the blaster bolt as if it had entered the body cavity.

A direct hit to a person’s center of mass by a high-powered shot would cause surface level burns on the outer and inner tissue, as the bolt passed through the skin and into the body cavity. There, the high pressure from the bolt exploding would cause massive internal boiling and trauma.

Nearby organs would be catastrophically damaged or destroyed, depending upon their proximity to the bolt of plasma when it explodes. There would be massive hemorrhage, but little if any blood loss due to the entry and exit wounds cauterizing from the extreme temperature of the plasma.

Center of mass and upper center of mass shots are always lethal, while lower center of mass hits to the abdomen may be survivable, if the correct medical treatment can be obtained in a timely manner. For this reason It is possible to survive a blaster hit, but it is extremely rare, due to the amount of energy being released inside of the body cavity.

This is why Stormtroopers are issued armor, which is rated to defeat certain weapons. The armor works by dissipating the energy from the blaster bolt and spreading it out across the surface, where the plasma burns away the outer layers.

This is not sufficient for military grade weapons, which is why you have seen Stormtroopers go down when hit by rounds from Han Solo’s DL-44 blaster pistol. This is a highly modified military grade weapon, which accounts for the damage that it inflicts.

An Imperial Stormtrooper being hit with multiple rounds from high powered military grade blasters. He won’t make it for the Battalion Halloween party next month.

Conclusions

So, now that you understand how blasters function, and what makes them lethal, you can begin to appreciate not only the science and technology behind them, but also how cool they are! Everyone wants one, right? I know I do.

Religion in Rogue One

Introduction

On December 16, 2016 Star Wars fans around the world were introduced to the newest hero within the Star Wars universe, Jyn Erso. Jyn is a battle scarred and complex woman, with a very a traumatic past. She is spartan tough, and stubborn to the core.

Orphaned at age seven, she was forced to watch her mother be executed by Imperial special forces, while her father was taken captive by them as well. Her only hope lay in the man who rescued her, Saw Gerrera. A friend of the family, Saw was Jyn’s only hope of survival, though a hope that would not last.

Throughout her young life Jyn finds herself forced to make decision upon decision which is determined by her alliance with Saw. Though he saves her, he does not give her a normal childhood or freedom. His care for her is minimal, and when it becomes too much of a risk, he too abandons Jyn alone, on a worn torn planet to fend for herself.

At age sixteen, Jyn is once again forced to make decisions in order to survive from one day to the next. When we find her in Rogue One, Jyn is a young woman imprisoned by the Empire in one of their POW camps on the planet Wobani.

She is seemingly rescued by the Rebel Alliance, who have their own agenda for her as well. There is no care for her future or well being; Jyn is simply a means to an end for them. Though she reluctantly agrees to help them, she finds herself in a dream remembering her parents before she is abruptly awaken on a flight into the ancient moon of Jedha.

Jedha is a world of many stories, with some claiming that it was on Jedha that the Jedi first discovered the Force. Jyn ventures into the holy city, and encounters a cultural soup of denizens from across the galaxy, who are adherents of many religions. Though their beliefs and practices may differ, they are all drawn to Jedha for the same reason, and that is the church of the Force.

Its existence is ancient, and its followers are many, but its message is the same: there is only the Force, and it is the Force that draws them there. Jyn being the skeptic that she is, becomes intrigued when Chirrut Imwe is able to sense the Khyber crystal necklace hanging from her neck.

She wants to know more, but time does not allow it. We later see Jyn rubbing the Khyber crystal again on her way to Scarif. This brief insight into the Force is a much more grounded aspect of it’s cultural and religious significance to peoples across the galaxy. We know from Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Force is what gives the Jedi their abilities and powers.

It is an energy field created by all living things; It surrounds us and binds the galaxy together. For those born sensitive to it, it is there, just beyond their grasp. For those like Chirrut Imwe, it is the focus of their religious experience, but not a tangible presence that they harness as the Jedi and Sith do.

For people like Jyn, it is a mystery that fascinates and intrigues. It leads her to a place of inner searching. She finds herself questioning her mother’s bedtime stories about the Force and the Jedi, and she begins to ponder if they were actually true? Her memories are in many ways her only real connection to her mother, and for whatever reason, they seem to be guiding her on her mission for the Rebel Alliance.

What if?

For the past two years I have been working on the manuscript for a Star Wars Legends novel which continues the story of Jyn Erso. In it we find that Jyn who was presumed lost, is clinging to life, and at the center of her journey is the question of religion. Is the Force real? Is it guiding her to her destiny, or is it just her experience, training, and a little luck?

The story explores how Jyn’s personal beliefs reflect the echos of an ancient past, where it was at the heart of whole races and societies. The Force is more than Jedi and Sith, it is the defining religion of a by-gone era. People like Jyn’s mother Lyra who cling to it’s ideals and teachings, are viewed as heretics and traitors to modern governments and societies.

Its origins are erased, its texts are destroyed, and its existence is taught as a myth. Where other religions are accepted or tolerated, the Force becomes a forbidden word across the galaxy, and those who speak of it are hunted down and taken into custody.

What was once at the heart of every civilization in the galaxy, has now become culturally irrelevant and outdated. As the old generations pass on, younger generations grow up in the shadow of its knowledge and presence, knowing nothing of its power and purity. Its mysteries lay hidden in plain sight, waiting for those who are brave enough to seek out answers to life’s questions and troubles in its teachings.

Conclusion

Jyn’s journey becomes one of self discovery, as she is forced to confront her mother’s beliefs, and their impact upon the here and now. We see the reality of religion in the midst of contemporary culture, and the relevance that it offers to those brave enough to search for the truth.

Ultimately the Force and religion aren’t the focus of the story, but they become an aspect of it that Jyn cannot deny, and that she cannot ignore. It is a doorway to be opened, as she seeks for answers in the midst of the chaos of war.