Inherent instabilities limit the ability to precisely aim a blaster bolt, but knowing one's weapon well can strengthen marksmanship. The plasma is released from a magnetic bottle effect to fire through collimating components as a coherent energy bolt. TechnologyĬommon blaster weapons use high-energy gas as ammunition, activated by a power cell and converted into plasma. Ben Burtt made the sound for the blaster by smacking his wedding ring on a taut metal cable. Depictionīlasters come in a variety of shapes and sizes, ranging from handheld to shipmounted weapons. These blank cartridges are responsible for the muzzle flash seen on screen and, in some scenes, the cartridges themselves can be seen being ejected from the guns, or the actual sound of the blank cartridge is not dubbed over by a sound effect. Functional Sterlings firing blank cartridges were used in some scenes with the laser bolt added later in post-production.
For example, the E-11 blaster carbine used by Imperial stormtroopers was based on the Sterling submachine gun, and Han Solo's DL-44 blaster pistol was based on the German Mauser C96. Blaster props in the Star Wars movies are redressed versions of real world rifles, machine guns, submachine guns, and pistols.
