Nearly every character in Star Wars is armed with a personal weapon of choice. Whether it’s a member of the nobility armed with a taser or the most powerful Jedi Master equipped with a lightsaber, a personal weapon is very important for both defense and attack, and is a crucial part of many characters’ identity.
The blaster is a favored weapon among many different characters, from bounty hunters to leaders of the Rebellion. Blasters come in all shapes and sizes, and have a wide range of capabilities to suit their users. These blasters, seen across Star Wars movies and other media, are each unique and have their own abilities, from utilizing sonic energy, to causing widespread damage.
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10 KYD-21 Blaster Pistol
A Sleek Yet Expensive Blaster
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones
- Release Date: May 16, 2002
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 142 mins
First seen in Attack of the Clones, bounty hunter Zam Wesell is armed with this sleek weapon. With it, she attempted to kill both Anakin and Obi-Wan. As they gave chase through Coruscant’s bustling cities, she shot a power coupling grid to slow them down.
Though this blaster was expensive, it posed some benefits. It was made of hadrium, which was very strong, meaning the blaster would not overheat or melt easily. It was also extremely hard wearing since hadrium was not malleable. Popular in the Republic’s final years, the small blaster meant it could be easily hidden on one’s person, and could damage targets quickly.
9 Chewbacca’s Bowcaster
A Handmade Weapon That Launched Grenades
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope
- Release Date: May 25, 1977
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 121 mins
Chewbacca made his bowcaster on his homeworld Kashyyyk, and he used it many times in his life, from the Battle of Kashyyk, to the events of the sequel trilogy. Han Solo comments how “he likes this thing”in The Force Awakens, when he gets a chance to use it himself.
The Wookiee’s personal weapon was a very powerful blaster. The bowcaster could fire metallic grenades combined with plasma energy, which created a vast explosion upon impact. They were known to be even more accurate than the ordinary blaster. With a range of 30 meters, it was best suited for close-range targets.
8 Satine’s Lament
Had A Lightweight And Effective Design
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope
- Release Date: May 25, 1977
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 121 mins
One of the franchise’s most iconic blasters, Princess Leia carried the “Satine’s Lament,” a type of Defender Sporting Blaster Pistol. Capable of firing 100 shots at one time, it was able to split into three separate parts for easy, and subtle, transportation. As well as its lightweight design, these features made it a popular choice among the nobility.
The blaster’s unique name, “Satine’s Lament,” is named after Duchess Satine Kryze, the planet Mandalore’s last ruling Duchess, who was killed by Darth Maul. It seems strange for a weapon to be named after this pacifist ruler, perhaps why it is called her “lament”. Princess Leia used this weapon throughout her life, from aboard Tantive Four to her flagship, The Raddus.
7 Geonosian Sonic Blaster
Caused Instant Death At A Short Range
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones
- Release Date: May 16, 2002
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 142 mins
Designed specifically for this insect-like species, the Geonosian Sonic Blaster was a very powerful weapon. It fired condensed sonic energy, meaning it would cause intense damage to non-organic material, and instant death to anyone it was fired at. The Geonosians, who were extremely skilled in engineering, had experimented with sonic energy for many years, and were eventually able to harness this power in their own blasters.
The Geonosians used these weapons of sheer force against the Jedi in both the 1st and 2nd Battle of Geonosis, causing them heavy losses each time. Though they couldn’t hit targets over 40 meters away, these weapons were excellent in close combat. As well as putting the Jedi to the test, these blasters showcase how innovative this species could be.
6 The Adventurer Slugthrower Rifle
Had Everything An Assassin Could Need
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace
- Release Date: May 19, 1999
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 136 mins
Carried by mercenaries like Aurra Sing, this rifle was the perfect choice for any assassin. Some of its benefits include having great accuracy, bullet speed, and it could strike targets up to 450 metres away. This rifle can be seen in Aurra Sing’s cameo in The Phantom Menace, and several Star Wars: The Clone Wars episodes like “Hostage Crisis”.
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Notably, it could also be dismantled for easy transport, and reassembled quickly whenever it was needed. This made it a popular choice for bounty hunters, as it could be smuggled through any sort of checkpoint. Though it was only capable of fifty shots, the rifle did not shoot bright lasers, but solid projectiles, thus it offered even more secrecy for mercenaries.
5 E-11 Medium Blaster Rifle
Versatile And Effective
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope
- Release Date: May 25, 1977
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 121 mins
This blaster was the standard weapon the Empire equipped their Stormtroopers with. Based off the weapon the clones used during the Clone Wars, the E-11 was an overall very powerful and solid weapon of choice. As well as being versatile, the weapon boasted a highly effective cooling system, something many other characters’ blasters did not have.
Other useful traits of the E-11 were its overall lightweight design, and the fact it could be modified by the user. As well as its impressive range, the E-11 certainly had many key features, making it a highly effective weapon of choice, despite the Stormtroopers’ persistent lack of accuracy in hitting targets.
4 The WESTAR-34 Blaster Pistol
Jango Fett’s Twin Blasters Were The Envy Of Many
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 2 – Attack of the Clones
- Release Date: May 16, 2002
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 142 mins
Taken as a Foundling by a group of Mandalorians, Jango eventually became the Clone Template, and was paid a massive sum of credits by Count Dooku. Therefore, he could afford to pay for a very expensive and superior blaster. Jango Fett’s iconic twin blasters were custom-made for him by the Mandalorian company, Concordian Cresent Technologies. These superior pistols were made from a costly alloy, allowing the user to fire them for as long as they’d like without them overheating, unlike ordinary blasters.
The blasters were chiefly for use in a short radius, especially for surprise attacks. Their lightweight design meant Fett could draw out the blasters quickly, as he did when fighting Obi-Wan on Kamino and the Jedi in the Geonosian arena. After Jango’s death, Boba Fett carried his own WESTAR-34 pistols.
3 DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol
Deals Huge Damage With Great Accuracy
First Appearance: Star Wars: Episode 4 – A New Hope
- Release Date: May 25, 1977
- Director: George Lucas
- Runtime: 121 mins
Han Solo wielded a blaster that was considered one of the galaxy’s most powerful. The DL-44 could deal huge damage to nearby targets, and even penetrate through Stormtrooper armor. It even warned its users when few shots were left, by vibrating. However, a major drawback was its tendency to overheat quickly.
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The DL-44 also had great accuracy, on top of being capable of massive destruction. This type of blaster was a good choice for rebellion fighters, especially with it being easy to modify to suit any situation or owner. Thus, it was also used by many other prominent rebels, from Pirate captain Hondo Ohnaka, to Ezra Bridger and Biggs Darklighter.
2 Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster
Had Multiple Settings For Any Situation
First Appearance: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
- Release Date: November 12, 2019
- Director: Dave Filoni
- Runtime: 39 mins
Din Djarin, or the Mandalorian, owned one of these impressive rifles. It could double up as a listening device, which he uses to eavesdrop on Dr Pershing and The Client’s discussion of Grogu. Though he only used it during the first and second season, this deadly weapon could electrocute enemies and, notably, even disintegrate them.
Using the blaster’s other setting would fire ionic pulses, which resulted in instant death on impact. However, it left the targets unidentifiable, which proved less worthwhile for bounty hunters, since they couldn’t claim the bounty if their client couldn’t identify the target. This rifle’s design first featured over 40 years prior in the 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special as Boba Fett’s weapon of choice.
1 The MWC-35c “Staccato Lightning” Repeating Cannon
Causes Immense Destruction Quickly
First Appearance: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- Release Date: December 16, 2016
- Director: Gareth Edwards
- Runtime: 133 mins
This weapon can easily be considered the most powerful blaster able to be wielded in hand. Though it was originally meant to be attached to vehicles, Baze Malbus fought with it personally in the battles on the planets Jedha and Scarif. The weapon had such power, that of five laser rifles in one, and was capable of firing 35,000 shots at full charge. Malbus could shoot down multiple Stormtroopers at once.
The weapon could be utilized for both long range and close combat. It also had two modes, one that fired burst shots rapidly, which earned it the name “Staccato Lightning”. The secondary mode needed longer to charge up, but produced a single shot of incredible power at maximum charge. Either way, the destruction this blaster could cause was second to none.
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