Honest Question: Han Solo's Blaster or Falcon gun?

[Ted C]

The hell she was. It was a pistol.

I distinctly remember it being a pistol.

Watch it again. It was one of the standard Stormtrooper rifles with the stock folded. The Stormtrooper rifle is more like a carbine or submachinegun in size, so it can be hard to tell the difference.

Our old friend DarkStar actually has a still of it on his blaster page.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

Well, fuck a pig!! It was a rifle!!



Off to class now.

[Ted C]

Now that I look at DarkStar's page a little closer, it looks like most of the blaster bolt actually missed Leia. She was either grazed by the edge of the bolt or burned by the explosion of hot sparks from where the majority of the bolt hit the bunker wall behind her (unless you think a human arm or the light clothing she was wearing would produce the fountain of hot sparks we see in DS's series of images).

[Ender]

Now that I look at DarkStar's page a little closer, it looks like most of the blaster bolt actually missed Leia. She was either grazed by the edge of the bolt or burned by the explosion of hot sparks from where the majority of the bolt hit the bunker wall behind her (unless you think a human arm or the light clothing she was wearing would produce the fountain of hot sparks we see in DS's series of images).

It had to be sharpnel. Aside from the sparks, when Han lifts his hand away there is blood, and a blaster shot would have cauterized the wound.

[Isolder74]

Now that I look at DarkStar's page a little closer, it looks like most of the blaster bolt actually missed Leia. She was either grazed by the edge of the bolt or burned by the explosion of hot sparks from where the majority of the bolt hit the bunker wall behind her (unless you think a human arm or the light clothing she was wearing would produce the fountain of hot sparks we see in DS's series of images).

It had to be sharpnel. Aside from the sparks, when Han lifts his hand away there is blood, and a blaster shot would have cauterized the wound.

very good observation! I've taken a close look too and I concur its a near miss

[Ted C]

very good observation! I've taken a close look too and I concur its a near miss

[digression]
So, once again, we find that DS's evidence doesn't support his conclusion at all.
[/digression]

[Isolder74]

very good observation! I've taken a close look too and I concur its a near miss

[digression]
So, once again, we find that DS's evidence doesn't support his conclusion at all.
[/digression]

doesn't surprise me one bit

[Slartibartfast]

Also note that Han's blaster must've been modified very heavily, since none of the stormtrooper's blaster were capable of causing the similiar destruction of wall and floor.

Bespin scene in ESB. They were blowing softball sized holes through the walls. Pretty impressive when you realize Han is packing the equivlent of a Desert Eagle and the Stormies an M-16.

That's pretty easy to explain: Han doesn't have stormtrooper armor, so the Troops don't need to use a high setting (waste of ammo). Han has to punch thru armor, therefore, higher setting. His gun may or may not be adjustable, but that's irrelevant to the scene.

[Patrick Ogaard]

The variable power settings are official, and predate TESB.

Variable settings are actually canon, since we actually saw a stun setting used in ANH. We've also seen blasts from Stormtrooper rifles vaporize metal from the surface of blast doors (in unknown quantities; all was really saw was the cloud of vapor) in ANH, but only cause a minor injury to Leia in ROTJ.

Vaporizing just one cubic centimeter of iron would take over 60,000 J of energy (about 20 times the kinetic energy carried by a modern rifle bullet).

For some reason, the stun setting never entered my mind as part of the normal spectrum of alternate power settings. Apparently a mental blind spot brought on by the fact that the concentric rings of stun bolts are radically different from standard blaster bolts.

Edit:
Also, it's always nice to have something quotable that expressly states that the variable power settings exist. Even someone completely incapable of reasonably interpreting the canon visuals will have trouble arguing with the quotes. Some people will even argue against the quotes, of course, but that has more to do with personal cussedness than actual thought.

[His Divine Shadow]

Also note that Han's blaster must've been modified very heavily, since none of the stormtrooper's blaster were capable of causing the similiar destruction of wall and floor.

More of your usual bullshit logic.

[His Divine Shadow]

A softball sized hole vs. "torso sized chunks" blown out of the stone walls in the docking bay area

And it's concrete vs. armored walls.

Does Han's blaster have variable settings? People were trying to sell me on the idea that ST Rifles have variable "Damage" settings (not just stun) so what about his gun?

It's pretty much rock hard truth that almost every single ST and SW energy weapons have variable settings, they're not selling you anything, they're just telling you the truth.

I'm just wondering here. Can you tell me more about the Falcon's weapons? Because what did they use to fight off those TIE fighters in ANH? Why should we assume that the weapon used on the troopers in ESB was new?

Mainly because it was not used before.

[His Divine Shadow]

I thought Leia was hit by a pistol?

Nope. Snap shot from a standard-issue Stormtrooper rifle.

The hell she was. It was a pistol.

I distinctly remember it being a pistol.

Prepare to beg for forgivenes

[Kazeite]

More of your usual bullshit logic.

More of your usual lack of any logic.

Han hits the walls and blows chunks out of it. Stormtroopers hits the floor and they don't blow chunks out of it. So, what is the logical conclusion? Either walls are made from less resistant material, or Han's blaster was set for more power than blaster rifles at this time.

And, I hate to dissapoint you guys, but it wasn't shrapnel that caused Leia's injury (something than can be determined by watching actual movie, not a series of screenshots ) - after Leia stumbles backward we have a good view of the walls near her - they look undamaged to me.

That's pretty easy to explain: Han doesn't have stormtrooper armor, so the Troops don't need to use a high setting (waste of ammo).

...since they had no idea whenever Han was or wasn't wearing armor...

Han has to punch thru armor, therefore, higher setting. His gun may or may not be adjustable, but that's irrelevant to the scene.

... since he had no idea that he was about to be fired upon by stormtroopers...

A superior example would be pointing out the Greedo scene - Han's blaster was powerful enough to turn Greedo into... cooked rubber doll

[His Divine Shadow]

Han hits the walls and blows chunks out of it. Stormtroopers hits the floor and they don't blow chunks out of it. So, what is the logical conclusion? Either walls are made from less resistant material, or Han's blaster was set for more power than blaster rifles at this time.

And thats all fine and dandy, the bullshit comes when you make the assumption that they're INCAPABLE of higher settings.

...since they had no idea whenever Han was or wasn't wearing armor...

Oh yeah, everyone wears armor, not.

[Spanky The Dolphin]

The hell she was. It was a pistol.

I distinctly remember it being a pistol.

Prepare to beg for forgivenes

You seemed to have missed this:

Well, fuck a pig!! It was a rifle!!



Off to class now.

[His Divine Shadow]

Well spank a dolphin!
Woops!

[Kazeite]

And thats all fine and dandy, the bullshit comes when you make the assumption that they're INCAPABLE of higher settings.

BZZT! I'm sorry, my friend, but you just made assumption based on something I didn't said.
Specifically, I didn't said that blasters are incapable of higher settings.

Oh yeah, everyone wears armor, not.

Well, some bounty hunters happen to wear armor... and don't forget Dash Rendar with his bulky 'vest'...

[His Divine Shadow]

BZZT! I'm sorry, my friend, but you just made assumption based on something I didn't said.
Specifically, I didn't said that blasters are incapable of higher settings.

Look at what you wrote:

Also note that Han's blaster must've been modified very heavily, since none of the stormtrooper's blaster were capable of causing the similiar destruction of wall and floor.

Just what did you assume here if not that Solos blaster is modified and in turn that stormtrooper blasters are incapable of causing similar damage???

Well, some bounty hunters happen to wear armor... and don't forget Dash Rendar with his bulky 'vest'..

Solo's not bounty hunter, and he's known to the stormies which got information on him from a local snitch.

[Boba Fett]

The material of the docking bays in Mos Eisley are not concrete.

As I remember they were carved into the surface so it's rather sandstone or something like that.

That would make Han's blaster hit's and the "torso-sized" chunks more understandable...

Edit: Bah...those typos

[His Divine Shadow]

The material of the docking bays in Mos Eisley are not concrete.
As I remember they were carved into the surface so it's rather sandstone or something like that.

Evidence?

That would make Han's blaster hit's and the "torso-sized" chunks more understandable...

Hmm, no.
It would be contradictory if not, blasters have recoil, massless momentum forumla indicates that blasters have atleast single-digit MJ range firepower in order to have just a little fraction of the momentum of a modern handrifle, which is on par with what we see in the movies.

[Boba Fett]

The material of the docking bays in Mos Eisley are not concrete.
As I remember they were carved into the surface so it's rather sandstone or something like that.

Evidence?

That would make Han's blaster hit's and the "torso-sized" chunks more understandable...

Hmm, no.
It would be contradictory if not, blasters have recoil, massless momentum forumla indicates that blasters have atleast single-digit MJ range firepower in order to have just a little fraction of the momentum of a modern handrifle, which is on par with what we see in the movies.

Evidence: The colour of the bay itself and take a look at it when the Falcon takes off. Also some book mentions that, I'll dig it up for you.

[His Divine Shadow]

Evidence: The colour of the bay itself and take a look at it when the Falcon takes off. Also some book mentions that, I'll dig it up for you.

The color of the bay is hardly evidence, it could just as well be concrete.

[Boba Fett]

That would make Han's blaster hit's and the "torso-sized" chunks more understandable...

Hmm, no.
It would be contradictory if not, blasters have recoil, massless momentum forumla indicates that blasters have atleast single-digit MJ range firepower in order to have just a little fraction of the momentum of a modern handrifle, which is on par with what we see in the movies.

I didn't explain myself precisely.

I'm not questioning the firepower of a DL-44. I wanted to say since it's modificated it can do this damage even at low setting.

[Boba Fett]

Evidence: The colour of the bay itself and take a look at it when the Falcon takes off. Also some book mentions that, I'll dig it up for you.

The color of the bay is hardly evidence, it could just as well be concrete.

Hmmm...I have never seen yellowish-brown concrete but who knows?

On the other hand I'll search in the books.

[His Divine Shadow]

Hmmm...I have never seen yellowish-brown concrete but who knows?

Unless the bay was really new, I doubt it'll reatin it's original color for long, given that they're in a desert, with sandstorms and all.

But it wasn't yellowish brown, it was concrete gray