10 Star Wars Blasters Inspired By Real-Life Weapons | ScreenRant
The universe of Star Wars earns its name with audiences experiencing the conflicts between good and evil across multiple eras both in film and real life. As a result, there has been a lot of weapons - and not just the iconic lightsabers that the Jedi and the Sith have wielded, but the blasters as well.
From the Age Of Republic to the Age Of Resistance, there are many blasters introduced and each one is as unique as the character that wields them. What many fans might not know is that a majority of the props used for the blasters are based on real-world firearms from across history, especially the World Wars.
10 Boba Fett Is Actually Using A Flare Gun
Boba Fett, one of the most famous Mandalorians, wielded the EE-3 in the original trilogy. It is a blaster which with its long wooden stock would lead to the idea of some powerful pistol or submachine gun. The truth is that Boba Fett is based on a flare gun, according to GunsAmerica.com.
To be specific, it is the Webley & Scott Number 1 Mark 1 Flare Gun but the long barrel combined with the large stock gives it an intimidation factor. When given the proper additions and modifications, the result is the EE-3 carbine rifle which got an upgrade with The Mandalorian and The Book Of Boba Fett.
9 Cassian Andor's Weapon Is Surprisingly Modern
There are a lot of skilled fighters in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and each have their own unique weapon. Captain Cassian Andor is no different, except his blaster has the rare origin of being based on a more modern firearm. Cassian's weapon, the A280-CFE might fool someone into thinking it was made from a pistol.
Instead, the A280-CFE is an assault rifle, specifically the AR-15 as reported by Inverse. Essentially, the designers took an AR-15, sawed off the stock, the barrel, then added a new barrel and other modifications to make it into a new blaster pistol for this franchise.
8 Heavy Troopers Wield Heavy Weapons
The heavy class of Stormtroopers is given heavy blasters and one type of these blasters is the T-21 repeating blaster. They are seen in the Tatooine scenes of A New Hope and are featured in expanded material such as the many Star Wars video games over the years.
With some components removed or modified, the Lewis machine gun became the base for the T-21. It proved to be a reliable weapon, having been used from World War I all the way to the Korean War, able to bring down fighter planes, according to GunsAmerica.com.
7 Din Djarin's Blaster Is An Obscure German Weapon
Once again, Star Wars looked to the past with The Mandalorian. The titular character AKA Din Djarin wields a sidearm blaster called an IB-94 blaster pistol. It's been the perfect blaster for Din's gunslinger style that's a mix of Han Solo and Boba Fett.
As stated by The Firearm Blog, this blaster is based on a rather obscure German weapon known as the Bergmann 1896, one of the first semi-automatic pistols. Other than a new barrel muzzle a couple of other odd pieces, not much is changed from its original form mostly due to its already unique and futuristic design for its time.
6 The Rebel's Standard Issue Blaster Rifle Is The World's First Assault Rifle
During World War II, German soldiers wielded the StG-44, a heavy rifle that was in many ways the genesis for how many assault rifles would be designed in the future. This ended up being the base for what the Rebel Alliance wielded in both The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi.
According to GunsAmerica.com, The StG-44 would be used for three different rebel blasters; the A280, the A280C, and the A295, following the real-world idea of each new model of weapon being an upgrade of the same design.
5 MG-34 Was Barely Modified For Star Wars
Seen several times throughout the original trilogy era are Stormtroopers wielding the DLT-19 heavy blaster. These light machine gun-esque weapons more or less became more famous in expanded material such as the Star Wars: Battlefront video games.
Much like Din's blaster, there is very little difference from its original form which was the Maschinen Gewehr 1934 AKA MG34. Other than the more futuristic scope, it remains the same weapon but that shows the ingenious design of German manufacturers, able to create weapons that are as artistic as a painting.
4 Jyn's Found Blaster Is A Standard Luger
Swapping from World War II to World War I weaponry, most audiences will recognize this weapon as one of the more common pistols used by German forces. However, in its Star Wars form, it is far less recognizable as Jyn Erso's A-180 blaster pistol, as reported by Inverse.
Three features that will give it away are the large grips on the back end of the slide, the angled grip, and the perfect ring-shaped trigger guard. From there, the Luger-08 was modified with a much larger and futuristic barrel and body parts that hide the weapon's true identity.
3 Cobb Vanth Is A Marshall With Another Flare Gun
It would be easy to suspect that since Marshall Cobb Vanth gives off that classic Western sheriff vibe, he would be wielding a weapon straight out of classic Western movies. A Colt revolver or a LeMat revolver but instead, Vanth wielding a flare gun from World War I, as stated by the IMFDB.
Cobb Vanth's pistol was based on the Hebel Flare Pistol Model 1894. It was used by pilots during World War I to try and shoot down enemy aviators and, of course, signal others. There are traces of the original weapon but Vanth's blaster is given a bigger barrel to more resemble a weapon out of the Old West with a sci-fi twist.
2 Stormtroopers And Rebels Use The Same Sterling
The Alliance and the Empire are an example of two opposites battling across the galaxy. So it's humorous that their standard blasters are actually the same weapons. Though it was unintentional, it can be attributed back to what DJ revealed in Star Wars: The Last Jedi where weapons manufacturers were supporting both sides of the war.
The many dangerous types of Stormtroopers wield the E-11 blaster and rebels sport the DH-17 blaster pistol. According to Royal Armouries, both blasters originate from the same British submachine gun known as the Sterling Mk. 4 but with different attachments that add just enough difference that nobody could notice the similarities.
1 Han Solo Shot First With A German Mauser C96
One of the most famous blasters, the DL-44 was wielded by Han Solo from the original trilogy all the way to his tragic end in The Force Awakens. This trusty blaster at his side is based on the World War II weapon: the Mauser C96, according to the Washington Post.
Not much changed from its original form other than a few odds and ends on the body, a scope, and the famous conical muzzle at the end that helps give the DL-44 its iconic look. It even keeps the same wooden grip which helps give it that weathered look that the Star Wars universe is known for.