Ion Cannon (Star Wars)

Ion cannons are modified blaster weapons designed to disable the electronics of target vessels. They are a valuable weapon in space combat, especially for instances where a ship needs to be immobilized and boarded.

Ion cannons range widely in size, from smaller models mounted on some fighting vehicles and starfighters, to the huge fixed-emplacement Kuat Drive Yards V-150 Planet Defender Ion Cannon - one of which covered the retreat of the Rebels from their base on the planet Hoth when it came under Imperial attack. This huge anti-orbital weapon was capable of temporarily disabling an Imperator-class Star Destroyer with ease.

Jawas on Tatooine also to carry a weapon - the ion blaster - based on a crude version of ion cannon technology. These devices are used to disable wandering droids.

The exact nature of these weapons is poorly understood. While the name 'ion' cannon seems straightforward enough, the weapons exhibit a number of unusual properties which have never been satisfactorily explained. Most likely, they use a variation on plasma-based blaster technology, but create particles with strong electrical charges rather than high heat energy.

Record 820 - technology - Last update 28 Mar 2007, 23:09:08

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