List of Star Wars weapons

The following is a list of weapons shown in the Star Wars universe.

Directed-energy weapons (DEW) figure prominently in the Star Wars franchise, with the most common type referred to as lasers or blasters. The in-universe description for how these weapons function is that a high-energy gas is charged by a power cell and converted into plasma, which is fired as a coherent energy bolt at the enemy via magnetic bottle effect. Small-arms blasters come in many types, from pistols to rifles, with accuracy and range improving as barrel length increases. Blaster cannons and laser cannons are more powerful types of these weapons commonly found on Star Wars vehicles, starfighters and other spacecraft, with laser cannons generally considered superior of the two. The most powerful type of these weapons are referred to as turbolasers, commonly found on Star Wars capital ships. Turbolasers require large crews and power generators to function but are effective against other capital ships and planetary targets.

Another common type of DEW in the Star Wars universe is the ion cannon, which background literature describes as firing powerful bolts of ionized energy designed to overload electrical systems or fuse mechanical components, disabling a target without causing lasting damage. Jawas use scrap-built ionization blasters to disable droids as seen in A New Hope. The v-150 Planet Defender which appears in The Empire Strikes Back defends the Rebel base on Hoth. A surface-based ion cannon designed to ward off orbiting starships, the v-150 is described as having a maximum range of 180,000 km (110,000 mi) and is powerful enough to disrupt an Imperial Star Destroyer with a single bolt.

A unique type of DEW appearing in Star Wars films and other media are sonic weapons. Such weapons are commonly used by bounty hunters as a way to incapacitate their prey according to background material. It also refers to Geonosians specifically as being well-known within the setting for their sonic weaponry. First appearing in Attack of the Clones, Geonosian sonic weapons are described as using oscillators to create powerful sonic blasts which are enveloped in plasma-containment spheres and fired at the enemy.

Another type of DEW appearing in Star Wars media are ion disruptors. These weapons were originally designed for anti-armor and anti-air roles, and were capable short-circuiting electronics and puncturing up to starship hulls. Outside of their intended role, they gained infamy for their use on organic beings; one blast from a disruptor was able to disintegrate entire groups on a molecular level, causing them to die a slow, agonizing, and excruciatingly gruesome death. Their most notorious usage was during the Siege of Lasan, where the Empire used the T-7 disruptor rifle against the Lasat people; their usage would later be described as genocide for nearly exterminating the species, and they were subsequently banned by the Imperial Senate. The T-7 had a negative psychological effect on the survivors; the mere sight of one of the rifles was enough for a Lasat to recoil in shock. Despite this, disruptors would find popularity in the criminal underworld and among bounty hunters such as Din Djarin, who used a disruptor sniper rifle model known as the Amban phase-pulse blaster.

Within the Star Wars canon, projectile weapons, referred to as slugthrowers, appear in the Star Wars universe in various forms. Reference material identifies the Tusken Raiders as using a type of slugthrower called a cycler rifle, built from stolen and scavenged parts and firing a solid shot enveloped in energy. The bounty hunter Aurra Sing is also identified as wielding an Adventurer slugthrower rifle, which is described as flooding the firing chamber with a rich oxidizer as it detonates its shell to give the projectile extra range and power. Larger versions referred to as mass-driver cannons were typically mounted on walkers such as the AT-TE and AT-DP.

The bowcaster is a crossbow-like weapon carried by Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew/Joonas Suotamo) during the events of the Star Wars films. Canonically, bowcasters were developed by the Wookiees and were a favorite weapon of theirs; other races were generally not strong enough to operate the cocking mechanism. Their function is described in reference material as firing a metal bolt called a quarrel. Alternating polarizer orbs on either end of the bow create a magnetic field which propels the quarrel forward, emerging from the barrel enveloped in blaster energy to give it an explosive impact.

Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen) carries a custom-built bowcaster in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Identified as a lightbow, the weapon operates on the same principle as a Wookie bowcaster and is said to be more powerful than a heavy blaster rifle, allowing Chirrut to shoot down a TIE fighter during the events of the film.