Z-6 rotary blaster cannon/Legends

"Wow. We really did say no prisoners, didn't we, sir?"

- Darman

The Z-6 rotary blaster cannon was a powerful rotating blaster cannon chaingun developed by Merr-Sonn Munitions and used during the Clone Wars in a limited capacity.

Characteristics
"A big gun doesn't make a big man."

- Commander Cody



Working around a basic limitation in capabilities inherent in typical man-portable blaster weapons, the Z-6 incorporated a rotary assembly of six barrels, each with its own actuating chamber, wrapped around a coolant-lined core. The galven circuitry used in the blaster meant that the Z-6 had both a high cyclic discharge rate and good cooling, allowing for a tremendous sustained rate of fire (up to roughly 166 discrete full-powered shots per second).

Despite its impressive firepower, the weapon had several notable limitations, specifically the high rate of energy pack consumption, significant weight, and powerful recoil. The weapon is thus considered a special-issue arm deployed in specific situations, rather than a general purpose weapon. Efforts by Merr-Sonn to counteract its limitations were not completely successful, and variants that addressed those issues tended to end up being trade-offs.

History
"Okay clankers...suck laser!"

- Jek to Battle droids during the Mission to Rugosa



A member of the Muunilinst 10 operated a Z-6 cannon during the mission to rescue a Jedi from General Grievous on Hypori during the Clone Wars, as the weapon was usually issued to ARC heavy gunners. Jek brought his Z-6 to the Battle of Rugosa. During a counter-terrorism operation, Corr wielded a Z-6 to great effect. At least one more was wielded during the Separatist invasion of Coruscant in 19 BBY in order to defend Sector Four against masses of battle droids. Furthermore, a member of the Black Ops task force to destroy landspeeders on Coruscant. During the Kamino Uprising, many ARC Troopers wielded it against the Empire. A clone rookie named Hevy used a Z-6 as his weapon of choice.

The Z-6 was also used heavily by elite soldiers of Jedi General Rahm Kota's Militia. Master Kota, who was distrustful of the Clone Army during the Clone Wars, chose to make use of his own specially trained militia. Many of these elite soldiers would effectively utilize the Z-6 repeating blaster in many of their raids after the Great Jedi Purge, including the Battle of the TIE Fighter Construction Facility above Nar Shaddaa.

Behind the scenes
Karen Traviss first named this weapon.

In Star Wars: Battlefront II, there is variant called a "Chaingun" used by the clone commander class, but it is a shoulder-mounted weapon instead.

In the book Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Grievous Attacks!, the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon was incorrectly called a quad cannon.

In the game Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes, the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon was also incorrectly called a minigun. In Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars, the R-6 rotary cannon is referred to as the chaingun.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Star Wars The Clone Wars Volume 2: Crash Course
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Grievous Attacks!
 * Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game
 * Star Wars: Purge
 * Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game

Notes and references
Z-6-Rotationsblaster Z-6 Rotary Blaster Cannon Z-6