Tusken Cycler rifle

"We always know when the Tusken Raiders are on a killing spree. We can hear their rifles cracking across the desert like lightning strikes."

- Huff Darklighter

The Tusken Cycler was the standard projectile weapon used by the Tusken Raiders, as well as Human settlers and farmers, of Tatooine for ranged combat and hunting. The cycler was an older design of rifle and fit into the Slugthrower class, firing solid shots enveloped in energy, not blaster bolts. The weapon had a unique sound when fired, rather like a cross between a blaster and a musket making it very distinctive.

Characteristics
The Tusken Raiders generally modified their rifles as the basic variant lacks the targeting tools to enable it to be an effective sniping weapon. The weapons were modified normally with improved firing chambers for larger and more powerful slugs or the addition of scopes for better sniping. The rifles were similar to the Czerka produced 6-2Aug2 hunting rifle so it is possible that the raiders stole shipments of these weapons and modified them for their own use. The raiders liked nothing better than camping out near the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace track during a race and taking pot shots at the pods as they zoomed past. The number of racers lost in this way is a statement to Tusken accuracy.

Due to the length of the barrel, the Cycler had better accuracy than more contemporary blaster designs, with the very best models being able to hit human-sized targets from distances exceeding 200 meters; possibly even 1000 meters. The rate of fire was fairly slow, as many of the rifles used a bolt action mechanism. As such, Tusken Cyclers were not used at short ranges where a fast rate of fire was necessary. Rather, it was used in the sniping role to pick off enemies at long range, and was an effective weapon for its purpose. The Raiders retained the gaffi stick for dealing with enemies in close combat.

Behind the scenes


Star Wars 1 refers to these weapons as "laser rifles", but this seems to be contradicted by later literature as Tusken Cyclers are depicted as slugthrowers in The Phantom Menace.

In Star Wars: Battlefront series, this weapon fires green bolts, not slugs, although this may depict energy enveloped projectiles in the same vein as the bowcaster. This weapon also makes a different noise, much more like a blaster, as opposed to the characteristic sound it makes in the films. However, this may just be because the designers did not want to add unnecessary complication to the game.

Appearances

 * Episode I: Anakin Skywalker
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
 * Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace comic
 * Star Wars: Republic 7: Outlander, Part 1
 * Star Wars: Republic 9: Outlander, Part 3
 * Star Wars: Republic 10: Outlander, Part 4
 * Star Wars: Republic 11: Outlander, Part 5
 * Star Wars: Republic 12: Outlander, Part 6
 * Star Wars: Empire at War
 * Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Star Wars 1
 * Rebel Force: Renegade
 * Star Wars: Battlefront II
 * Children of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy
 * Children of the Jedi
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars: The Video Game
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga