Stun/Legends

"There's one. Set for stun."

- An Imperial stormtrooper before the capture of Princess Leia Organa.

Stun was a firing mode that many blaster weapons throughout the Galaxy utilized. Its main purpose was to leave a target incapacitated yet unharmed for a set period of time by overloading the target's nervous system. This overload caused an almost catatonic state.



Its main use was for capturing those wanted as prisoners. The setting was built into many different handheld weapons, including the E-11 blaster rifle. There were also a class of weapon called a stun blaster, built to only fire stun shots instead of full-powered bolts; some pacifists, such as Bail Organa, had a multi-role blaster permanently set to this mode.

There were several varieties of stun modes. The most common&mdash;that used by the Imperial military&mdash;appeared as rings of blue energy which spread outwards from their source, highlighting the target upon contact. Others, however, employed electric pulses to incapacitate. Stun batons fall into this category.

It is very difficult--if not actually impossible--to block a stun blast with a lightsaber. Admiral Daala used this to her advantage against Callista Ming on the dying ship Knight Hammer.

Physiological effects and dangers
Depending on the design of a stunning device and the biologic makeup of the target, various physiologic effects could occur upon being stunned. Some victims of a stun blast would remain conscious afterward, keenly aware of their surroundings but unable to move any limbs. Other types would knock a target completely unconscious, for easy transport or to keep a target unaware of movements through an area. Healthy humanoids could recover from a stun blast in as little as 10 minutes or as long as many hours, depending on the strength of the stun blast.

The stun setting was not entirely without its dangers; some settings placed the stunning power at such a high level that there was a heightened possibility of killing the target. Another danger that could occur from stun shots was heart palpitations. Stun weapons had a greater than 50% chance of sparking a miscarriage in pregnant women. The stun guns carried by Tatooine's Jawas were reputed to also cause temporary color blindness and minor dehydration upon recovery. Most victims of a stun blast merely experienced nausea, dizziness, and body aches for a short time.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Galactic Phrase Book and Travel Guide
 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * Heir to the Empire
 * Vision of the Future
 * Almost every time a blaster appears