Personal deflector shield

The Personal deflector shield was one of the most important advances in personal defense. While the concept of shields has existed for centuries on starships and on some vehicles and droids, the miniaturization of the shield for use by single combatants has proved invaluable for infantry, commandos, and other individuals engaged in combat.

In use as early as the Mandalorian Wars and the subsequent Jedi Civil War, these defenses were small enough to be worn on a belt or arm. When activated, the device protected the wearer with a glowing energy field. Typically, the standard energy shield was only effective against energy attacks, such as blaster bolts. However, other variants created by the Mandalorians and Echani could block melee attacks, while other shields developed by the Arkanians and Verpine, and other cultures, were capable of resisting a variety of different attacks, including electrical, kinetic, cold, heat, and sonic damage.

As with most deflector systems, shields required large amounts of energy in the form of energy cells or a portable generator. Some models featured rechargeable energy cells. While the generator provided the most efficiency, it was larger and bulkier. The power requirements meant that shields tended to be used only when combat was expected.

Another feature of personal shields was ablation, that is, the shield weakened as it absorbed damage until it either was deactivated, failed, or recharged. As the shields absorbed energy, they tended to become extremely hot.

Due to the limitations of personal deflector shields, they were usually used in tandem with other forms of protection.

Appearances

 * Dark Forces
 * Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight
 * Knights of the Old Republic
 * Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords
 * The Courtship of Princess Leia