Stun

"There's one. Set for stun."

- An Imperial stormtrooper before the capture of Princess Leia Organa

Stun was a setting available on some blaster weapons, designed to incapacitate a subject without permanently hurting or killing them by overloading their nervous system, knocking the target unconscious. It was primarily used for capturing those wanted as prisoners. Upon contact, the target would briefly turn a sharp, blue color as charged particles overloaded their nervous system, sending the receiver's biosigns wild. In less than a second, the target's nervous system would return to baseline as the electrical impulses forced the organism to mentally and physically reset due to the shock to their system. A similar process was used by medical anesthetics.

Upon being knocked unconscious, the target would remain limp, unable to move and comprehend their surroundings. This effect usually lasted for several minutes before the organism regained consciousness; however, items such as stuncuffs could be bound to the individual while comatose, effectively capturing them. Despite widespread use across the galaxy, stunning a target was not perfect, with most victims experiencing nausea, dizziness and body aches for a short time after. While uncommon, irregular heartbeats and seizures could result from the procedure, and in rare cases, death.