Defender sporting blaster pistol

The Defender sporting blaster pistol was made by the Drearian Defense Conglomerate. The DDC Defender was a short range and low-powered weapon, meant for civilian self-defense and small-game hunting. It was also a popular weapon for use in honor duels among the nobility.^[5]

Description[]

Compared to other blasters the Defender used very little tibanna gas, instead relying on its small power pack to provide most of the energy for each shot. This meant a number of limitations for the weapon: its low-powered shots had a short range and could only kill a Human with a direct hit; advanced components including enhanced galven circuitry, focusing coils and a galven ring in the emitter nozzle were needed to maintain each bolt's cohesion; and a power surge dampener and extended cooling coil sleeve were needed to protect its delicate components.^[5]

However the weapon had a number of advantages which made it a top-selling model, especially as a socially-acceptable sidearm for aristocrats. Its slim design was easy to use and very lightweight; it also meant it could be more easily concealed, especially within hidden pockets. The Defender could be disassembled within a few minutes into three pieces, the grip, receiver, and barrel, for easy storage or concealment as innocuous items which could pass through most security scans or personal searches. This was done by typing a three-digit code in the access panel above the trigger,^[1] and the three parts (handle, receiver and barrel) could be reassembled in under ten seconds. In addition an internal computer automatically repaired minor malfunctions, while its power pack could be changed quickly and carried enough power for about 100 shots.^[4]^[5]

The blaster was able to be modified with higher capacity energy packs and had a range of compact muzzle options for easier concealment.^[1]

History[]

Leia Organa wielded such a blaster against stormtroopers during the boarding of the Tantive IV.^[4] Luke Skywalker carried this type of pistol at the award ceremony following the Battle of Yavin.^[6] While on the mud-moon of Panna Prime, Luke Skywalker come under attack by a Panna dragon, which began to devour the pilot's BTL-S3 Y-wing starfighter. Skywalker's Defender sporting blaster pistol had no effect on the beast, so Fett intervened and scared it off with his Amban phase-pulse blaster.^[7]

Behind the scenes[]

The Defender sporting blaster, first seen being wielded by Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, was based on the Soviet-made Margolin .22 MTs target pistol. The same model pistol was the basis for the shorter-barreled X-30 "Lancer" target blast pistol used by Leia in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.^[8]