Blaster firepower analysis

[Lucky]

That is definitely a big problem in many franchises, even Trek. At least they have the advantage of blaming the chosen setting.

1) I'm not really suggesting the guy being malled change the setting on his gun, but the other guy trying to kill the beast.

2) I'm fully aware there will be inconsistencies in a setting, but is the ability is never stated or shown you can't assume it is there.

3) Star Trek also has a glut of mind reading technologies to help account for some strange stuff like doors that only open if you are really going to leave the room rather then just walking towards them as if you are.

I agree, but the existence of the ejected casings leaves the possibility open.

Except the blaster functions the same weather or not a casing is ejected.

Other than the fact that a shot from one gun acted like a simple blaster "bullet," while another shot from another gun of the same model acted like a grenade. The OP offering that as evidence doesn't definitively prove it, but it's not "nothing." Besides, you offered the possibility that the Zygerrian blaster had an under barrel grenade launcher:

It is possible, but just as likely there was something on or in the floor that exploded.

Given the similarities, that may well be the same basic tech. Although, specifically I was thinking of the guns aboard the Invisible Hand seen during the broadside exchange early in ROTS, it was a belt fed cannon which ejected spent casings out the back after firing. Whether these contained a warhead, were a similar type of proton cannon like seen on Ryloth, or something like a bomb pumped laser, or just contained something considered too unstable to pump through conduits is anyones guess.

There is no evidence that the casings are part of a cartridge, and "laser flak" has been a thing in Star Wars since Episode 4 was first released.

1) True, and I too rather doubt that most blasters are readily adjustable. Though blasters clearly aren't all the same strength, and while some blasters may get more than just 2 settings, it seems likely the Empire would limit how much ammo it's troops waste. When more variety of firepower is needed, 4 different types of Imperial blasters were seen in ANH alone, and the E-11 evolved considerably over the course of the trilogy.

You would expect Storm Troopers, Clone Troopers, and B-1s to give a verbal order to adjust the weapon setting as is given at the beginning of Episode 4: A New Hope to use stun rather then kill if there was a setting between maximum kill and stun.

[EDIT] - Forgot, I might point out that Han shot the probe droid on Hoth multiple times, yet said he didn't blast it that hard. It's possible he was using the lowest non-stun setting/ammo for his gun, but then it's not standard Imperial issue either.

Context is kind of relavent here:

HAN(over comlink)
Afraid there's not much left.

LEIA(into comlink)
What was it?

HAN(over comlink)
Droid of some kind. I didn't hit it that hard. It must have had a self-destruct.

LEIA(into comlink)
An Imperial probe droid.

HAN(over comlink)
It's a good bet the Empire knows we're here.

RIEEKAN
We'd better start the evacuation.

All it proves is that Han didn't think his blaster caused the Imperial Probe Droid to explode as it did.

2) Hmm no, it's definitely not armor clunking, although the safety going on and off could be true too. Still, it's not caused by an obvious action on the troopers part. I only bring it up to point out that not every mechanical adjustment needs to be highlighted to the audience. In ANH the trooper says set for stun, because we need to know she is important, and this is why the blue thing didn't kill her in this new, unfamiliar fictional setting. In SW:CW 2:20: Death Trap, they zoom in on Boba switching to stun because its important to his character development. The few other times we see stun settings, we just see blue rings, no announcement telling the audience "hey, we're gonna use stun now!"

STAR WARS: EPISODE IV: A NEW HOPE
The verbal order for the use of the Storm Troopers to use the stun setting on their blasters is given

STAR WARS: EPISODE V: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
General Veers gives the verbal order to fire the AT-AT's guns at full power

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS: DESTROY MALEVOLENCE
General Kenobl gives the order for the Republic attack cruisers to fire at full power

While the order to change from the standard weapon setting is not common; it is given in situation where such an order should have been given, but you never once hear the order for blasters at full even though there are possibly hundreds of opportunities.

3) Trigger pressure sensitivity, who knows, I was being facetious when I brought it up. My point is merely that the exact operation of these blasters is rather vague. They are more gun-like than phasers, but like Lily Sloane in ST:8: First Contact, picking one up and finding the trigger is just the first step.

A Steyr AUG 's rate of fire is based on how far back you pull the trigger, but do you really want to risk blowing a hole in a ship's hull by using such a setup to control the yield of the weapon?

Okay... Luke should have used his lightsaber on it, no question that would have gotten through. So, either Luke is a doofus, in which case we don't know how much damage that door could endure, or the thing was shielded. Either way, it doesn't give us any useful information here.

I'd go with doofus for not even trying to use his blaster or lightsaber.