Lightsabers and bullets (again)

[cheshire]

I'd always pretty much assumed that a lightsaber would evaporate a bullet nearly instantaneously. Though it looks like someone has done the math in terms of projected heat output and projected contact time with the metal and has come to a different conclusion, similar to something garhkal had said many moons ago.

While it's nothing definitive and in-universe, it is interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ejiEEun9s
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Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

[Bren]

Deflecting would use far less energy than vaporizing, magnifying, or liquefying. In the fight on Jabba's Sail Barge Luke appears to hit several of Jabba's guards knocking them off their skiff. They appear to have all their body parts when they fall as if the lightsaber impacted them with some force (small "f"). Based on that, I assume bullets would be deformed and deflected. (The guy in the clip assumes no change in velocity (only a change in temperature and state) when the bullet impacts a lightsaber. No velocity change on impact seems unlikely.

[Dredwulf60]

Like a drop of water skittering on a hot frying pan.

[Naaman]

I'm not even sure that all of a lightsaber's damage is based on heat. Being "hot enough" to cut through anything would make the weapon unbearable to use: proximity to heat that intense would get unbearable quite quickly.

Think about when you barbecue on a large grill, or just sitting too close to a camp fire or bonfire. That is hundreds of degrees, which is nowhere near hot enough to instantly melt through a blast door or effortlessly slice through super battle droids, etc.

Anakin even welds a makeshift wall in a deleted scene from Ep.III.

Sith swords have a special chemical treatment that allows them to withstand lightsaber beams; and phrik alloy seems to have some property that makes it more resistant to the "cut through anything" effect.

I would say that the lightsaber is able to create an effect that is similar to heat, but that the Force is what actually makes the beam as powerful as it is (it gets more powerful as the Jedi does).

[CRMcNeill]

In addition, force fields (essentially, energy fields that behave as solids) are consistent with SW tech. A lightsaber could be generating a field that has both a cutting/heat effect and a hard-light field effect...
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Naaman]

Excellent point. The gungan energy shield can stop things and allow things to pass through it.

Same with the destroyer droids' shields. This is never explained in the films, but a lightsaber could feasibly function according to a similar principle (whatever that may be).

[Bren]

Force fields would at least explain (via handwavium) how lightsaber's can seem to bash people. It would also clarify how a lightsaber can parry a material weapon (like a vibroaxe or a heavy mace) instead of merely bisecting the weapon allowing the two halves to continue moving forward to impact the target.

[Bren]

This reminds me of my long ago Star Trek / Star Wars cross-over adventure. One issue was how lightsaber parry would work given the ability of Trek phasers to emit a continuous beam as opposed to the pulses emitted by Star Warsian blasters and lasercannon.

[cheshire]

[Bren]

[Zarn]

Besides, any issue about founding Romulcassians and whatnot - if it is a recognizably female form, there's likely SOP that requires the on-duty transporter tech to fetch it into the starship. Kirk needs a chance to get his mojo on.

Also, I think cycler rifles, particularly because of their ability to penetrate shields, would be something that modest Jedi would tend to avoid. Which lends credence to the idea that a somewhat large, dense object travelling at speed is something that even a lightsaber has trouble with - at least short term.

And flamethrowers and flechette canisters. Lightsaber combat this, caped crusader man! (Yes, I know Batman is the Caped Crusader, but I didn't manage to make an euphemism for Jedi that wasn't steeped in foul language, so ...)

http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Cycler_rifle

[cheshire]

[Sutehp]