g Imperial Era g Contents

45

Defender Sporting Blaster

Location: Alderaan

Date: 0 BBY

This sleek Defender sporting blaster was created by the Drearian Defense Conglomerate for small-game hunting and self-defense. In the hands of the Rebel Leia Organa, however, the firearm became inextricably linked to the freedom fighters of the Rebellion and the courage and tenacity the last Princess of Alderaan came to represent.

Organa learned how to shoot using a Defender during her teenage years as she rose to prominence and took an interest in galactic politics. By the time she was 19 years old, she was a full-fledged member of the Galactic Senate. Among diplomats and nobility, the Defender was the most commonly used sidearm. This was primarily due to its design. Compact and light, it could be easily dismantled and concealed in pockets or possessions in order to pass undetected through security scans. The blaster was also simple to reassemble, an advantage in the field of espionage and on battlefronts across the many star systems embroiled in the Galactic Civil War.

After Alderaan’s annihilation by the Empire’s Death Star, Leia often carried some variant of a Defender concealed among her robes. This was perhaps in part because it reminded her of home; the weapon’s reliability, slim silhouette, and other user-friendly features were also factors.

With a power cell allowing 100 shots per charge, the blaster was a practical sidearm during a firefight, especially for a skilled shooter. A stun feature could disable an enemy for interrogation, instead of seriously wounding or killing them.

Leia’s blaster was both a tool of rebellion and a symbol of hope. It was a crucial part of her unwavering commitment to the cause of democracy, which Leia would one day be integral in reinstating throughout the galaxy.