What's a turbolaser?

[CarolinePuppylove]

Hey I have a thing to say! Everywhere on here and other places, the word turbolaser is just used to mean the biggest guns on Star Wars spaceships, althou I'm not really sure why. The original script makes it clear that these are turbolasers:



That is, they are lasers powered by gas turbines! Turbo-lasers. The gas shooting out is exhaust from the combustion. So to me it implies that in the context of a ships weaponry, turbolasers are the guns that have their own power supply so you can fire while running full power thru your engines or something.

[NecronLord]

This is an issue to discuss with Lucasarts as the published secondary media calls the main guns turbolasers - it's not fanlore.

[Borgholio]

I always assumed that Turbo-Laser just sounded cool and that's why they gave it that name during production.

[Esquire]

Hey I have a thing to say! Everywhere on here and other places, the word turbolaser is just used to mean the biggest guns on Star Wars spaceships, althou I'm not really sure why. The original script makes it clear that these are turbolasers:



That is, they are lasers powered by gas turbines! Turbo-lasers. The gas shooting out is exhaust from the combustion. So to me it implies that in the context of a ships weaponry, turbolasers are the guns that have their own power supply so you can fire while running full power thru your engines or something.

Please provide your evudence for thinking this, if any. The picture doesn't count because none of us have degrees in turbolaser engineering, and the name doesn't work because we know for certain they aren't lasers since turbolaser bolts behave nothing like laser beams

[Galvatron]

Canon evidence also tells us that Han Solo has a laser brain. How would that work? Does his brain act like a laser?

[Zeropoint]

I would just say that in-universe, "turbolaser" effectively means "really powerful energy gun". Notice, for instance, the use of the word "gun" there. A "gun"

[Zeropoint]

Sorry, hit a wrong button. Continuing:

A "gun" used to be a black powder artillery piece specifically. Then it meant any firearm, and then anything that projects something, and ultimately anything held in the hand that has a directional effect. Google "infrared gun" for an example. In the Star Wars 'verse, the word "laser" could easily have gone through a similar broadening and shifting of meaning. We can see a similar shift happening in OUR world with the "atom laser"--the L in laser stands for Light, and a beam of coherent atoms is certainly not light . . . but they call it that anyway to convey the "coherent stream" aspect.

And heck, we've already seen "turbo" shift to mean generically "faster and/or more powerful" without requiring actual turbines.

[Borgholio]

One step further, what is a rifle? A projectile weapon with grooves cut in the barrel to spin the projectile and provide greater range and accuracy. Certainly this not at all how blaster rifles or phaser rifles work. Cannon? Originally a smooth-bore artillery piece that shot round balls of stone or metal. Unrelated to ion cannons or phaser cannons except by name.

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I always assumed that Turbo-Laser just sounded cool and that's why they gave it that name during production.

And, that's likely the correct answer.

[SpottedKitty]

I always assumed that Turbo-Laser just sounded cool and that's why they gave it that name during production.

And, that's likely the correct answer.

I knew it — they're called that because they have shoot-faster stripes painted on the barrel...

[U.P. Cinnabar]

I always assumed that Turbo-Laser just sounded cool and that's why they gave it that name during production.

And, that's likely the correct answer.

I knew it — they're called that because they have shoot-faster stripes painted on the barrel...

In red, no less.

[Galvatron]

And, that's likely the correct answer.

I knew it — they're called that because they have shoot-faster stripes painted on the barrel...

In red, no less.

Turbolasers have bloodstripes like Han's trousers?

[Batman]

The red circle/semicircle on the side of the gun in the picture.

[SAAA]

Canon evidence also tells us that Han Solo has a laser brain. How would that work? Does his brain act like a laser?

It sure acted like that when he avoided the collision or Starkiller base coming in hyperspace... light speed reflexes!

Being more serious, I always thougth the cable lying below the turrets as electrical power sources, same the one they were quickly mounting on Hoth when the falcon left. Makes sense if you have portable fusion generators, also the gas may very well be from a cooling system exhaust (assuming it's veery efficient there) or part of the turbolaser itself. Gas turbine... tibanna gas, to overcharge the shots? Who knows.

[SpottedKitty]

Gas turbine... tibanna gas, to overcharge the shots? Who knows.

That actually makes a fair bit of sense — I'd forgotten (wasn't it briefly mentioned in ESB?) that tibanna gas was used in heavy beam weapons.

[Batman]

Bespin is said to mine Tibanna gas, yes, but they never mention what the stuff is actually used for.

[SpottedKitty]

Ah — I must be remembering snippets from at least two different sources, then.

[Elheru Aran]

Tibanna gas is explicitly identified with being one power source for blaster weapons in Legends material. Don't think they've identified it as such in current canon.

[Adam Reynolds]

They have.*

* If you are not familiar with Wookiepedia, the new canon is with no tag while Legends articles have the Legends tag.

Anyway, it is unknown what tibanna gas actually is, but it seemed to be the reactant that created the plasma blaster bolts themselves, assuming that description is valid. Another description referred to it as a mere conduction agent. It also apparently served as a coolant in hyperdrives, which doesn't make sense based on the first description.

I presume that will remain the same, including the part about not making any sense.