Parts of the Hoth costumes also suggest the frontier: the boots are similar to the mukluk worn by the Eskimo, and the shirt was based on the American frontier hunting smock.
Chewie carries a pouch slung across one shoulder that is similar to the Dyer pouch developed in 1870, a combination carbine sling and cartridge pouch. But his actual weapon dates to a much earlier era, for it is based on a medieval crossbow. Luke's rifle with its extra-long barrel and crooked stock, evokes the Arab jezail.
Other Star Wars weapons were created by decorating real-life firearms with various devices to make them look futuristic.
Perhaps the most notable is the blaster used by Han and carried by Luke as a sidearm on Hoth and on Cloud City. It is a "broom-handled" 7.63-caliber Mauser; one of the earliest and most successful of all automatic pistol designs, it was used in both world wars. The prop department simply added a fancy-looking scope and an emitter nozzle at the end of the barrel.
The tripod blaster is based on the 1908 Vickers Maxim Class C machine gun. This was used by both the British and Germans in World War I trench warfare. Similarly, versions of tripod blasters were used on Hoth by both the Rebels (in the trenches) and the Empire (as the Snowtroopers attack the Echo Base hangar).There are three main kinds of Imperial blasters seen in Star Wars. One is a variation on a German MG-34 machine gun from the 1930s, with the shoulder stock removed at one end and the barrel shortened at the other. Another is the MG-42, which was mass-produced during World War II. The third is the British Sterling Mk 4 used in the 1950s, a submachine gun with an air-cooled barrel; vents, sights, and scopes were added. The Sterling became the standard Imperial sidearm for the Stormtroopers. Modified further, it also served the Rebel fighters on board Princess Leia's Blockade Runner.
World War I is again called to mind as the Rebels hunker down into the trenches in preparation for the Imperial onslaught on their base on Hoth. Here the Rebels look much like troops in World War I France preparing for a tank offensive.
This suggestion is underscored by the presence of the Vickers-based tripod blaster, for the Vickers was used extensively in trench warfare. The gun turret glimpsed above the trench derives from the rotating turret of the British Saladin armored car of the 1950s, with its 76-millimeter gun.
Blaster Rifle
The standard Imperial stormtrooper's blaster rifle was originally created in the British prop shop of the original Star Wars production from a replica of the British Sterling L2A3 Mk 4 SMG (sub machine-gun). Barrel grip rails, a scope, and electronics packages added to the guns to "dress" them as science fiction props did not change their basic design. The use of actual sidearm props in Star Wars as the basis for the blasters gave the film one more subtle dimension of reality and grounded the space fantasy in a world of convincing technology.
Blaster Pistol
Many of the original Star Wars weapons were created by decorating real-life firearms with various devices to make them look futuristic. The blaster used by Han and carried by Luke as a sidearm on Hoth and on Cloud City is a "broom-handled" 7.63-caliber German Mauser Parabellum, model C-96. One of the earliest and most successful of all automatic pistol designs, the Mauser was used in both world wars.
Rebel Gun Turret
Guarding the Rebels' Echo Base on Hoth are distinctive gun turrets. The design of these defensive emplacements derives from the rotating turret of the British Saladin armored car of the 1950s, with its 76-millimeter gun.
The Rebels' tripod blaster is based on the 1908 Vickers Maxim Class C machine gun. This weapon was used extensively by both the British and Germans in World War I. Similarly, versions of tripod blasters are used in the Hoth battle by both the Rebels (in the trenches) and the Empire (in the hangar).
The Rebel tripod guns were deployed along the defensive trench line on the Hoth plain as anti-personnel weapons, meant to hold off attacking ground troops. The tripod gun design associates with trench warfare in history as well--the Vickers Maxim on which the tripod blaster was based became a grim icon of the trench fighting in World War I.
Chewie carries a pouch slung across one shoulder that is similar to the Dyer pouch developed in 1870, a combination carbine sling and cartridge pouch.
Rebel Gun Tripod
Chewbacca's Bandolier
