electrostaff

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Type:
  Powered polearm

• Manufacturer:
  Baktoid Armor Workshop

• 

From the Movies

A powered quarterstaff wielded by General Grievous and his bodyguard droids, the electrostaff is an impenetrable pole-arm charged with lethal energy. They are especially effective against clone troopers, sending a deadly jolt through their protective armor. These two-handed weapons are resistant to lightsaber attacks.

From the Expanded Universe

Built by Baktoid Armor Workshop, these electrostaffs are constructed of costly phrik alloy and equipped with electromagnetic pulse-generating tips. Certain types of staff are capable of neutralizing ray shields, but the standard staff serves primarily as a melee weapon, meting out fatal blunt-force injuries in the hands of its powerful wielders.

Behind the Scenes

The staffs were devised by George Lucas as a ways of presenting a threat to the until-now unstoppable Jedi with lightsaber. The dancing energetic charge emitted from the staff was to suggest a built-in shield mechanism that keeps a lightsaber blade from slicing through. When the animation of the energy changed to instead flow from the tips and not across the entire pole, it was decided instead that the pole was made of specialized materials. Phrik actually dates back to theStar Wars: Dark Forces videogame as a substance that was resistant to lightsabers.