Arkanian heavy pistol The Arkanian heavy pistol was a type of heavy blaster pistol manufactured by the Arkanians at some point around the year 5956 BBY , which was before heavy blaster pistols became popular . Roughly two thousand years later , during the Jedi Civil War and Dark Wars fought between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire , the weapons were still superior to many newer designs . However , the Arkanian heavy pistols were incompatible with new weapon modifications at that point . During that time , the weapons were marketed for sale on planets such as Manaan and Taris . Description . Despite the age of the design , the Arkanian heavy pistol was still more powerful and accurate than many later heavy blaster pistol designs . Like other heavy blaster pistols , it could be fired using one hand by species that were roughly the same size and build as Humans . The weapon had a gold - colored finish , fired red blaster bolts , and was similar in appearance to other heavy blaster pistol designs around the time of the Jedi Civil War and the Dark Wars , fought between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire . It also had an effective range of twenty - three meters , which was comparable to other heavy blaster pistol designs used around the same time . By the time of the Jedi Civil War and the Dark Wars , the Arkanian heavy pistol was incompatible with the upgrades of that time for its scope , firing chamber , or power cell . History . Around the year 5956 BBY , the Arkanian heavy blaster was developed by members of the Arkanian species . At that point , heavy blaster pistols were not a widely accepted weapon of choice , but by the time of the later Jedi Civil War in 3956 BBY , heavy blaster pistols were a much more widely used design . Despite the passage of time , the Arkanian design was still superior to most others in use at the time of the conflict between the Republic and the Sith Empire . Shortly before the bombardment of the planet Taris by Darth Malak , the Sith Lord who led the Sith Empire , Igear , a Human Outcast descended from individuals exiled to live in the planet ' s Undercity , was selling one of the pistols for 750 credits in a village where the Outcasts lived . Later during the same year , a Rodian named Tyvark Luowan had an Arkanian heavy pistol up for sale at 1 , 000 credits in his general store in Ahto City on the planet Manaan . In 3951 BBY , during the Dark Wars fought between the Republic and the remnants of the Sith Empire , the pistol still sometimes sold at prices of around 1 , 300 credits . Behind the scenes . The Arkanian heavy pistol made its first appearance in " " , a 2003 video game by BioWare . In the game , the weapon was sold by Igear in the Taris Undercity and by Tyvark Luowan in his general store in Ahto City on Manaan . The pistol later appeared in Obsidian Entertainment ' s 2004 sequel to the first game , " " . In " The Sith Lords " , the weapon could be found in randomly determined locations throughout the game , which meant that the player was not guaranteed to find the pistol during every play through the game . Between the two games , the attributes of the Arkanian heavy pistol remained largely the same ; both games made the weapon slightly more powerful and accurate than a standard heavy blaster pistol . In addition , neither game allowed the weapon to receive upgrades . Although both games mention that the weapon was created 2 , 000 years before the events of the game , and the two games take place five years apart , this article uses 5956 BBY as an approximate date for the creation of the weapon .