Tensor rifle Amberlandrax Armaments ' tensor rifle , often referred to as the Squib tensor rifle , was a weapon of Squib design that used tractor beam technology to generate damaging waves of tensor energy . The rifle fired an invisible yet noisy burst of compressed tractor beam waves ; the constant barrage affected a biological target at the cellular level and eventually resulted in death . Variants of the tensor weapon used either power generators or standard power pack s as an energy source . The device was small enough to fit in Squib hands , although it was difficult to aim and fire correctly without specialized skill . The tensor rifle was available for sale in the galaxy during the time of both the Galactic Empire and the New Republic . Although retailers such as Galladinium Galactic Exports offered the weapon in their datalog , use of the tensor rifle was strictly regulated and even illegal in most jurisdictions . The weapon ' s rarity also curtailed its widespread adoption . Description . Amberlandrax Armaments ' tensor rifle was designed with a handle and trigger for one of the user ' s hands , with a foregrip for the other hand and a flared muzzle at the fore . The weapon drew upon Squib engineering and manufacturing to harness the species ' mastery of tractor beam technology . The resulting rifle was part of a general class known as tensor weapon s , which emitted quick pulses of compressed tractor beam waves to pummel a target with a constant barrage of cell - destroying tensor energy from a distance . Upon hitting a mark , the rifle ' s wielder was able to focus the beam on the adversary ; the injury caused increased with time until the victim finally died . Nevertheless , Amberlandrax ' s rifle shot a beam that was invisible to the naked eye , a design that made it difficult to aim accurately . The weapon had a maximum range of 250 meters , but the unwieldy beam made rapid firing impossible . The gun created a din so loud that Squibs who owned the weapon learned to use it to get the attention of beings who might otherwise dismiss them . The tensor rifle was small enough to be wielded by a single combatant , even one the size of a typical one - meter , twenty - two - kilogram Squib . The weapon itself weighed 7 . 2 kilograms . Non - Squibs found the tensor rifle difficult to use without specialized training , but Squibs took to it naturally . At least two variants of the weapon were available : one drew energy from conventional power pack s of the type used to power other energy weapons and squeezed out fifteen shots before recharge . Another model instead used a power generator for energy and provided fifty shots without power replacement . History . Amberlandrax Armaments manufactured the Squib tensor rifle during the Galactic Civil War , as early as the year 0 ABY . The legality of the weapon varied from one area of the galaxy to another ; the rifle was generally rare except among the Squibs , and its use often required a government - issued license , for which a fee had to be paid . Ownership or use of the weapon was completely illegal on many planets . At some point before 3 ABY , Galladinium Galactic Exports nevertheless featured the tensor rifle in the fiftieth - anniversary issue of its " Galactic Datalog of Fantastic Technology " , albeit in a special edition of the publication distributed to those whom the company deemed its " preferred customers . " As with all its merchandise , Galladinium accepted orders for the tensor rifle via subspace transceiver s , payable by credit account , with extra fees for shipping and handling . The retailer provided a floor model of the tensor rifle for testing at its showroom in Hreas Port City , on the Basin continent of the planet Lenthalis , located in the Secossi system . The power - pack - ready tensor rifle was available for as little as 10 , 000 , although Galladinium sold the higher - capacity , power - generator version for 15 , 000 . The weapon was still available in the galaxy after the transition from the Galactic Empire to the New Republic following the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY . Behind the scenes . The tensor rifle was designed as part of a contest run by the Role Playing Game Association Network ( RPGA ) that allowed gamers to submit weapon and equipment designs to West End Games , publisher of " " . Although the entry did not win a prize in the competition , it was selected for publication in the 1995 sourcebook " Galladinium ' s Fantastic Technology " , compiled by Rick D . Stuart . The weapon was later adapted for Wizards of the Coast ' s " Star Wars " roleplaying system , where it was featured in the " Arms & Equipment Guide " in 2002 and " The Unknown Regions " in 2010 . Both West End ' s and Wizards ' game statistics represent the weapon as dealing damage comparable to a heavy blaster pistol , and both games require users to learn a unique skill to fire the weapon effectively .