Question: Do blasters have kinetic force?

[no boom boom soul brother]

I know from watching the movies that blasters have thermal effects.  However, do they also have kinetic force, in the same way that "slugthrowers" have kinetic force?  If so, how would this be possible, in-continuity-wise?

[Nathan]

Well, blaster bolts are not just lasers (concentrated light)--they also contain compacted high-energy particles. Since there's physical mass in the beams, you'd have to have some sort of kinetic effect, however minimal. Whether the amount and speed of the particles are sufficient to cause noticeable kinetic effects is the real question.

In the films, people seem to get knocked back when they get shot--but that could just be spasms or "jerking back" reflexes.

Here's the Wookieepedia article on blasters

[Jesse James]

Han's shot on the Stormtrooper in the hangar of the Death Star seems to imply, to me anyway, that there was more to that than a spasm...  The guy flew back a number of feet.  The same could be said for a number of troopers in the detention center as well as the one trooper in the hangar command station.

Seems like blasters do have a "punch" to them, almost akin to a large round in a gun in Earth-terms...

[ruiner]

almost akin to a large round in a gun in Earth-terms...

Obviously you don't watch Mythbusters...

[Jesse James]

I'm talking a large diameter blunt round though, not a large round like in the new sniper rifles...  They just cut through you.  You get like a slug round for a 12-gauge though, and that'll throw you back a little bit due to the bluntness...

At least I think that's the MB you're talking about, right?

[ruiner]

Oh, I don't remember.

I just recall watching an episode where they tested the myth (old Western movies) where guys would fly back through windows after getting shot by six-shooters.

I'm sure you're right - you know a helluva lot more about guns than I do.

[Jesse James]

That's probably a very negative thing...    I wasn't specific either.

I think I recall the episode though, yeah...  A good representation of what guns USUALLY do to people is watching Saving Private Ryan...  You get hit and basically just collapse.  No movement.  That's rifle bullets though...  In Star Wars, it almost looks like a large, blunt round hits someone, which is more of a physical "punch" with its impact...  Here's a pic of shotgun slugs I found real quick...



Hollow points are also more of an impacting round like that, that has "knock down" power to it.  Police use slugs because it physically puts the person on the ground so they're not able to fight back, or be wounded while still standing and fire a round back or whatnot.

Probably more than anyone wanted to know... 

Just seems to me like SW weapons, if you're taking what the film shows literally, do have some punch to them...  Han's blaster especially seems to really send people flying, but Stormtrooper blasters do too.