'Star Wars' Has Used Seismic Charges A Handful Of Times, But What Are They?

Star Wars

May 21

When it comes to Star Wars, there’s no shortage of things that go boom. There is nary a piece of Star Wars media that does not include an epic space battle, and none are complete without some climatic explosion. Of all the big bangs in the galaxy far, far away, none hit quite as hard as the seismic charge.

What exactly is a seismic charge? This destructive weapon, also known as a seismic bomb, is utilized infrequently on screen. The physics of this weapon involves the complicated acoustic science of sound waves. Sound is created by the compression and rarefaction of particles within a medium. Sound moves most easily through air, whose particles can move back and forth and snap back to their original positions with relative ease. The energy created by this movement goes through a series of conversions, which is eventually perceived by the human brain as sound. The in-world explanation of a seismic charge is that it harnesses this sound wave energy to shatter everything in its immediate area, exploding in a wave of blue light.

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The seismic charge is first seen on screen in Attack of the Clones when Jango Fett utilizes the weapon in an attempt to stop the pursuit of Obi-Wan Kenobi. Technically speaking, Jango Fett should not be able to use this weapon in space, since it relies on the motion of sound waves. Sound cannot exist in the empty vacuum of space, because it relies on the vibration of particles within the medium it travels through. Luckily for Jango Fett, however, he exists in a made-up story.

Seismic charges are most closely associated with Boba Fett and his ironing board-esque Firespray ship. In The Book of Boba Fett, he unleashes a seismic charge on the sarlaac pit that attempted to swallow him in Return of the Jedi in a moment of anger. He also drops the bomb on pursuing TIE Fighters while assisting Din Djarin on his mission to rescue Grogu in season 2 of The Mandalorian.

The sound design of this weapon is particularly iconic. Sound designer Ben Burtt describes it as an “audio black hole”. When the weapon is first released, there is a harrowing moment of silence before the devastating electrical whine of the bomb is unleashed.

The seismic charge is one of the most exhilarating cinematic displays in the Star Wars canon. Any space battle that includes one of these sound bombs is sure to go out with a bang.

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