View source for Mass-driver cannon/Legends

{{Top}}
[[File:AT-TE_mass_driver_cannon.png|thumb|right|250px|The roof-mounted mass-driver cannon on an [[All Terrain Tactical Enforcer/Legends|AT-TE]] walker]]
A '''mass driver''' was a type of projectile cannon.<ref name="CRO">''[[Cracken's Rebel Operatives]]''</ref><ref name="SW:EAW:FOC">''[[Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption]]''</ref>

==Description==
They inflicted damage by hurling projectiles at high velocities, which imparted kinetic energy and force to the target upon impact. Damage was thus a result of the mass of the projectile and its velocity.[[File:Massdriver.jpg|thumb|left|182px|A mass-driver projectile in space]]
The velocity the projectile could achieve was limited by the method by which it was initially propelled. For a chemical explosion (how a conventional [[Slugthrower/Legends|slugthrower]] worked), the peak velocity was about 1.8 km/s. For a [[Plasma/Legends|plasma]]-driven round from an electrothermal cannon (an electrical arc vaporized the propellant into a plasma to create the requisite pressure to propel the slug), the peak was around 2.5 km/s. For a gauss/coil gun (where the mass was accelerated by passing through sequenced electromagnetic fields) the limit was about 2 km/s due to the rate at which the fields could be created and collapse. These speeds were a tiny fraction of [[Lightspeed/Legends|light speed]].

For a rail gun (where the slug was accelerated by Lorentz forces and electromagnetism between two parallel rails) there was no real limit (except the speed of light), only a practical one based on rail erosion and, when in [[Atmosphere/Legends|atmosphere]], ablation of the projectile. Typically this speed was 6 km/s.

==History==
Mass drivers were used to launch missiles, shot, and explosive shells. They could be found on a variety of craft, such as the missile launchers on the [[Low Altitude Assault Transport/Legends|LAAT/i]],<ref name="AOTC:ICS">''[[Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections]]''</ref> the siege weapons on the [[Dreadnought battle tank]], the [[Flak gun/Legends|flak guns]] on most capital ships,<ref name="ROTS:TVD">''[[Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary]]''</ref> or artillery on the [[All Terrain Attack Pod/Legends|AT-AP]] or the [[Self-Propelled Heavy Artillery-Mass-driver cannon|SPHA-M]].<ref name="SW:CWC4">{{CW|4}}</ref>

The ''[[Kumauri Battleship]]'' line, of which the [[Cal-class battleship|''Cal''-class battleship]] was the last model, utilized massive mass-driver cannons that were slung on top of the dorsal hull.<ref name="CRO" />
The [[Vengeance-class frigate|''Vengeance''-class frigate]], [[Keldabe-class battleship|''Kedalbe''-class battleship]], [[MSt-50 Mass Driver Cannon|turrets]], [[Canderous-class assault tank|''Canderous''-class assault tanks]] and [[Consortium space station|space stations]] of [[Tyber Zann]]'s [[Zann Consortium/Legends|Consortium]] were armed with mass-driver batteries.

==Appearances==
{{Incomplete list}}
*''[[The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance]]''
*[[The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance (audiobook)|''The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance'' audiobook]]
*''[[Star Wars: Battlefront]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Republic Commando]]''
*{{Film|II}} {{1st}}
*[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (video game)|''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' game]]
*''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II]]''
*{{CW|4}}
*{{TCW|Cat and Mouse}}
*{{TCW|The Hidden Enemy}}
*[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film)|''Star Wars: The Clone Wars'' film]]
*{{TCW|Supply Lines}}
*{{TCW|Downfall of a Droid}}
*{{TCW|Bombad Jedi}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Dooku Captured}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Innocents of Ryloth}}
*{{TCW|Liberty on Ryloth}}
*''[[Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes]]''
*{{TCW|Holocron Heist}}
*{{TCW|Cargo of Doom}}
*{{TCW|Children of the Force}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Bounty Hunters (episode)|Bounty Hunters}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|The Zillo Beast}}
*{{TCW|The Zillo Beast Strikes Back}}
*{{TCW|Landing at Point Rain}}
*{{TCW|Weapons Factory}}
*{{TCW|Legacy of Terror}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Grievous Intrigue}}
*{{TCW|The Deserter}}
*{{TCW|Death Trap}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|R2 Come Home}} {{Wreck}}
*{{TCW|Heroes on Both Sides}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Senate Murders}} {{Flash}}
*{{TCW|Padawan Lost}}
*{{TCW|Mercy Mission (episode)|Mercy Mission}}
*{{TCW|Kidnapped}}
*{{TCW|A Necessary Bond}}
*{{TCW|The Jedi Who Knew Too Much}}
*{{Film|III}}
*''[[Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption]]''
*''[[Imperial Double-Cross]]''
*{{Journal|8|Black Curs Blues}}
*{{Journal|2|Big Quince (short story)|Big Quince}} {{Mo}}
*{{Journal|5|Vengeance Strike}} {{C|As "mass drive cannon"}}

==Sources==
*''[[Cracken's Rebel Operatives]]''
*''[[Tales of the Jedi Companion]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Attack of the Clones Incredible Cross-Sections]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary]]''
*''[[Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Expansion: Prima Official Game Guide]]''
*''[[The Clone Wars Campaign Guide]]''
*''[[Dangerous Covenants]]''
*<!-- 2014/10/20 -->''[[Star Wars: Imperial Handbook: A Commander's Guide]]''

==Notes and references==
{{Reflist}}

{{Interlang
|de=Massentreiber-Geschütz
|es=Cañón conductor de masas
|nl=Mass-Driver Cannon
|ru=Масс-ускорительная пушка
}}

[[Category:Projectile weaponry]]