Force pike

"How did I lose my arm? A stormtrooper tapped me on the shoulder with a force pike."

―Rebel soldier Char'Shen Larcuna^[3]

Force pike, also referred to as an energy pike, stun pike, or stun pole, was the name of several similar weapons that evolved independently between races and civilizations throughout the galaxy.

Description

Force pikes were two-meter long polearms constructed from flexible spun graphite that allowed the weapon to bend and flex rather than break under pressure. They were lightweight weapons, weighing less than seven kilograms, allowing a skilled wielder to move them rapidly. The long weapon was well suited to thrusting attacks, and its longer reach allowed it to be used more precisely than a standard vibroblade.^[2]

A vibro-weapon, force pikes featured an ultrasonic vibration generator that was energized by a power cell. The ultrasonic charge was transmitted up the pike through conductive circuits to the power tip at the top which emitted thousands of microscopic vibrations per second. Force pikes could also produce a stun charge from the power tip through conductive shock-filaments if moved to within four centimeters of a target that was capable of incapacitating a full grown-Wookiee.^[2]

The blade's rapid motion allowed it to slice through most materials, including stone, metal, flesh, and bone. Glancing blows could cause serious injuries, and the blade was extremely sharp and capable of cutting even with the ultrasonic vibration generator deactivated. The ultrasonic generator was located at the opposite end of the weapon to the power tip, alongside the shock generator. The shaft featured an insulated handgrip over a series of Energy Cycling Coils.^[2]

History

Bounty hunter wielding a force pike — Bounty hunter Boushh wielding a force pike

Force pikes were introduced in the Begali Uprising. Sith assassins used force pikes during the Dark Wars to hunt Jedi across the galaxy. They were also utilized by Atris's Echani handmaidens. The Sith Lords used them during training exercises such as the one Darth Plagueis and Darth Sidious undertook on Kursid.

Force pikes were powerful enough to withstand the blow of a lightsaber; the clone trooper X2 owned one during the Clone Wars, and his brother, X1, used it to execute Order 66 on Dantooine. Force pikes were generally used by Senate Guards and Imperial Royal Guards. The meter-long pike was used to keep any person away from important figures.

While most prominently displayed by the Emperor's Royal Guards, who carried the popular SoroSuub Corporation Controller FP model, force pikes were employed by a wide variety of planetary militias and police forces, including Nirama's public asteroid security forces.^[4] They were excellent for crowd control. Force pikes were often employed during boarding actions because they allowed attackers to slice through bulkheads and airlocks and could be operated in small hallways.

Force pikes were used by Imperial stormtroopers during the beginning of the Galactic Civil War. The stormtrooper forces of Admiral Terrinald Screed and Admiral Kazz used them instead of an E-11 blaster rifle.