Laser-ice cutter

For other uses, see ice.

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The laser-ice cutter was a laser cannon used to sheer through ice.^[1] In 3 ABY,^[2] the Rebel Alliance Corps of Engineers used laser-ice cutters to carve hallways within the ice on the frozen planet Hoth^[1] in a matter of weeks^[3] with their singular industrial lasers in the construction of Echo Base.

On Hoth, laser-ice cutters were mounted to Rebel cannon sleds. One could be found in Hangar 7 during the Battle of Hoth.^[4]

Behind the scenes

This cannon appeared, unnamed, in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.^[4] It was mounted on the Rebel cannon sled vehicle. The original blueprints for the vehicle label the laser-ice cutter prop as an "existing cannon unit."^[5] The reference book Star Wars: Complete Locations identifies the laser-ice cutter, while later material clarifies the vehicle it is attached to is a Rebel cannon sled.^[6]

On set footage of the cannon and vehicle was included in the rare documentary by Michel Parbot, The Making of "The Empire Strikes Back".^[7] There were a number of publicity photos of Luke Skywalker manning cannon which, according to Lucasfilm Story Group executive Pablo Hidalgo, were not deleted scenes but rather on-set photos taken with the prop.^[8]