Why does IG-88 carry an Imperial blaster?

In ESB he's got his long rifle, along with an Imperial issue blaster. What's going on here? I'm sure those blasters are especially for the various troopers of the Empire, so how did he get one? I don't think he killed a stormtrooper and took it from him, nor do I think he stole it when nobody was looking. My best personal guess is that they were out of blasters on the set, so they just said 'hey, let's give him one of these'. But realistically, if that's the case, he doesn't need an extra blaster. He's already got that awesome rifle, so what gives?

 

Maybe he bought it off the black market, or found blue prints of it somewhere and built one himself?

 

well, IMO, if he somehow lost the rifle, then i think he might need the blaster.

he probably got it from the imperials.

 

I thought the original IG series was built by the Imperials anyway. He probably picked it up on the way out of the lab. Well, what was left of the lab...

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who is IG-88?

 

he was a bounty hunter droid made by the imperials to help find Han Solo

 

He likely bought it.
This isn't Star Trek where the government controls people's access to things, there's free emterprise in the GFFA. Blastech is allowed to sell the E-11 to anyone they like, and so IG-88 bought one. It's a very popular rifle.

 

Technically heavy blasters like that are illegal to possess, but there are plenty on the black market where he could get it from.

 

Actually...

[image=http://decipher.com/starwars/cardlists/dagobah/dark/images/ig88sneuralinhibitor.gif]

it's mistaken for an Imperial blaster rifle.

 

Regardless of how the EU "fixes" things to make better sense, that's an Imperial blaster. If it was a dart gun, I don't think it would look the same as the Imperial rifle. That's just silly.

 

I suppose the prop department ran out of time for the scene, then. Can't blame the EU for trying.

And it would be pretty lame if a bounty hunter were using the same issue rifle as the Imperial army.

 

Yeah, you can't blame the EU for trying. But even if the prop department did run out of weapons, why does IG-88 even need a second gun? He's the only bounty hunter in the scene with two blasters, and as it was, his rifle was perfectly fine. Maybe this is why the latest IG-88 figure produced only came with the rifle.

 

I remember the old Kenner action figure, and thinking how IG-88's short gun looked just like the stormtrooper gun.

That being said, I agree that it's not outreageous that IG would be carrying a weapon we see the stormtroopers using, too. Our military uses M-16s, and so do many civilians who go out, get a permit, and buy one. Why can't Star Wars be the same way?

Plus, considering there were six bounty hunters in that scene, I think the prop department did a pretty good job with the weapons. IG's short gun is the only gun we see elsewhere in the movies, if I'm not mistaken.

Boba Fett: Sawed-off blaster carbine.

IG-88: Stormtrooper blaster and long rifle.

Zuckuss: Double-barreled blaster.

Bossk: Some kind of long-barreled rifle.

Dengar: Man had a hand bazooka!

4-LOM: Had a giant hand cannon!

Out of 7 weapons total, only one was a duplicate of something else. Not a bad job!

 

He's a droid, why not have two blasters?
Why would a western gunslinger have two pistols?
Why would Fett have more than one weapon?

4LOM beat me to the M-16 thing.

 

I see it going two ways: it makes IG-88 look more powerful if he is lethal with a common blaster rifle, but it just seems a bit anticlimactic for a bounty hunter to use something that common. The whole 'resemblance' to a blaster rifle thing sounds cool.

 

it makes IG-88 look more powerful if he is lethal with a common blaster rifle, but it just seems a bit anticlimactic for a bounty hunter to use something that common.

It's only common to you because you see the Stormtroopers almost constantly.

Bring it back to Earth terms. IG-88 is a civilian that's walking around with a Millitary Issue M-60!
The best other civilians have is a Browning shotgun or a .22 rifle.

 

I don't get why there are anti/negative-EU comments in here. It is essentially an EU question, surely?

IG-88 doesn't turn to the camera and make an aside of "You see this E-11? I've got it because I nicked it off a stormtrooper!" and so it's not explained in the movie.
Because it's not explained in the movie, it's invariably going to involve the EU. It if was explained in the movie, there'd be no need for the question

Just an observation.

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The problem with the EU explination here is that it's pretty lame.
It's obviously an E-11 blaster that he's holding. For some reason the EU attempted to convince us that it's not, and that's kind of wierd.

 

Hes caring tow weponds one in close combat and one long range killing

And EU dosent run ut of blasers
Were did he get the blaser! I dont know just se it this way he killd a stormtooper right!

 

Hmm. After reading this thread and hearing about the sawed-off guns and double barrels, etc, I suddenly have new respect for the Bounty Hunter scene. It really feels like an old western now.
I also like how Zuckuss was essentially wearing a poncho

 

So what if he has an Imperial rifle? Are you going to argue with him and say he can't have one?

 

Phanton Menace said:

But even if the prop department did run out of weapons, why does IG-88 even need a second gun? He's the only bounty hunter in the scene with two blasters, and as it was, his rifle was perfectly fine.

Because IG-88 has no knees. The thing can't walk. He had to be wheeled onto the bridge of the Star Destroyer by stormtroopers using a furniture dolly. He needs extra firepower to compensate for the inability to ambulate.

 

"Perhaps I killed an Imperial and took it from him."

 

Why does IG-88 carry an Imperial blaster?

Maybe he likes the way it feels!

Evil.

 

No, if it was going around with an E-web, then he'd have the equivalent of an M-60. An E-11 is the rifle everyone totes around.