The prop under discussion in this article, once marketed as an “Original 1977 Prop Imperial Officer’s Blaster” from Star Wars, is an example of a fan-made replica being sold as an original prop. This article is written with the permission of the current owner.
This collector described this prop and its provenance to me when he offered it for sale back in September 2005 as follows:
The Blaster was originally owned by John Stears, having taken the gun as a momento of his time on ANH. On his death, his wife gifted the blaster to good friend Norman Harrison, who Stears worked with on many movies. I have an hand written letter on original production Star Wars letterhead confirming the pieces history.
The Blaster is made of resin, with attachments like the faux neons. I know that most of the blasters of this style were produced without barrels, so to allow easier, more secure fitting into the Officers holsters. The only ones shown in reference pictures are the ones with the sliced barrel (see the Star Wars Chronicles book), but this type of finished blaster can be seen in the Officers holsters, especially in the docking bay control room. It is suspected that there are only an handful like this completed for close up screen use, maybe only 2 or 3. There are a couple of marks on it, but nothing really of a mention.
I acquired it directly from Norman Harrison, so it’s history is traceable direct from source. Norman seemed to recall John Stears saying that this Blaster belonged to the Officer who said “TK421, why aren’t you at your post?”, but for me, it’s impossible to tell. It matches his from the screen shots, but who knows.
This very prop has been under discussion on both original and replica discussion forums:
Most recently on the Replica Prop Forum (RPF): Casting from Screenused ANH Imperial Officer blaster
Previously on the Movie Prop Forum (MPF): Star Wars Imperial Officers Costume
The consensus seems to be, reading the opinions of both original and replica hobbyists, that:
1) it is not an original Star Wars prop, and
2) the prop is a casting of a fan-made replica.
As I understand from reading the accounts and opinions of members of these discussion forums, a replica prop hobbyist made a kit of the Star Wars Imperial Officer’s pistol years ago, but many, many years following the theatrical release of the full Star Wars trilogy.
This replica was based on a Denix (a replica Mauser) while the Star Wars Original Trilogy blasters were made from and cast from authentic Mauser pistols.
The replica also incorporates many “fantasy” or guessed details, such as the jewel details seen on the one side of the piece. There are other “tells” between the replica and an original, such as details on the flash hider. These replica-specific traits can also be found on the “original” prop that is the topic of discussion.
Here is a comparison photo between the “Elstree Original” and the “Fan-Made Replica”:
The following casting of the “Elstree Original” was recently offered for sale. Here is a comparison photo between the “Elstree Original Casting” and the originals pictured in the book Star Wars Chronicles:
Given the concern and doubt about the authenticity of this prop, I thought it appropriate to archive the comparison photos and links to opinions, accounts, and research conducted on the original and replica forums to serve as a resource to fellow collectors.
Jason De Bord