Disney has reportedly submitted a patent for technology that uses a series of small reflective surfaces to replicate Star Wars-style blaster fire as it travels through the air.
According to WDW News Today, this comes on the heels of another patent submitted by Disney for technology that mimics the muzzle flash of a blaster.
So, what are they planning on doing with this technology? Nothing has been confirmed, but fans expect it will be used in the Star Wars-themed "Galaxy's Edge" theme park that will open at Disneyland and Walt Disney World next year. The blaster technology would likely be used during live shows or incorporated in rides.
Disney didn't explicitly spell out the words "Star Wars" in its patent request, but the company made its intentions clear by mentioning "blaster gun props."
"In the entertainment industry, there are many settings or venues where it is desirable to recreate scenes from popular movies often with live actors performing a scene from a movie," the patent documents explain. "An often used lighting effect in movies is a streak or flash of light from various sources. For example, many futuristic movies include battles where the actors operate laser-based props, e.g., blaster gun props, which produce laser blasts. The laser blast beams in the movie travel through the air and may have the appearance of a volumetric ball or slug of light, which may be red, green, blue, or another color, that travels from the actor’s weapon prop through the air in a line to its target."
The patent application doesn't guarantee that the blaster technology will actually be used, but it does hint that Disney has some revolutionary things planned for its Galaxy Edge park when it opens in 2019.
