The Laser is a projected energy weapon, usually in the form of handheld firearms or large laser cannons found on the Arwings, Wolfen, Blue-Marine, Landmasters, Cornerian Fighters, and many more vehicles. One vehicle can use the Laser by repeatedly pressing the action button, or they can usually charge the Laser by holding the action button down. Once charged, it can usually also lock on to the opponent with the use of Reticle, providing the ship has one. In Star Fox Command, however, some personal craft can't charge their Laser. The Star Fox Team's mothership, the Great Fox is armed with dual Laser Cannons which are used in battle and clearing pathways in Asteroid Belts, however it will not enter battle unless the Arwings cannot penetrate a target.
There are many things that the Laser cannot affect like the hulls of some larger spacecraft and extremely large Asteroids. Some special ForceFields have been specifically built to withstand or even deflect Laser fire like the Reflector and the Anti-Laser Shield. The Asteroid Destroyer Meteo Crusher and Combat Robot Shogun are armed with their own Laser absorbing shields, the first can generate a reflecting force until its power supplies are cut off. Performing a Barrel Roll creates a magnetic field which can deflect enemy firepower until the vehicle needs to make the next one.
Lasers in real life[]
LASER is an acronym standing for Light Amplified by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Unfortunately for Star Fox, real lasers are made only of light and as such are invisible (neglecting corona effects, which would be negligible in space) and require a high amount of energy to function. It is likely that the Star Fox "laser" weapons are actually highly advanced railgun-based plasma weapons or directed energy weapons and are referred to as "lasers" as slang term.
See also[]
Charge for the different lock-on features in Command.
Trivia[]
In the 1997 Lylat Wars comic, Fox says "Eat plutonium, you monster!" while saving Slippy from the Zeid parasite Goras. This may be referencing that the lasers could be or have at one point in fact, be or have been made of plutonium, rather than light.
The "Star Fox 64" Laser upgrade fanfare returned in "Star Fox: Assault", but was used for the collection tune of picking up Weapons on the ground rather than the Laser upgrade itself.