Sonic detonator referred to a variety of sonic-based grenades used throughout galactic history to inflict damage or stun a target.
As their name suggests, they used intensely strong visible or invisible waves of sound to incapacitate their targets. Typically producing a sudden burst or 'squeal' of very high frequency sound, they were used to incapacitate organic enemies by causing piercing, intense pain in hearing organs. They could render most species helpless by inflicting deafness temporarily or even permanently on an unlucky target. Some models were loud and strong enough to damage materials tougher than hearing organs and not limited to organics.
This type of grenade was commonly used during the Jedi Civil War and afterward, employed by groups such as Czerka Corporation and Mandalorian warriors as well as the companions of Revan and the Jedi Exile. Sonic detonators were also used by mercenaries and security guards to stun foes before closing in with a restraining or lethal device. Most soldiers tended to stick to more lethal weapons such as frag grenades or thermal detonators, valuing kill over capture in the field of battle; however, they could sometimes be found in use when embarking on missions in urban zones, thus reducing the possibility of collateral damage to civilians, or when facing an enemy such as the Bith, whose extremely sensitive hearing left them highly vulnerable to such weaponry, as the bounty hunter Mira noted.
The Gacerites, a sentient humanoid species, having mastered sound-based weaponry, developed a sonic grenade used to kill or stun their opponents.
A model of sonic detonator used by both Revan and the Jedi Exile was designed primarily for temporarily stunning a target. It featured a four meter blast radius.
This model of sonic detonator was used during the Clone Wars by various factions, most notably by clone commandos. It featured a large blast radius and damaged both organics and droids. After being thrown, and before detonation, it stuck to a surface and emitted an oscillated pulse. It detonated automatically after ten seconds or was tripped by proximity to a moving target. Though the overall blast radius of this device was small, it was capable of being lethal within the entire volume of said blast radius. The explosion that this weapon would emit could crack or spiderweb thick glass, blow apart organic targets, decimate mechanized beings, and penetrate through solid matter and walls (including other enemies) to deliver continued energy from the explosion to a standing target.
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