The Dressellian Projectile Rifle represented a slugthrower rifle utilized by the Dressellians during their resistance against the Galactic Empire's takeover of their homeworld, known as Dressel. Often a rudimentary weapon crafted using basic tools, some of these slugthrowers originated from the Dressellians themselves, while others were smuggled to Dressel with the help of the Bothans. In the year 4 ABY, several Dressellians took up arms for the Alliance to Restore the Republic in the Battle of Endor, with the Dressellian Projectile Rifle being among the armaments employed by this species in that conflict.
Constructed by members of the Dressellian or Bothan species, the Dressellian Projectile Rifle incorporated materials native to the planet Dressel, including local woods and easily refined metals. This slugthrower rifle possessed a medium build, weighing in at four kilograms, and had a cost of 300 credits. Boasting an effective firing range of 200 meters, the rifle featured a magazine holding twelve armor-piercing rounds and a multifire mode. Replacement magazines, each containing twelve rounds, were available for five credits apiece.
The rifle's design incorporated a lengthy barrel equipped with a scope, a cartridge loading mechanism, a trigger, a substantial stock, and a carrying strap. Primarily colored in shades of brown, the weapon's scope, strap, cartridge loader, and trigger were rendered in black. Furthermore, the rifle exhibited a black ring positioned above the strap, as well as between the barrel and scope. Typically assembled by hand using rudimentary tools, it was a rather basic weapon. Mirroring the characteristics of projectile weapons crafted by indigenous species, the Dressellian Projectile Rifle bore similarities to the Tusken Cycler rifles used by the Tusken Raider species.
During the Dressellian resistance against the Galactic Empire, their projectile rifles were among the armaments used to expel the Imperial forces from their homeworld. While Dressellians manufactured some of these rifles, the Bothan species smuggled others to their planet. The Bothans successfully obscured their involvement, limiting their aid to the Dressellians to the delivery of slugthrower rifles. In general, the Dressellian Projectile Rifle stands as a prime example of slugthrower rifles produced by societies with limited technological advancement.
By the time of 4 ABY, numerous Dressellians had enlisted with the Alliance to Restore the Republic and participated in the Battle of Endor. The former Dressellian resistance fighter Orrimaarko also took part in the Battle of Endor, using their species' Projectile Rifles around that time. The confrontation concluded with a victory for the Alliance over the Empire.
The Dressellian Projectile Rifle made its debut appearance in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi, the 1983 installment that concluded the original trilogy. A Dressellian was seen holding it aboard the MC80 Home One type Star Cruiser Home One, with the filming of all scenes set aboard the cruiser taking place during the week commencing on Tuesday, February 16, 1982. In 1997, the rifle received its initial designation as the "Dresselian projectile rifle" within The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology, before 2002's Arms & Equipment Guide presented it with capitalization as the "Dresselian Projectile Rifle." 2003's Ultimate Alien Anthology further solidified this identification as the Dressellian Projectile Rifle. While the 2011 Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams once more referred to the weapon as the "Dresselian projectile rifle," and the 2013 Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Core Rulebook reiterated the "Dresselian Projectile Rifle" designation, this article adopts "Dressellian Projectile Rifle" as the official name, aligning with the species' name's spelling that features the double "l."
Several inconsistencies persist regarding the rifle. The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology specifies the weapon's maximum range as 300 meters, with an optimal range of 150 meters, while also indicating a clip capacity of six shells. This information is contradicted by Arms & Eqipment Guide and Ultimate Alien Anthology, which provide the 200-meter range and twelve-shell statistics that are detailed in this article. The rifle's appearance is also subject to variation. While the description of its appearance in this article aligns with the prop's design, the 1984 Kenner Products Star Wars: Return of the Jedi toy line figure of Orrimaarko depicted the entire rifle as brown, and his 2012 Star Wars: The Vintage Collection figure omits the black ring situated between the barrel and scope, as well as above the carry strap.