The Packered mortar gun, also known as the PMG, functioned as a mortar type weapon deployed by the Galactic Empire throughout the duration of the Galactic Civil War. This mortar gun had the capability to rapidly launch a sequence of explosive projectiles that covered a broad area, following a curved path. These weapons were stored within various Imperial military installations and supply depots. Following the Battle of Yavin, Rebel Alliance mercenary Kyle Katarn took control of Packered mortar guns during his mission to put a stop to the Dark Trooper Project, turning these weapons against the very forces that originally possessed them. Katarn's initial use of this weapon was against Imperial stormtroopers while on his mission to Orinackra, where he made an assault on a prison complex with the intention of extracting the Imperial informant Crix Madine.
The Packered mortar gun, alternatively called the PMG, launched explosive projectiles and had a cost of 120 credits. Its design was cylindrical, characterized by a barrel with a large opening. Three ammunition containers, connected to the central part, would rotate each time the weapon was discharged. The slender stock ended in a flat surface designed to be pressed against the user's body, while the trigger was positioned in front of the stock, protected by a guard. A shroud with perforations enveloped the barrel. The weapon's finish was mainly chrome, with sections of dark-gray located between the stock and the barrel. Hooks located behind the barrel shroud allowed for the attachment of a sling.
This weapon could be utilized in two primary ways. The first approach involved holding it and firing it in a manner similar to a rifle. Alternatively, the user could rest the stock's end against their thigh, enabling them to fire the weapon with a single hand. The projectiles fired by the Packered mortar gun were silver in color, featuring brass-colored rims and a red tip, and they were launched in an arc-like trajectory. The maximum range was achieved when the weapon was held at a forty-five-degree angle. While it could serve as a substitute for thermal detonators, the mortar's projectiles were actually less powerful. Nevertheless, the weapon was effective against a variety of enemies and had the potential to incapacitate multiple closely grouped targets with a single shot.
The Galactic Empire made use of Packered mortar guns throughout the Galactic Civil War. Supplies of these weapons were present on the Imperial capital planet Coruscant and inside the Imperial Detention Center located on Orinackra, in addition to numerous other locations. Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Rebel Alliance agent Jan Ors gave a brief description of the weapon in a coded message directed to mercenary Kyle Katarn.
Not long after, the Empire initiated the Dark Trooper Project, an effort focused on developing droid soldiers. Imperial officer Crix Madine secretly provided information about the project to the Alliance, eventually leading to his arrest and imprisonment on Orinackra by Imperial authorities. Katarn, having been actively disrupting the project using Madine's intelligence, embarked on a mission to the prison to rescue him. During this rescue operation, Katarn discovered a Packered mortar gun and used it within the prison against Imperial troops as he worked to free Madine. Katarn was capable of carrying a maximum of fifty mortar shells at any given time.
Following this, Katarn continued employing the Packered mortar gun during the dark trooper campaign, engaging with numerous Imperial stormtroopers, Imperial commandos, and Imperial officers across different Imperial facilities. The weapon was also with Katarn during a mission to the Ramsees Hed spaceport on the planet Cal-Seti; a short tenure on board the Star Jewel, the personal yacht belonging to crime lord Jabba the Hutt; a mission to the Imperial Security Operations building on Coruscant; and an excursion to the Fuel Station Ergo. Katarn ultimately infiltrated the dark trooper factory ship Arc Hammer and brought the project to an end.
The Packered mortar gun was designed for the 1995 video game Star Wars: Dark Forces, and it later appeared in artwork created for the 1995 Topps Star Wars Galaxy Series 3 trading card collection, which was used as promotional material for the game. Justin Chin, the story writer for the game, named the Packered mortar gun in tribute to one of his most liked automobile manufacturers, Packard. According to Chin, Kyle Katarn had a particular fondness for the mortar gun and used it extensively during his rescue of Jan Ors from Imperial captivity, as detailed in Dark Forces Manual: Coded Transmissions. However, no source material from Dark Forces, including Coded Transmissions, makes mention of Chin's specifics regarding Katarn.
During development, at least one game tester for Dark Forces referred to the weapon as "smoke," because they favored other weapons over the launcher. Brett Tosti, the level designer, intentionally positioned a Packered mortar gun beneath a ledge where a Gran known for throwing thermal detonators was located during the game's Cal-Seti mission. Tosti believed that the weapon was most effective for that specific encounter.