The Alan Dean Foster ghosted SW novelization actually gets graphic in it’s depiction of blaster hits. A tad gruesome when I was a kid!
I specifically remember a description of a stormtrooper’s helmet melting along with the flesh after being shot on Tantive IV, with bone even being visible. That’s stark contrast to the mostly family-friendly movie.
Well, early drafts of the film was far more violent than the final cut, so he probably got these descriptions from that. The Tantive shootout is quite gruesome in the original storyboards.
Heck, even ANH was censored slightly in the SE.
Some of Tavoularis’ storyboards for the Tantive IV scene;
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20535561/SW storyboard art by Tavoularis - Stormtrooper shot.png
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20535561/SW storyboard by Tavoularis - stormtrooper helmet blown off (smaller).jpg
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/20535561/SW storyboard art by Tavoularis - Vader rips off rebel arm.png
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