Personnel Profile:

Imperial Gunners are stationed aboard thousands of Imperial space ships, space stations and installations. A gunner's job is rarely just to aim a space weapon and fire it on a designated target. Few gunners work alone in their own small one-man turrets. Most gunners are part of gunner crews, in charge of operating bigger weapon-stations. Crews have leaders and second-in-commands, normally higher ranking and more experienced then their subordinates.

A station can require as many as 4, 6 or in some cases even more gunners to operate. Although many weapons are nearly fully automatic, crews have to monitor energy flows, receive and prioritize target information, assist the targeting and tracking computers, among many other tasks. They also have limited capabilities to manually repair their stations if they should go down during combat. There is a huge amount of information sent to a gunnery station during combat. Orders from control centers, information from remote scanners and reports from power generator rooms are just few examples of the information crews have to process. But even if the ship or station they operate from looses vital command stations, maybe even the bridge, most turrets and gunnery stations can function independently.

Operating the immense weaponry of the Imperial Navy the gunners dress in specialized and protective uniforms. In addition to a gunner's hand-on training, he learns to work wearing a specialized computer helmet. It does not only offer protection but is equipped with a macro-binocular viewplate and sensor array. The helmet is also very helpful when aiming as it holds a tracking system for fire control assistance. For calm and orderly communication between the gunners, the helmet holds a voice operated comlink. The helmet combined with a specialized blast vest, a sealed suit, boots and gloves offers a limited heat and radiation protection.

Many gunners in the Imperial Navy are either TIE fighter pilots in training, or persons who failed to make the piloting grade, yet still have exceptional weapons skills. Though few Navy recruits ever choose to become a gunner, the gunnery corps is still a loyal and enthusiastic bunch. They share the same burning passion towards our great Empire as the Starfighter Corps, and are therefore often treated with greater priority and enjoy special treatment compared to the common crewmen.