Andor prop team swapped blasters for a vintage film camera, according to Polygon

The Disney+ series Andor made Star Wars history by using a real, working film camera as a blaster prop, according to two reports from Polygon. The prop was not a fabricated sci-fi device but a functional camera body, marking the first time a real-world camera has been used in this way on a Star Wars production.

"the show's grounded, documentary-style aesthetic and its focus on practical, tactile world-building."

One Polygon article identified the camera as a 1970s-era Canon Scoopic 16mm film camera, while another report from the same outlet specified that the blaster was built from a Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 35mm film camera. The discrepancy may reflect different aspects of the same prop, but both sources agree that the production chose a camera instead of a modified weapon.

"a blaster that looks completely alien and non-gun-like."

The prop was built by veteran prop maker Simon Cowell, who modified the camera with greeblies and a barrel to create a design that departed from the typical Star Wars blasters, which are often based on real firearms like the Sterling submachine gun. Polygon noted that this creative choice aligns with Andor's realistic, grounded tone, emphasizing practical effects over digital fabrication.