The Reflection Cannon hitting the Yamato
The Reflection Satellite Cannon, AKA the Reflex Gun in Star Blazers, is a weapon employed by Walke Shultz on the Pluto Base. It generates its destructive power from a large array of energy input focused into one powerful beam. The weapon has no true nozzle, but rather an emitter within a semi-translucent cone. To extend the range of the weapon and the accuracy, the cannon relies on a massive array of independently controlled reflector satellites. These satellites allow the cannon to hit anywhere on the surface of Pluto, and to a smaller extent, objects within orbit. The weapon contains enough firepower to down the Yamato for repairs after only three shots. Although the beam can be tracked, the beam is much too fast for evasive maneuvers to avoid it. As a result, predictions are based on watching the movements of the satellites as they align.
Notes:
- In the classic series, the beam of the cannon was said to lose its destructive effectiveness in contact with water even though the cannon does fire from beneath the Pluvian ocean.
- In the 2199 remake, the Reflection Satellite Cannon was explained as the "trigger" for the planet bombs. The beam irradiates a nearby asteroid - likely from the Kuiper Belt, which was targeted by the satellites - and as a result, the mass hurtles to Earth.
- It is weird that the gun doesn't destroy the Yamato in one shot. Shultz says it's even more powerful than the Wave Motion Gun itself, which can destroy a continent. This could be explained as him boasting.