The SW-7 ion cannon was first mentioned in the Star Wars Technical Journal of the Rebel Forces, a Star Wars Legends magazine by Starlog Communications International, Inc., released on October 1, 1994. The SW-7 was first mentioned in the new Star Wars canon in De Agostini's Explosives, Heavy Weapons, and Power Sources reference book, published by De Agostini in Spain on February 2, 2021 and Altaya in France on February 5, 2021. It was published in Mexico on March 22, 2021.