[krisgee]

IIRC in universe a lightsaber is essentially an infinte blaster shot trapped in a magnetic loop. The crystal tunes the magnetic loop, so blocking blaster shots is simple because the blaster on the "outside" bounces off the same field keeping the plasma "inside" and for the same reason you can have proper sword fights.

I forget if you can shoot a Jedi with a regular bullet but I'd imagine s/he could just dodge it regularly since blaster bolts travel significantly faster.

[PhasmaFelis]

No, they're much slower. At 24 frames per second, you can watch a bolt from a blaster pistol fly across a room; even a tracer round from a low-velocity handgun would just be a streak. It's more in the range of a good fastball than a bullet.

[talmand]

Considering it has been shown that a lightsaber easily and nearly instantly cuts through most metals, apparently due to extreme heat, that regular bullets would likely not cause an issue.

The speed of the projectile is not an issue either, Jedi use a precognition-like ability to dodge or block blaster fire. That's why a group is required, to eliminate the possibility of them dodging and blocking.

[PhasmaFelis]

Well, it depends on how thoroughly it dissipates the projectile. Turning a high-velocity slug into a high-velocity blob of superhot molten metal would certainly reduce its penetration, but you still wouldn't want it to hit you in the face.