Summary
WhileStar Warsis the first thing that comes to many minds when futuristic tech is mentioned, one fan has looked deeper at the lore and discovered a very interesting trend in the franchise’s technological development.
Star Warshas been the face of science fiction for decades, with multiple trilogies, spin-off series, and a whole host of other iterations in every medium imaginable. Thanks to this, the franchise has become a household name and developed a massive amount of lore, much of which dealt with the futuristic technology featured in the franchise. While a lot of this was lost after the Disney acquisition, leading to many questioning iftheStar WarsCanon Reset was a good move, the franchise has still kept a lot of its futuristic tech and even introduced more in its newer content.
Despite its popularity, many fans have no understanding of how Star Wars’ iconic tech came to be, from the cloning techniques used in the prequel series tothe powerfulStar Warsstarfighters used throughout the franchise. However, userAtavaston Reddit seems to have a perfect grasp of how this wonderful scientific canon works. Responding to another fan’s post firing up discussion on the next potential innovation inStar Wars’ technology, Atavast would give a great answer summed up in its first sentence which reads “Depends on what resource they find.”
The Star Wars galaxy’s tech changes over time as resources are discovered and eventually run out. In the Old Republic days they used kolto for medical uses and cortosis for plasma-resistant armor. However, the species that produced kolto went extinct, and the cortosis mines ran dry. In the movie era they found a new species that produced bacta for medicine, but they’re reduced to using less effective laminate and durasteel for armor. They had an innovation to use Kyber crystals for massive energy outputs - but after building two planet-destroying superweapons with those crystals, and then those weapons subsequently exploding, it’s likely Kyber-based technology will fade out soon due to lack of material.
Closing out their explanation, Atavast concludes by saying, “So, until someone locates a new species or discovers a fantastic new material - their technology is at a plateau.” This is a great explanation that helps to parse the stagnant nature of tech inStar Wars,which stands in contrast to the constant development of tech in a fellow science-fiction franchise,Star Trek.Over the course of the franchise’s run, fans have gotten to see a lot of new developments in tech, including a lot of theunethical tech used byStar Trek’sFederation faction. Star Wars’ more subdued tech is important, as it makes the tech available that much more special. If weapons tech was constantly evolving, for instance, then lightsabers would become relatively less impressive.
All in all, there’s an underlying looseness to the approach taken to tech in the franchise asStar Warsis more of a fantasy movie than sci-fi, especially in the well-regarded original trilogy. This fantastical approach to the future, as opposed to the more traditionalStar Trekapproach, is the crux of the franchise’s special appeal.
TheStar Warsfranchise is available to stream on Disney+.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise originally created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, tv shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.
