In the introduction of the Return of the Jedi novelization, George Lucas wrote: "Star Wars is also very much concerned with the tension between humanity and technology, an issue which, for me, dates back even to my first films.

[citation needed] More recently, scientists have begun to develop artificial skin jackets to cover prosthetic limbs, creating an effect similar to what is seen in the Star Wars films.

According to Star Wars lore, the armor worn by stormtroopers is generally impervious to projectile weapons and blast shrapnel and can deflect a glancing blow from a blaster but will be punctured by a direct hit.

[15] In 2020, researchers were able to preserve nematodes in a suspended animation state known as anhydrobiosis inside a liquid metal cage (Gallium, which later solidified) during seven days, and then recovered them alive.

Computing technology exists in many different forms in both the Star Wars movies and other media, with the capacity to process large volumes of data every millisecond and store it for safekeeping.

[18][19] A unique form of data storage found in the Star Wars universe is the Holocron, a type of artefact used by both Jedi and Sith to store vital and sensitive knowledge, usually concerning the Force.

The IGV-55 Surveillance Vessel, a class of Imperial spy ship seen in the Star Wars Rebels television series, possess a massive database that can store billions of yottabytes of data.

The term slicer is the in-universe designation for a hacker in the Star Wars universe, describing individuals such as DJ (Benicio del Toro) from The Last Jedi.

He concludes that software breaches should not just be resisted, as in the case of Star Wars, but successfully prevented by taking security measures far prior to any attempted attacks.

[15] A peer reviewed journal by two Danish physicians concluded that Darth Vader's suit acts as a wearable hyperbaric chamber, which supports his supposedly chronically injured lungs.

Animation director Rob Coleman explained that Grievous was made with technological flaws, and experienced difficulties such as poor manoeuvrability and coughing, the latter caused by his lungs constantly filling with liquid.

Anatomy and neurobiology professor James H. Fallon of the University of California explains that one problem with this type of cybernetic body is the lack of knowledge in brain circuitry coding, which has yet to be decrypted.

While it allows direct neural interface with computer systems via wireless signal and overall productivity increase, the implant tends to negatively affect the user's personality in what is referred to as the "lobotomy effect.

[33] Foot soldiers of the Guavian Death Gang, first appearing in The Force Awakens, receive cybernetic augmentations in exchange for their loyalty, including a second mechanical heart which pumps speed- and aggression-enhancing chemicals directly into the bloodstream.

In Star Wars spacecraft and other large structures, fusion reactors powered by the fictional "hypermatter" fuel are considered the most common source of energy.

[35][36][37] Solar power technology is a method of energy generation used mainly by the Imperial TIE fighter, which features in many Star Wars films and other media.

According to reference material, protective force fields used to defend starships, buildings, armies and other objects from attack are known as deflector shields and come in two main types.

Droidekas, which made their theatrical appearance in The Phantom Menace, are equipped with deflector shields that are polarized to allow their own blaster bolts to pass through while stopping any fire coming from outside.

[48] Many Star Wars spacecraft and starfighters are said to possess generators which create both types of deflector shields around them to protect against normal space travel and enemy attacks.

[43] The Gungans are described in Star Wars sources employing unique hydrostatic field generators to create their underwater bubble cities as seen in The Phantom Menace.

This same technology is used to make defensive shields for their army, from small handheld versions that can deflect solid objects and blasters to large generators carried on fictional Fambaa creatures.

Examples include the use of tractor beams, force fields which envelop an object and manipulate it remotely, and repulsorlifts, which push against a planet's gravity to create lift.

[37][43] Artificial gravity and inertial dampeners are also used on Star Wars spacecraft, protecting their occupants from the crushing gravitational forces of high-speed manoeuvres or when landing on a high-gravity world.

This could be done using a precisely timed sequence of sound waves, produced by tiny loudspeakers, creating a limited space with low pressure that can counteract gravity and levitate objects.

[82] In the Star Wars universe, two different types of fictional propulsion exist to allow starships to travel in space and across the galaxy: sublight drives and hyperdrives.

The in-universe explanation for how hyperdrives function is that they utilize supralight 'hypermatter' particles (such as coaxium) to launch ships into hyperspace at faster-than-light speeds without changing their complex mass/energy configuration.

[91] Devices for shorter-range communications, such as the com-link, can be either hand-held (as seen in A New Hope) or strapped to the wrist (as seen in The Empire Strikes Back, during the early scenes on the planet Hoth).

[100] In 2010, NASA developed robots inspired by the hovering remote-controlled droids, seen in the Star Wars films and other media, and used by the Jedi for lightsaber combat training.

Heikko Hoffman, a robotics expert from HRL Laboratories, who was not associated with the project, claims that AT-ATs are possible, though some of their designs should be changed from those seen in the Star Wars universe, for safety, and for financial and operational costs.

[113] Zachary Feinstein, an assistant professor at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, estimated that the total cost for the first Death Star would amount to $193 quintillion USD.