STAR WARS INSIDER / 63BACTA BASICS05 A midwife droid delivers the Skywalker twins on Polis Massa.06 Doctor Kalonia uses a medipack to treat an injury to brave Chewbacca’s upper arm.07 Resistance hero Finn recovers from a lightsaber wound in a flexpoly bacta suit.08 The Grand Republic Medical Facility on Coruscant.in which it can be delivered to patients.
Immersion and constant contact help
make bacta effective. Wounds with a
small surface area can be rested in a
container fi lled with it, while more
intensive, full body injuries require an
immersive tank, such as the one Luke
used after he was attacked by a wampa
on Hoth. Or there’s the fl expoly bacta
suit, which circulates the liquid: Finn
was put in one of these after Kylo Ren
wounded him with his lightsaber.
Other bacta delivery vehicles include
bacta spray (applied from a pressurized
container); bacta patch or bacta bandage
(intended for dressing external wounds);
and bacta bombs (a canister deployed
on battlefi elds to spread a mist of bacta
upon impact). While mechnosutures
hold deep skin gashes like Kylo Ren’s
together and biocasts heal broken bones,
bacta helps keep the entire body healthy.Medical Facilities and
Equipment
Medical facilities in Star Wars fall intoeverycategory,frommakeshifttofull
servicecenters.Ontheresourceful
endofthespectrum,ImperialMobile
Surgical Units (IMSUs) are havens
in the middle of battles; they are
prefabricated medcenters that can
be collapsed and raised quickly to
use for procedures and as the fi eld
doctor’s offi ce.
More affl uent and populated
planets have other options, such as
Coruscant’s Grand Republic Medical
Facility. This large tower (tall, even
by Coruscant standards) has access to
every medical bell and whistle, though
patients were blissfully unaware that
its lower levels were home to Darth
Sidious’ lair and meditation chamber.
Droids and medics in such facilitieseveeveryrycatcategoegoryryfrfromommakmakesheshiftifttotofufullllLIFESUPPORT
Medical care is about sustaining life, so it’s worthwhile to look at technology
designed for life support purposes. This can include any device that helps a being
stay alive, whether through permanent support or situational in nature, such as when
visiting a planet that doesn’t have a breathable atmosphere. For example, Jedi Master
Plo Koon wears a mask so he can function in conditions different from those on his
homeworld of Dorin. Meanwhile, Darth Vader’s armor offers total life support, without
which he would die. His belt and chest plate alone house the controls for the system
that supplies the Sith Lord with nutrients and medicine.and aboard starships, move immobile
patients on repulsor gurneys, hover-
stretchers, or medical capsules—all of
which have built-in systems to monitor
life signs. If surgery is required, they
may project a bio-sterilization fi eld
around the operating suite to prevent
bacteria from causing infection. Or for
a more mobile option, perhaps they
will employ a handheld generator to
create an antiseptic healing fi eld. If
they need to resuscitate a being, they
can apply wireless defi brillators or use a
pulmonary resuscitation kit. Pulmonary
resuscitation was used to revive
Leia after she was sucked into space
following an attack by the First Order,
while an emergency life support unit
kept her alive.Applicable in critical
emergencies and
minor situations, bacta
is like a cure-all med.08