Force cage

"Excuse me if I don't shake hands. The field only causes mild electrical burns."

- Atton Rand, to the Jedi Exile

A force cage was a device that was used to contain prisoners that was first seen during the Jedi Civil War through to the era of the New Republic. Essentially an energy shield in the form of a tube, it consisted of a base and cap connected by a column at the back that also anchored it to a wall; this served as a conduit for the energy barrier. During the Galactic Civil War, a portable version of the still-popular device was developed; these types of cages were often employed by bounty hunters who wished to ensure the continued confinement of a live capture until delivery could occur.

Description
The first force cages were permanently-mounted devices that resembled octagonal tubes when activated. The frame itself stood approximately two meters in height, with the base slightly below floor level in most instances. The force fields that they emitted varied in color from bright blue to orange, and could carry a charge that ranged from mildly-tingling, to outright incapacitation, including minor electrical burns. These apparatuses could also be modified to project a sort of "torture field" that, when activated, sent waves of extremely painful electrical current into and through those trapped inside. Such fields could be ramped up in intensity to lethal proportions, serving as an ad hoc execution device.

Later model force cages, particularly those in use during the era of the Galactic Empire, were made of a light yet durable ceramic material; portable models were typically two meters long, two high, and four wide once erected. Still portable even after assembly, the frame also provided an additional electrical deterrent against attempted breakout. Assembly was usually fairly simple, requiring only basic knowledge of security technology in order to set them up, however they were not without flaws. Typical models of portable force cages were considerably weaker than their more permanent counterparts; incorrect assembly would negate the shocking effect of the device's force field, and even if properly set up, a being of sufficient strength could still batter their way through either the field or the frame.

History
When they were first developed some time prior to 3,956 BBY, force cages were often found in groups contained within a separate, often locked room within police stations, security rooms, and other such places throughout the galaxy; one such place was within Telosian Security Force stations aboard the massive Citadel Station in orbit over Telos IV. These banks of detention cells were typically controlled through a central computer interface terminal, allowing barriers to be raised or lowered in any number of combinations at once. Typical force cages included plenty of room for a detainee to either stand or sit; some force cages, such as the ones in the Telosian Jedi Academy, were large enough for a grown Human to sleep in.

Although most force cages used nonlethal barriers, they could and often were tweaked to cause minor amounts of pain when uncooperative prisoners attempted to bash their way through the energy barrier. As well, force cages could also be modified to double as torture devices, by installing feedback nodes that would project powerful electric shocks into the victim contained within. Examples of such modifications could be found within the estate of Tarisian crimelord Davik Kang, as well as aboard the Leviathan, Admiral Saul Karath's Sith flagship. These cells could also be used to perform executions, such as the ones in the Sith military base, also located on Taris, or the Republic Embassy on Manaan. Cages of this type were also found within the Sith Academy on Korriban and within the Trayus Academy on the desolate world of Malachor V.

During the era of the Galactic Empire, a portable version, made out of ceramic compounds, was developed that was collapsible for use in the field. Once assembled, these types of portable force cages, similar to ones found in Imperial detention areas, were still semi-portable. These devices were favored by bounty hunters who needed to secure the live capture of a target for rendition to whomever had posted the bounty. The portable devices were, however, not without problems; incorrect assembly would negate the shocking effect of the energy field; in addition, a being of sufficient strength could shatter the barrier or one of its components.

Behind the scenes
Though force cages were first introduced in Galaxy Guide 10: Bounty Hunters as a portable detention apparatus similar to fixed installations, the models that appear in the video games Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords are permanent or semi-permanent constructions that are immobile once built and with no collapsible counterpart.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
 * Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords