Hypermatter was an exotic form of particles used in the hypermatter annihilators of starships and immense battle stations. Its unusual properties allowed vessels to produce the phenomenal amounts of energy necessary for their operation.[1][2][3]
Characteristics
Hypermatter was tachyonic matter that existed in hyperspace.[3] When constrained by realspace, charged tachyons were annihilated as they accelerated to infinite speed within a reactor. The hyperdrive adjusted the faster-than-light hypermatter particles to allow a ship to jump to light-speed without changing its complex mass and energy. The hypermatter annihilation cores were in turn confined by fusion systems.[1]
History
Despite its high efficiency, hypermatter still required massive amounts of reactant fuel to power the great starships of the spacelanes. For example, at peak power, the Venator-class Star Destroyer's main reactor annihilated the equivalent of 40,000 tons of matter each second. Even small starfighters required significant fuel supplies—the Utapaun P-38 starfighter consumed 6.2 kilograms of hypermatter each second at full power.[2] Hypermatter was also found in the hyperdrive rings used by some Clone Wars era starfighters.[1][2]
During the late years of the Galactic Republic, research into utilizing hypermatter for needs other than starship powering was ramped up considerably. A grant from Republic Sienar Systems was given to the Republic Ministry of Science allowing them to continue research into hypermatter for planetary power, deep space mining, and other civilian uses.[4] Some of this research was later used to refine the plans for Sienar's Expeditionary Battle Planetoid, which evolved into the Death Star project.[3]
Hypermatter instability was a great risk to any process using it, as shown when the Imperial II-class Star Destroyer Battle Lance was vaporized along with its crew, when the improved, prototype hypermatter reactor it was carrying malfunctioned.[3]
Canon Status
It should be noted that hypermatter is an Expanded Universe concept and is not officially accepted as canon. In fact, in the novelization of Star Wars Episode IV A New Hope, the explosion of the original Death Star is noted as being "the liberated energy of a small artificial sun." As the film novelizations were produced with significant involvement by George Lucas, thus granting them canon authority second only to the films, the implication is that at least in the case of the original Death Star, the energy source was nuclear fusion. The Death Star I was an advanced and state-of-the-art battle station; the description of the reactor explosion as sun-like strongly implies that fusion is either the dominant or is an increasingly-used form of energy production in the Star Wars universe, as hypermatter reactions do not occur in stars.
Appearances
Ministry of Science Continues Hypermatter Studies — HoloNet News Vol. 531 #50 (content now obsolete; backup link)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Cloak of Darkness"- Death Star Designer
- Death Star
Sources
- Star Wars Incredible Cross Sections
- Star Wars Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections
- Star Wars Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Attack of the Clones: Incredible Cross-Sections
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Revenge of the Sith: Incredible Cross-Sections
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Death Star (novel)
- ↑ Ministry of Science Continues Hypermatter Studies