- "What I really need is a droid that understands the binary language of moisture vaporators."
"Vaporators? Sir, my first job was programming binary loadlifters—very similar to your vaporators in most respects." - ―Owen Lars and C-3PO
A moisture vaporator was a device used on moisture farms to capture water from a planet's air. They were typically found on desert planets such as Tatooine where water was scarce. Moisture farmers collected water using moisture vaporators for sale or for use in hydroponic gardens. Owen Lars, for example, was a moisture farmer.
Description
Moisture vaporators were relatively tall and slender devices, used to harvest water from a planet's atmosphere. Costing up to 500 credits, moisture vaporators came in various different models, and could reach up to 3.5 meters in height. The devices were stationed at ground level and coaxed moisture from the air by means of refrigerated condensers, or chilling bars, which generated low-energy ionization fields. Captured water was then pumped or gravity-directed into a storage cistern, which adjusted its pH levels. Vaporators were capable of collecting 1.5 litres of water per day, even when the relative humidity of the air was only 1.5 percent. Higher-end models, such as those manufactured by Pretormin Environmental, were equipped with computers, which could adjust the strength of the ionization and refrigeration fields to compensate for changing wind speed and temperature. Patch-in droid units were used for communication with the binary brain unit of moisture vaporators, and could also interface with external droids.[7]
History
Moisture vaporators were used throughout the galaxy, and most commonly found on dry desert worlds such as Tatooine,[5] though they were also used on more lush worlds such as Lah'mu.[3]
Early colonists of Tatooine were forced to adapt to the planet's harsh climate, using moisture vaporators to gather any water they could from its dry air.[7]
Years into the Galactic Empire's reign, there still existed many moisture farms across Tatooine, such as those of the Great Chott salt flat community. Working for profit and survival, moisture farmers with higher-end moisture vaporators could collect enough water for sale, while those who could not afford them used their water for hydroponic gardening.[7] The Great Drought was a difficult time for many farmers, as they couldn't get the necessary water from their vaporators, and Jabba the Hutt collected heavy water taxes from them.[8]
Appearances
Sources
- Tusken Raiders in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- Ultimate Star Wars
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Poe Dameron: Flight Log
- Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- Entertainment Weekly's Ultimate Guide to Rogue One
- Star Wars: Rogue One: The Ultimate Visual Guide (Picture only)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 11 ([[{{{2}}}|{{{2}}}: {{{3}}}]])
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 20 (Databank A-Z: Saw Gerrera–Commander Gree) (Picture only)
- Star Wars: Build Your Own R2-D2 6 (Droid Directory: EGL Power Droids) (Picture only)
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Directing"
- Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Legacy"
- Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian — "Cast"
- Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Kuiil - 2020 Base Series 2)
- Kuiil's ranch in the Databank (backup link)
- Moisture Vaporator in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references
- ↑ "Too Late to Change" — Star Wars Rebels Magazine 28
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
- ↑ Star Wars Rebels — "Fighter Flight"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
- ↑ Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Star Wars: Complete Locations
- ↑ Star Wars 7: From the Journals of Old Ben Kenobi: "The Last of His Breed"