Star Wars Explains How Tractor Beams Really Work

This article contains freebooter forAndorepisode 11.Star Warshas finally explicate how its tractor breams work , and shown how they can be beaten . The construct of a " tractor beam of light , " a creature used by one starship to lurch in another , is a staple of skill - fabrication . Tractor beams - in the beginning send for " attractor beams " - were created by skill - fiction writer E.E. Smith in his 1931 novelSpacehounds of IPC , and they ’re a major part ofStar Warslore . Palpatine ’s Death Starwas equipped with hundreds of tractor beam , one of which immobilise the Millennium Falcon in the firstStar Warsfilm .

Andorepisode 11 features one of the most exciting scenes involve a tractor beam inStar Warsto date . Luthen ’s ship , the Fondor , crossbreed path with an royal patrol - specifically , a Cantwell - class Arrestor cruiser , designed to appropriate contrabandist through usage of its tractor beams . The Arrestor cruiser stick out a gravitic cone around the Fondor , initially holding it in place , but with the intention of reeling it in so the Empire can board . Luthen , of class , was ready for this contingence ; he lead up countermeasure that allow him to get away with rest .

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How Luthen Escaped The Tractor Beam When Han Solo Couldn’t

Han Solo ’s Millennium Falconmay have been ineffectual to escape the Death Star ’s tractor radio beam , but Luthen makes acquire away from this variety of technology depend easy . Luthen projects Wave of shrapnel towards the tractor beam , the initial strength of their expiration calibrate according to the force of the tractor ray and the distance between the two ship . The tractor beam was projecting a retinal cone of gravity designed to compensate for the Fondor ’s thruster and hold Luthen ’s ship in topographic point ; because the shrapnel was so much small and light , it was take out towards the focalize dish , accelerating . When the shrapnel impacted , it shredded the dish that focused the gravitic retinal cone , make the field to collapse .

Luthen ’s ship is advantageously equipped than the Millennium Falcon , likely because its archetype is wealthier than Han Solo could woolgather of being . His countermeasures are for sure expensive , particularly so return they ’d only be upright for a single use ; now the shrapnel has been used up , Luthen will need to purchase more and restock the tractor beam countermeasure . It ’s probable Han would consider the cost too groovy . In any case , even if Han had given the Millennium Falcon this form of engineering , he still would n’t have been capable to miss the Death Star ; it was fit with hundreds of tractor beams . Han may have been able to shred one , but he ’d have happen himself reel in by another .

Tractor Beams' History In Star Wars Canon & Legends

Tractor irradiation have been part ofStar Warssince 1977 , and they naturally appeared quite a few times in the oldStar WarsExpanded Universe . These built upon the mind of a gravitic cone , establishing that a ship equipped with tractor shaft was manipulate its own gravity field . A tractor beam was thus almost useless if it was being used against a vessel with a greater mass than the one equipped with the tractor . It also meant the Death Star ’s tractor beam were unco powerful , commit they were set up on a satellite - sized battle station . It ’s hard to say whether that particular detail is still considered canyon in the Disney era ; although it is worth noting the stories have been branded non - canon ( or " Legends " ) but the science generally seems to have remained the same .

In legend , tractor beams were developed towards theend of the Clone Wars . They were expensive to instal and run to use a lot of power , meaning they were n’t especially common even by the time of the Galactic Civil War . Several years after the events ofReturn of the Jedi , Luke Skywalker exhibit his skill when his ten - Wing was snag by one of Grand Admiral Thrawn ’s ship . He give the axe a proton gun while invert his engines in an unorthodox personal manner , causing the tractor beam ’s place organisation to glitch and lock up on to the proton torpedo - with explosive outcome . On another social occasion , he concealed his X - Wing inside a large freighter , demolish the freighter when a tractor beam had locked on to it . The tractor beam operator was result pedal through the rubble , urgently prove to put away on to the X - Wing . Luthen ’s method acting seems like a logical extension phone of Luke ’s , proving ideas are never forget inStar Wars .

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