Garbage compactor

This article is about the in-universe trash compactor. You may be looking for Wookieepedia's Trash compactor forum.

"One thing's for sure. We're all gonna be a lot thinner!"

―Han Solo, as the compactor doors close in^[2]

A garbage compactor, trash compactor, or garbage masher was a metal chamber used to store and compress waste. The walls would come together, compressing and crushing the garbage in the process.

History

Republic Era

The Gaze Electric starship, which was originally designed as a transport for the Path of the Open Hand cult^[8] before falling into the ownership of the Ro family and seeing use as part of the Nihil organization the Ros forged,^[9] contained at least one trash compactor. To break the Force-sensitive Nihil Udi Dis' multi-year long addiction to reedug, Marchion Ro—the Eye of the Nihil and current owner of the Gaze Electric—forced Dis to throw the last of his reedug stash into a trash compactor aboard the vessel, ensuring his mind was clear ahead of their mission to Rystan.^[1]

Imperial Era

"Will you shut up and listen to me? Shut down all garbage mashers on the Detention Level, will you? Do you copy?"

―Luke Skywalker, to C-3PO^[2]

The DS-1 Orbital Battle Station built by the Galactic Empire made use of several garbage mashers.^[2] Further, the Empire captured and inserted the Dianoga Omi into garbage masher 3263827, where she helped to break down organic matter by consuming it.^[10] When Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Chewbacca rescued Leia Organa aboard the first Death Star^[2] in 0 BBY,^[11] they were forced to blast their way into garbage masher 3263827.^[2] Since garbage chute sensors identified types of waste and directed them to the right compactor, Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca ended up in recyclable waste, owing to their armor and weapons.^[12]

Once inside, they were unable to leave because the door was magnetically sealed, preventing blaster bolts from penetrating. Omi, suddenly, seemingly attacked and almost killed Skywalker when it took him underwater; unknown to them all,^[2] Omi, as a Force-sensitive, had detected Skywalker's own Force-sensitivity and brought him under the water in an act of baptism.^[10] When the dianoga released Skywalker, the walls began to rumble and edge toward each other, threatening to crush the companions trapped inside the masher. However, they were saved when C-3PO, Skywalker's protocol droid, had R2-D2 shut down all the garbage mashers on the Detention Level. Shortly thereafter, the Death Star was destroyed by Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin.^[2] Omi was still within the garbage masher during the battle and, having foreseen the Death Star's destruction, merely pondered what her next life would bring her.^[10]

New Republic Era

"What do we do with her?"
"Is there a garbage chute? Trash compactor?"
"Yeah, there is..."

―Finn and Han Solo, on Captain Phasma^[7]

Thirty-four years after his experience on the Death Star,^[13] during the Battle of Starkiller Base, Solo asked Finn, a former First Order stormtrooper who had sanitation duties at the base, if the location happened to have trash compactors. Finn used his knowledge to find one, and they forced their prisoner, Captain Phasma, down the garbage chute.^[7]