- "Plasma still runs, sir."
- ―Silvo, to Brutus
An hourglass[3] was a device used for measuring time. It was activated by hitting its upper surface and comprised two glass bulbs stacked vertically. These bulbs were connected by a narrow channel, enabling a plasma flow from the upper to the lower bulb. The duration it took for the plasma to trickle between the bulbs determined a specific time interval.[1]
Around 9 ABY,[4] an hourglass was utilized by Brutus's pirate crew during the trial of former Captain Silvo. Following Chaelt's appeal for equal time under the Pirate's Code, Brutus struck the hourglass with his fist, signaling the start of Silvo's alloted speech time. As Silvo made hi defense, Brutus interrupted him, declaring that the words of a dead man held no value. In response, Silvo pointed to the hourglass, noting that the plasma was still running. When the hourglass finally ran out, Brutus proclaimed that Silvo's time was up.[1]
The hourglass shape was also incorporated into craftsmanship, as seen in the Fermata Cage—a dark side artifact created by Darth Momin in the Age of Rebellion era—which was modelled after this device.[3]
Behind the scenes
An hourglass was first mentioned in the second issue of the 2022 comic miniseries Star Wars: Hidden Empire. The issue was written by Charles Soule and published by Marvel Comics[5] on December 7, 2022.[6] The device then made its debut in Zero Friends Again, the sixth episode of the live-action television series Star Wars: Skeleton Crew,[1] which premiered on December 31, 2024.[7] The name of the appliance seen in the episode, as well as the intricacies of its mechanism, were specified in the Disney+ audio description of the episode, narrated by Jedediah Barton.[2]
Appearances
- Hidden Empire 2 (First mentioned)
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew — "Zero Friends Again" (First appearance)
Sources
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew — "Zero Friends Again"
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Star Wars: Skeleton Crew — "Zero Friends Again" (Audio description from Disney+)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
- ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of "Chapter 1: The Mandalorian" of The Mandalorian Season One to 9 ABY. In addition,
"A Certain Point of View" — Star Wars Insider 228 also dates "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" to nine years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 9 ABY per Timelines. "Part Seven: Dreams and Madness" takes place after the conflict on Mandalore, which is the main event depicted in "Chapter 23: The Spies" and "Chapter 24: The Return," the final two episodes of The Mandalorian Season Three. Therefore, Seasons One through Three of Star Wars: The Mandalorian must all be set in 9 ABY as well. SWCA 2022: 20 Highlights from Lucasfilm's Studio Showcase on StarWars.com (backup link) states that Star Wars: Skeleton Crew takes place in the same timeframe as Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Star Wars: Ahsoka—the latter of which can also be dated to 9 ABY following the reasoning here. As such, Skeleton Crew must take place around 9 ABY as well.
- ↑ Hidden Empire 2
- ↑ Star Wars: Hidden Empire (2022) #2 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars (@StarWars) on Twitter (post): "Mark your calendars. 🗓️ On December 2, stream the two-episode series premiere of #SkeletonCrew, only on @DisneyPlus." (backup link)
