Tibanna

Tibanna was a rare form of matter found in both gas and liquid form. In its natural state as a gas, tibanna composed the atmospheres of several planets, most notably that of Bespin, where it was processed at Cloud City, and the planets Genarius, Kaer, Kril'Dor, Ord Ibanna, Rendili, Taloraan, Vandin and Yorn Skot.

Characteristics

Tibanna gas was excreted by beldons, huge gas-filled creatures. The gas was a byproduct of the vapors consumed by beldons. Tibanna was extracted from Bespin's atmosphere as atmospheric gases rose on updrafts through Cloud City's unipod. The gas was then processed and packed in carbonite for transport off-planet.

Tibanna gas produced four times its normal energy output when cohesive light passed through it. Thus, spin-sealed (compacted at the atomic level) tibanna was used as a conducting agent in blasters and other energy weapons, producing greater energy yields and thus greater amounts of damage. Most personal weapons could not tolerate this power boost, but ship-mounted blasters benefited greatly from the use of tibanna gas. Exceptions to this were the DC series rifles of BlasTech Industries, which used tibanna gas to produce powerful ionized bolts that were damaging to both organics and droids, something that was crucial to winning the Clone Wars. Tibanna was also used to make a useful variant of the DC series ionized bolt, which made the weapons' energy output imperceptible to the naked eye.

Gas giants with significant amounts of tibanna were known to possess a layer called tibanisphere.

Uses

Tibanna gas was primarily used as a hyperdrive coolant. Spin-sealed tibanna could be used as a blaster gas for energy weapons such as turbolasers; the process compressed the molecules of gas, storing a tremendous amount of energy. Spin-sealed tibanna occurred naturally in the atmosphere of the gas giant Bespin.^[3]

Tibanna gas was also used as a heating agent in the preparation of foodstuffs such as the grasser steak.^[4]

TibannaX was a special isotope of tibanna gas used in StealthXs. Its ion emissions cooled in several milliseconds, making the StealthX hard to track.

Supercooled tibanna gas was used in baffled drives to help prevent detection.^[5]

History

During the Clone Wars, Galactic Republic clone troopers used highly flammable liquid tibanna to heat their listening post on the Rishi moon. However, when B1-series battle droids attacked the base, trooper Hevy used the liquid tibanna to destroy the outpost.^[6]

At some point during the mid-Galactic Civil War, the crime lord Tyber Zann stole a large quantity of tibanna from Bespin, pinning the theft on Prince Xizor, and made a large amount of money from selling it on the black market.^[7]

The Rebel Alliance's Rogue Squadron attacked a large supply of the Empire's gas, which was being mined from the gas giant Taloraan.^[8] The gas was a vital commodity for the Alliance prior to the Battle of Endor. Wedge Antilles and Rogue Squadron led an aerial assault on Cloud City, their primary objective being to secure as many tibanna gas platforms orbiting the city as possible.^[9]

During the time of the New Republic, Luke Skywalker rigged a tibanna gas cartridge to explode, freeing him from a trap in the Cavrilhu Pirates base.

In 14 ABY, Kril'Dor was the site of a New Republic mission to liberate a tibanna gas mining platform from the Imperial Remnant. Jaden Korr and Wedge Antilles participated in the successful mission.^[10]

By the time of the Dark Nest Crisis, tibanna gas was being stolen by Joiners for use in the Killik military buildup. TibannaX was also an important resource in the use of the Jedi-exclusive StealthX fighters. Xtib, the company that produced TibannaX, was later purchased by Bornaryn Trading.

Appearances

Non-canon appearances

• Star Wars: Tiny Death Star

Sources

Notes and references