Carbonite Freezing

Carbonite: Cargo Preservation and the Dangerous Frontier of Living Suspension

General Lore:

Carbonite is a durable metal alloy with unique properties that allow it to be combined with specific gases to flash-freeze cargo, preserving it for transport or storage. This technique has been widely used for generations to protect perishable goods or stabilize hazardous materials. The adaptability of carbonite has made it a valuable resource in galactic trade and logistics.

The use of carbonite for freezing living beings, however, is a recent and highly controversial development. Flash freezing living creatures carries extreme risks; without precise preparation and advanced facilities, survival rates for those encased in carbonite drop dramatically after a few hours. Even when frozen under optimal conditions, the trauma caused by the sudden shock of freezing and the lack of life-support monitoring during hibernation often results in fatalities, sometimes occurring hours after thawing.

Despite these risks, carbonite freezing technology has gained traction among bounty hunters and smugglers due to its efficiency in immobilizing targets with minimal preparation. This technique allows for rapid live captures in high-stakes scenarios, offering a distinct tactical advantage. To mitigate the ethical and financial ramifications of fatalities during post-hibernation, many bounty hunting guilds include clauses in their contracts ensuring full payment for live captures, even if the subject does not survive the thawing process.

The Jedi Lore Keeper’s Perspective:

To the Jedi, the growing use of carbonite freezing for living beings is a troubling development that raises profound ethical concerns. While the practicality of the technology in logistics is undeniable, its application to living creatures highlights a disregard for life that contradicts the Jedi philosophy.

Freezing a living being in carbonite reduces them to mere cargo, stripping them of dignity and autonomy. The physical and psychological trauma endured during hibernation can have lasting effects even if the subject survives, and the high mortality rate further underscores the inherent dangers of this practice. The Jedi are acutely aware of the desperation and profit-driven motives that lead to such measures, particularly among bounty hunters and smugglers who operate on the fringes of galactic law.

From a broader perspective, the Jedi recognize the potential for carbonite freezing to be exploited in ways that could destabilize societies or lead to widespread abuse. The possibility of using carbonite to indefinitely suspend individuals poses moral and legal challenges, as well as risks to justice and governance in the galaxy.

The Jedi Lore Keeper sees the rise of carbonite freezing as a reflection of the galaxy's broader struggles with resource scarcity, moral ambiguity, and the prioritization of expediency over compassion. While the Jedi do not reject technology outright, they emphasize the importance of wielding such advancements responsibly, with a focus on preserving life and fostering harmony.

In the Jedi archives, carbonite freezing stands as a testament to both the ingenuity and the ethical dilemmas of sentient beings. The technology’s legacy will depend not only on its utility but also on the choices made in its application—a reminder that power must always be tempered with wisdom and empathy.

Carbonite is a metal alloy that, when mixed with various gasses, can be used to flash freeze blocks of cargo for transportation or storage. Its use in freezing living creatures is relatively new in the galaxy and considered highly dangerous–subjects frozen for more than a few hours have a very low survival rate unless the carbonite is prepared with much expense at an elaborate facility. Even in the best cases, the sudden shock of flash freezing (often combined with a lack of life-support monitoring during suspension) tends to make the process extremely traumatic–sometimes even turning fatal hours after a subject has been thawed.

Still, a quick carbonite spray is the only known technique for freezing living creatures quickly and with minimal preparation. The technology is growing increasingly popular with bounty hunters and smugglers; as a result, many bounty hunting guilds have clauses in their contracts mandating live capture payment even if the bounty fails to survive the post-hibernation period. (Codex Text - Star Wars the Old Republic)