Tag: extended universe

A Guide to Medicine in Star Wars – Part 1: Field Medicine

This first post focuses on how medicine is practiced on the battlefield and within various military organizations. The next part will be about civilian medicine and common procedures.

I’ve included both Canon and Legends information, but I’ve distinguished the two where they can’t work together. From here, canon (lowercase) will refer to the new Canon (post-April 2014) and Legends combined. The most prominent and well-known militaries are included in this post; if you don’t see one here, it’s probably because not much information was available and it is a more obscure group. If you would like to know about one that isn’t here, feel free to send an ask.

The rest is under the cut. Sorry if it doesn’t work for mobile users!

Galactic Republic

Within the Grand Army of the Republic, there were several different kinds of medical practitioners. Clone medics and clone medical officers were bred and trained to treat other clones; while clone medics participated in battles with the other clone troopers, medical officers were stationed on Haven-class medical stations, capital ships, and at mobile medcenters, and they wore white uniforms rather than armour. Some medics trained to become a first aid specialist (sometimes abbreviated to FAS), a medic who treated and stabilized injured clones in the middle of a battle.

It is unclear exactly how medics fit into the command structure of the GAR. Some, like Sergeant Coric, had known military titles while others, like Kix, were referred to only as a clone trooper medic. In medical matters, however, medics were known to outrank their commanding officers.

Equipment

Clone medics carried backpacks filled with medical equipment when they went onto the battlefield. They were known to be equipped with two vibroscalpels, two laser cauterizers and a laser scalpel, as well as bandages and various bacta products. Some sources suggest that they carried medpacs, meaning they could also have had medisensors, synthflesh, kolto, spray bandages, hypos, irrigation bulbs, coagulants and various medical drugs on their person. While these supplies allowed the medics to perform basic procedures, medcenters and medbays were relied on for more complete treatment. As a result, on long campaigns or in situations where evacuation could not be provided, medics may be forced to leave badly injured clones behind.

Medical droids were also available to help treat patients. The meddroids used by the Republic during the Clone Wars could be found at any permanent or makeshift medical facility, and sometimes were even set up near the front lines at small mobile aid stations, but they were not generally brought into the actual fighting like the clone medics were due to their restricted mobility. The 2-1B surgical droids and FX-series medical assistant droids were popular models within the Grand Army, and they often worked together with the FX-series as the assistant to the 2-1B. Both could work in tandem with a clone medic/medical officer or a Kaminoan, or perform a medical procedure by themselves. IM-6 meddroids, on the other hand, were able to move into the middle of a fight and drag injured soldiers away for treatment. They were much smaller than the 2-1B and FX-series droids, and hovered on repulsors rather than walking or rolling. They were also very popular in the GAR and could be stationed on anything from Star Destroyers to gunships and walkers. (See links for more specific information on these meddroids).

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FX-series (left) and 2-1B (right) meddroids

Treatment procedure

If a clone survived the initial injury and could be recovered from the battlefield, he was brought to a Republic Mobile Surgical Unit (RMSU). RMSUs were small mobile hospitals, able to be set up or taken down in under an hour, that were located near the fighting and were equipped to either completely heal the injury or keep the clone stable until he could be brought to a medical station. They were staffed by surgeons, medical officers and medical droids, and were theoretically capable of dealing with any injury, as they included equipment such as bacta tanks, antisepsis fields and even cloning tanks to grow replacement organs. However, in reality, they often experienced critical shortages of personnel and supplies.

The injured clone could then be brought by medical frigate to a Haven-class medical station. The Republic commissioned twenty Haven-class medical stations at the beginning of the Clone Wars, one for each Sector Army. They were stationed in space near battlegrounds and could treat nearly 80,000 patients at once. There is little information on what these stations were equipped with in terms of equipment and supplies, but they were staffed by clone medical officers, medical droids and, in at least one case, a Jedi and a Kaminoan.

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Ord Cestus medical station

Two common medical frigates used by the Republic were the MedStar-class and the more heavily armed Pelta-class frigates. These ships often accompanied the rest of the fleet into battle and were equipped to both treat and transport patients, and were staffed by medics and, occasionally, Jedi healers. The frigates were also commonly used to transport supplies between medical stations, larger bases and RMSUs.

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Pelta-class frigate

In other cases, clones were brought to a medical station by their Star Destroyer. This could be the better option following a battle in space, where injured pilots or crewmembers could be stabilized in the SD’s medbay and transported on one large vessel instead of needing several frigates.

Injured members of planetary defense forces fighting along with the Republic military would likely be dealt with differently, but it is not specified how in canon.

Trade Federation/Separatist Droid Army

The droid army did not employ medics, though they did use the MED-47 and AK-25-MED models of medical droid when dealing with organics. These situations usually involved torture of the opposing side’s soldiers.

Galactic Empire

The medical treatment of Imperial stormtroopers and other soldiers was often very similar to that of the Republic’s clones. Imperial medics and 2-1C medical droids worked in medbays, field hospitals and directly on the battlefield. Medics who were attached to the army, or were currently planetside, wore armour similar to that of an Imperial Army trooper, while those attached to the navy or serving on a ship wore the Imperial Navy crewman’s jumpsuit with backpacks and a hip pack for medical supplies. Those working with the Stormtrooper Corps often wore stormtrooper armour and were called stormtrooper medics, stormmedics or stormsurgeons.

Equipment

A lot of equipment left over from the Republic when it became the Empire continued to be used, including the Republic Mobile Surgical Units (renamed Imperial Mobile Surgical Units), some Pelta-class and MedStar-class medical frigates, and 2-1B and FX-series medical droids. While it is unknown what happened to the surviving Haven-class medical stations after the war, it is possible that they continued to be used as well. In addition to the ships left over from the Republic, the Empire used E-2T medical shuttles, and a variant of the Lambda-class T-5a shuttle called the T-5 Deliverance. The former was used to transport up to twelve Human patients, and the latter would deliver shipments of medical supplies directly to the battlefield.

As a result of the Empire’s tendency to build increasingly massive ships and battlestations, many non-medical vessels also had large medbays. Medics and meddroids alike could be found serving on these ships. However, because it was a large military without a need to be constantly on the move, longer-term medical care was likely conducted primarily in planetside medcenters and other large, permanent facilities. Many temporary Imperial facilities, such as prefabricated garrisons, also housed medical facilities and personnel.

Imperial medics were known to carry medpacs, though it is not known what brand or make they were or what was in them. They likely included vibroscalpels and/or laser scalpels, bacta, laser cauterizers, and bandages, like the clone trooper medics carried. These medics stayed away from the front lines when deployed on the ground. As for meddroids, the 2-1C medical droid was the preferred model of the Empire, as it was designed to operate independently on the battlefield. Though its name suggests a relation to the 2-1B surgical droid, it was actually in the line of FX-series medical assistant droids and had a similar appearance.

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2-1C meddroid

Treatment procedure

Naturally, treatment of Imperial troops followed the same basic process as that of Republic troops. As a general rule, a soldier injured planetside would be given first aid, then brought to a mobile hospital or aid station, then transported to a better-equipped medcenter or a capital ship for recovery, wherever was convenient. Pilots rarely survived to have their injuries treated, as standard TIE fighters did not come with shields.

Alliance to Restore the Republic

Medicine was practiced very differently in the Rebellion, especially in its earlier years. Because it was a highly mobile fighting force, injured soldiers and pilots were often treated on large hospital ships such as the Redemption, a modified escort frigate. It was not uncommon for ships to be modified to make room for medical facilities, and Alliance ships that were designed for medical use were often stolen from the Empire. These ships were staffed mainly by medical droids, as organic medics were usually more valuable on the battlefield. Many planetside bases also had medical facilities, though the hospital ships generally had more equipment available.

Equipment and treatment procedure

The Alliance Navy included several modified EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigates, such as their primary medical frigate, the Redemption, that served as mobile hospitals. These ships could hold and treat 745 patients at a time, and were fitted with state-of-the-art medical equipment including fifteen bacta tanks, multi-species operating theatres, intensive care units, recovery wards, and facilities for non-oxygen breathers such as ammonia chambers. They also had their own blood banks, laboratories and morgue, as well as dedicated space for storing medical equipment and up to 6000 tonnes of medical cargo. Patients were treated by a complement of thirty 2-1B surgical droids and eighty medical staff, and the ship’s main medical computer timed and monitored treatments. It is also possible that at least one Nebulon-B2 frigate was modified for use as a hospital ship. Most patients were treated onboard ships like these.

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EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate

Sprint-class rescue craft, also called med runners, were used to transport the dead and wounded and respond to distress signals in deep space. They could hold forty patients and were staffed by five medics. The E-50 Landseer, a Corellian shuttle, was repurposed for use as an ambulance ship that could be used to transport medical and repair supplies on the battlefield. Other models of starship, such as the stolen Imperial cruiser Mercy which could treat around 5000 patients and had 4250 bacta tanks, could also be converted to hospital ships. In fact, the majority of Alliance medical craft were repurposed, stolen, or both.

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Sprint-class rescue craft (top) and E-50 Landseer (bottom)

2-1B surgical droids were the best-known medics in the Rebellion. Organic beings did serve as medics, and could be found anywhere the droids could, but they tended to work directly on the battlefield and in other places where the droids couldn’t go. 2-1Bs were seen everywhere from capital ships to personal medbays to planetside bases.

New Republic (Canon and Legends)

When the Alliance was reorganized into the New Republic, remaining medical equipment continued to be used. The philosophy that their personnel were non-dispensable also remained, and so the acquisition and maintenance of medical equipment was given great importance. In both Canon and Legends, not much is known about field medicine in the New Republic, but it can be assumed that it functioned more or less the same as in the Alliance. However, the Legends New Republic spent a lot longer fighting the Imperial Remnant than the Canon New Republic, which then maintained peace for perhaps as long as three decades. Without any known major conflicts between the Galactic Civil War and the First Order-Resistance conflict, and due to the New Republic’s demilitarization efforts, field medicine likely did not play a big role under the Canon New Republic for most of its tenure.

Resistance

As a splinter group of the New Republic military, the Resistance likely did have some access to hospital ships, but acquiring large vessels was very difficult. Most equipment they had was quite old, left over from the days of the Rebellion. Supposedly, medcenters on bases and the medbays of capital ships were the Resistance’s main medical facilities. Like its predecessor, the Rebellion, the small number of personnel meant that high priority was placed on being able to save and heal their troops, suggesting that there existed some sort of battlefield medic within their ranks. If they employed medical droids – likely, given that they employed a large number of other droids in order to keep the organization functioning – they may have used 2-1Bs like the Rebellion.

First Order

Nothing is known specifically about medicine within the First Order, but it can be assumed that they had access to advanced medical technology and facilities due to the size and capability of the rest of their forces.

That’s all for this post! Any terminology used here that isn’t already included in the Vocab List will be added shortly, and the next post will be up as soon as possible.

~ Jacen

How would pregnancy affect a Force sensitive woman? I remember seeing concept art of Padmé sleepwalking and being physically weak while carrying Luke and Leia, but she is, at least according to Lucas, not Force sensitive. Also, would a Jedi or a Sith be able to tell if the child they’re/she’s carrying is Force sensitive?

I’ll answer your second question first, because it’s simpler: yes, a Force-sensitive can tell if their unborn child is also Force-sensitive. They can reach out and make mental contact, which can be used to calm the child, as Leia would do with her twins.

As for your first question, I believe the answer would vary, but pregnancy should generally have little affect on a Force-sensitive. We only have a couple examples to work from. Leia, if my memory serves, encountered no adverse effects beyond being able to emotionally communicate with the child, implying that under normal circumstances a Force-sensitive’s pregnancy shouldn’t be much different from a non-Force-sensitive’s. Mara Jade’s pregnancy should probably be discounted because of her illness, and I cannot think of any other Force-sensitives who became pregnant and were known to experience unusual side effects. (If anyone knows of an example, feel free to add on).

Hope that helps!

~ Jacen

What is the path for a padawan to become a Jedi Knight? Is it age related? Their master’s approval? There a test, yes? What does it look like? And what happens if they fail it? Are there any rituals or ceremonies? Cutting of the braid?

For a Padawan to become a Knight, they had to pass the Trials of Knighthood. These tests were administered by the High Council, to Padawans they believed to be ready. While age did not directly play a part in the Council’s decision to have someone take the tests, most Padawans were knighted in their twenties. The Master’s approval was not required, though I believe that they could recommend that their Padawan be tested.

During the Trials of Knighthood, a Padawan had to pass five trials: the Trials of Skill, Courage, Spirit, Flesh, and Insight. If deemed appropriate, the Council may have also substituted tests or waived them if the Padawan had shown the same qualities through their actions. For instance, both Anakin and Obi-Wan became Knights without participating in formal trials.

For the Trial of Skill, one must face a three-part assessment consisting of physical, mental, and combat challenges. The physical challenges were usually tests of strength, endurance, climbing, jumping and the like. The mental challenges were tests of levitation, another endurance test, duress and reflection. For the combat challenges, Padawans completed tests of conflict, duelling, and of the calm mind, and were required to face some sort of adversary. The individual or individuals they face would vary a lot, from holograms to droids to other students, or even the Temple Battlemaster or Grand Master. Some students may fight many opponents using many different weapons or altering the appearance of the chamber or their perception. While the tests largely consisted of physical feats, the Battlemaster looked more for the ability of a Padawan to use discipline and focus to avoid distraction. Anakin completed this trial when he defeated Asajj Ventress in combat.

Less is known about the Trial of Courage. In order for the test to work, the student must not know beforehand what they will face. Before the Golden Age of the Republic, courage on the battlefield or facing a Sith was considered a good way to pass the trial, but later tests were largely simulated. The Council could also send a student on a real mission; these missions had the potential to be deadly, which is why only students who are ready may participate in the Trials. When Obi-Wan defeated Darth Maul on Naboo, the Council considered that his Trial of Courage.

The Trial of the Spirit was a test of self-discovery. A Padawan entered a deep meditative trance and confronted their deepest fears and the darkness within themselves. Such deep meditation could be very dangerous, so a Master was always present to help guide the student back to the present. Unlike other tests, the High Council did not dictate what would happen and the student would have to decide what to do on their journey. This test had the potential to be highly traumatising, and some students would wake from a failed test inconsolable.

The Trial of the Flesh was considered the hardest test of the five, and it involved the Padawan experiencing great physical pain, loss, or hardship. In the earlier days of the Republic, the students were subjected to bursts of electricity applied directly to the skin, but this practice was abandoned. During the New Sith Wars, battle scars and lost limbs were often accepted as a way to pass the test. It was not uncommon for a Padawan to pass the Trials of the Flesh, Skill and Courage at the same time by defeating a Sith on the battlefield. Later, the separation of the Master-Padawan pair as the Padawan became a Knight was considered a hardship enough to pass the test, but during the Clone Wars it was once again common to pass through physical injury and loss.

The Trial of Insight was a test that required the Padawan to use the Force to see through deception. To pass, they were forbidden to study any possible challenges in the Archives, as they had to complete it themselves. The Trial sometimes took the form of riddles and puzzles, such as being required to solve the High Riddles of Dwartii. Other known scenarios are having to find one grain of sand among a field of rocks, or being faced with an army of holograms and forced to see through the illusion.

If a Padawan passed all these tests in one way or another, their Master would then prepare them for the Knighting Ceremony. If they failed, they had the opportunity to take them again until they passed. Before the ceremony, the student would meditate in the preparation room in the Tranquility Spire for a whole day. The next day, they would go up to the next level of the Tower, called the Hall of Knighthood. There, they would kneel in front of the Grand Master, the members of the High Council (if the High Council was unavailable, members of the other two Councils would step in), and other Jedi who were influential in the Padawan’s journey. The present Masters would ignite their lightsabers in a circle around the apprentice, and the Grand Master would lower their lightsaber to just above each of the student’s shoulders before severing their braid. The new Knight would then take their braid and leave the Hall in silence.

During Kanan’s knighting during a vision in the Lothal Jedi Temple, the words said were, “By the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, Kanan Jarrus, you may rise.” This may have also been said during more orthodox ceremonies, or another similar phrase.

Hopefully that’s helpful, and good luck!

~ Jacen

Hiya Jacen. I’m lost as to where to start with the EE. Do you happen to have or know of a masterlist of it?

I’m assuming you mean the EU? Ooh boy. I’ve been using the timeline of Legends books and the timeline of canon books on Wookieepedia but, as you may notice, the Legends timeline has just so many books in it. The list is absolutely massive (if you’re also looking for comics and short stories, that’s a different list), so I’ll try to break it down a bit for you, starting with Legends.

The first eras, Before the Republic and Old Republic, are just so ancient that I’ve never been personally interested in them. Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void, the Old Republic series, and the Darth Bane series are probably the most popular books from back then, and together they make up most of those eras.

The Rise of the Empire era is something I’m much more familiar with. The Jedi Apprentice series makes up a good chunk of it, and it’s one I would personally recommend (although I’ve been known to read anything involving Obi-Wan). The Clone Wars and Republic Commando series are both ones I’ve heard recommended but haven’t yet read, as well as the Last of the Jedi series. There are several great individual books in this era, some of which read like extra episodes of The Clone Wars – a few that come to mind are Rogue Planet, The Approaching Storm, and Kenobi. This era has a whole ton of worldbuilding details, so it’s definitely worth going through. It also has the three prequel trilogy books which, while I do love the movies, are better than the movies. For the record, I would sell my soul for the Revenge of the Sith novelization.

Rebellion era includes the novelizations of the three original trilogy movies, all of which are pretty good. I can recommend Allegiance and Truce at Bakura, but it’s been a while since I read anything from here.

New Republic era, I could go on and on about. The X-Wing series is a great one if you’re into the inner workings of the Republic and some of the minor characters and such. The Thrawn Trilogy, I must say, contains some of my all-time favourite books. The Jedi Academy Trilogy and the Corellian Trilogy are also good ones. I would recommend going in order of the books here, if you’re willing, because they’re all nice stories and they have plenty of background information. If anyone wants more recommendations from this era, I’ve read every single novel marked in blue on that list. Whoops.

The New Jedi Order era is made up almost entirely of one series, incidentally called the New Jedi Order series. It’s a good one, but if you don’t like major character death or committing to such a long series… maybe don’t. Again, I’ve read way too much from this era for my own good.

Legacy era is made up mostly of the Legacy of the Force and Fate of the Jedi series. They’re good, especially the former, but they can get depressing. Plenty of major character death, others getting their lives ruined, everyone is getting older. It’s very nostalgic and contrasts sharply with the tone of the newer books, both Legends and canon.

Speaking of canon, there are also newer books that aren’t included in the Legends list. Some of the ones in the canon list haven’t come out yet, but the ones that have, I’ve heard good things about. So far I’ve read Dark Disciple and Ahsoka (I can highly recommend Ahsoka, it’s exactly my kind of story). I know others here have read Catalyst, and I’m sure someone’s read the Aftermath series and/or Bloodline, so if you’ve got anything to say about those ones it’d be great.

Uh, yeah, that got long and a bit off-tangent, but I hope it makes the EU a little bit more navigable. I started with all the post-Empire stuff, but I don’t think it makes a huge difference where you start. Also, both those lists are organized by in-Universe dates, so you can probably fit the canon books into the Legends ones. If anyone sees anything I’ve missed, or has any info for anon here, please don’t hesitate!

Good luck!

~ Jacen

Bumper SW References List!

jediprompts:

Hope these will be useful for fanfic & fanart! If you know of a post, a tag or a community that could be added – let me know!

These are all SW specific reference posts. If you want general writing or drawing inspiration – check my Inspiration Tag.

Hello, su cuy’gar, achuta!

My name is Jacen and I’ve started up @writebetterstarwars, a blog dedicated to answering your questions about everything Star Wars and helping with your writing. If you need to know something about the movies, TV shows, novels, trivia, whatever, I’m your person.

I’m a writer myself, and I know just how huge the Star Wars universe is. I’ve acquired a ton of knowledge just from researching for my own fics and reading so much extended universe stuff. I always try to write as authentically as possible and make every detail accurate and precise, and I promise to do my best to give you the information you need to do the same.

Obviously I’m just starting up over here, but this is going to be an ask-driven blog, so please don’t hesitate to come ask me questions! Adding onto my posts or correcting me if I get something wrong is also always appreciated. I think with a bit of time, and some people in need of writing advice, things will get underway pretty well!

Kaysh meg miit’gaana, oyacyi | Who writes, remains

~ Jacen