carbon-freezing chamber

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Bespin

• Affiliation:
  Cloud City

• Type:
  class three carbon-freezing chamber

• Manufacturer:
  Figg and Associates, Ltd.

• 

From the Movies

Most visitors to Cloud City only see the gleaming corridors and pristine malls, and not the steel and steam-filled industrial sectors so vital to the city's economy. The city supports a number of carbon-freezing chambers for the containment of Tibanna gas.

Molten carbonite is flash-frozen into a solid state, encasing materials for transport in an incredibly strong metal alloy. Carbonite has the ability to suspend organic matter in a form of stasis. Under the correct settings, a living form can be carbon-frozen and placed into hibernation. The process is exacting and extremely dangerous -- a miscalculation can result in death.

From the Expanded Universe

Cloud City's immense tractor beam generators pull in precious spin-sealed Tibanna gas from the depths of Bespin. The gaseous bounty is then channeled into refineries and stabilized in high-pressure press-chem tubes. For long-term storage and transport, however, the outpost relies on carbonite.

Tibanna is routed to carbon-freezing chambers throughout the lower levels of the city. Magnetic fields suspend the gas prior to its channeling into a specialized control block, onto which liquid carbonite is applied. Though Cloud City export documents show that its Tibanna gas is sold strictly as a hyperdrive coolant, much of the gas is actually used for military applications.

The freezing of living subjects in carbonite has long been a form of torture. The evil Krath that conquered the Empress Teta system thousands of years ago placed the ruling class in carbon-freeze after their coup. The process is excruciating, and although the subject undergoes a form of stasis hibernation, there is evidence that they still experience consciousness while frozen.

Behind the Scenes

Han Solo's carbonized form was constructed from fiberglass. Early casts had Harrison Ford's likeness at rest, but director Irvin Kershner wanted a more anguished expression of pain on Han's face. This necessitated recasting the molds.