What Is Coaxium?
Image Source: IMDb
If you are a Star Wars fan then chances are you have heard the term “coaxium” at least once, but what exactly is it? The short answer is that it is a highly valuable type of fuel. Like with all things Star Wars though, coaxium is a much more complex and important substance than just fuel.
While this fuel has been mentioned throughout books and video games, we really have only seen it once in live-action. Solo: A Star Wars Story focuses heavily on coaxium, what it is, and why it is so valuable.
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Coaxium is a fuel that is necessary for any star ship wanting to travel through hyperspace. It has also been referred to as “hyperfuel” and sometimes just “fuel” even though regular fuel would not allow for the ships to travel in the way we see in most Star Wars content.
Star Wars Rebels taught us that Purgils can travel through hyperspace and that they are the original reason that ships are able to do it today. It was revealed in The Solo Official Guidebook that ancient space explorers discovered a natural form of coaxium in the stomachs of purgils along with a gas called Clouzann-36.
The animals were able to metabolize these things which allowed them to travel through hyperspace. Over the years, a “safe” version of coaxium was created. Now the hyperspace reaction chambers of ships are coated in coaxium, and when it is energized, it allows the ship to enter hyperspace.
Coaxium is also used in hyperspace rings which we have seen throughout Star Wars in both live-action and animated content. The hyperspace rings allow starfighters to travel through hyperspace even though they are too small to have their own hyperdrive. The coaxium works in the hyperspace rings similarly to how it works in hyperspace reaction chambers of larger ships. While this was a fascinating and useful discovery, the reality is that there is no safe form of coaxium, and that is why it is so valuable.
Image Source: IMDb
Solo did a great job of diving into what coaxium is and not only how it could be used as a form of payment but also how when it was unrefined it was incredibly volatile. Kessel is where unrefined coaxium is mined, and even when it is refined, it is still incredibly dangerous. The reason that it is mined on Kessel is because it naturally forms on planets that have strong interstellar power – like Kessel. When transporting coaxium, whether unrefined or refined, it must be kept at a very specific and stable temperature, and it cannot be tipped or dropped or it will explode.
Due to the temperamental nature of the coaxium and how difficult it is to get after the rise of the Empire, it became a commodity that was desperately sought after by crime organizations and the Rebellion. One small drop of this fuel could power an entire fleet of starships. 100 grams of refined coaxium was worth 60 million credits which is why Han Solo and Lando Calrissian were so willing to risk transporting unrefined coaxium on the Millenium Falcon. Although Han was not paid what the coaxium he transported was worth, he did get to keep a small vial of the fuel, and he had a hand in building the Rebellion that would later lead him to Luke and Leia.
A quick fun fact is that while most fans know that Han won the Millenium Falcon from Lando in a game of Sabacc, you may not know that Han used coaxium as his buy-in to get a seat at the game before going all in for the Falcon.
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Source(s): Starwars.com
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