How Does Star Wars Hyperspace Actually Work?

There are numerous visual moments that have become staples of the "Star Wars" franchise throughout its five decades-long history. Aside from the ignition of a lightsaber, arguably the most iconic is the image of a ship entering hyperspace. Movement in space around the cockpit seems to slow, if only for a moment before the stars ahead appear stretched. With that, the ship jumps forward with a bang as the windshield is overtaken by swirls of white and blue — though hyperspace can look different, as seen in the sixth episode of "Ahsoka" on Disney+. It's an unforgettable sequence, but how does hyperspace actually work?

It hasn't been overly-explained by any one piece of "Star Wars" media, but, over the years, hyperspace has been explored here and there. Essentially, hyperspace is an alternate dimension accessed when traveling faster than the speed of light. Doing so creates a simu-tunnel that allows one to travel through space time from one location in space to another. While creatures such as purrgil are capable of navigating hyperspace naturally, most other species in the "Star Wars" galaxy must be aboard a ship equipped with a hyperdrive to get from point A to point B safely.

Even in the meaningless "Star Wars" canon, hyperspace is a bit of a conundrum within the scientific community. It's not fully understood, thus making it a somewhat risky form of travel for the uninitiated.

Hyperspace has canonically been explored since ancient times, with folks from all walks of life aiming to understand it and use it to their advantage. Naturally, this has led to some important discoveries along the way. Most notable is the creation of hyperspace lanes: paths between key points in the galaxy that are almost entirely safe for pilots to travel through hyperspace on. Traveling outside of these established lanes is a big risk, seeing as one can collide with mass shadows, or hyperspace versions of large objects in normal space, and almost certainly guarantee the destruction of their ship and death.

Unfortunately, an infamous example of a hyperspace collision actually occurs within a hyperspace lane during the High Republic Era. Known as the Great Hyperspace Disaster, a ship called the Legacy Run collides with a Nihil Stormship, killing the crew aboard and tearing the ship apart. The debris returns to space from hyperspace and proceeds to wreak havoc on nearby worlds, notably those in the Hetzal system. Additionally, in the non-canon "Star Wars" Legends continuity, Starweirds — the scariest Force-powered creatures you've likely never seen – are known to appear on vessels within hyperspace and decimate the crew. Though these beings are canon, they've yet to exhibit such behavior in the official timeline.

Evidently, hyperspace can be dangerous and cost those who decide to make the jump their life. Be that as it may, without it, the franchise just wouldn't be the same and our favorite characters would likely often be stuck in whatever corner of the galaxy they happened to be in, meaning hyperspace will likely always remain a cornerstone of "Star Wars" well into the future.