A moisture vaporator was a relatively simple device used to harvest excess atmospheric humidity. It was ground-based and used on planets such as Tatooine.

CharacteristicsEdit

The device comprised any number of tall slender refrigerated pipes (usually one). When hot, moist air came into contact with one of the frigid tubes, the humidity immediately condensed into droplets of pure water that ran down the tubes and into underground storage tanks.

A properly maintained moisture vaporator could usually collect enough water to sustain three average Humans, even on hot desert planets like Tatooine, and Geonosis; water could be collected from air with a moisture content of as little as 1.3%^[1]. Because of the delicate nature of the machines, regular maintenance was usually required.

Patch-in droids were often used as counterparts to the vaporators, as the droids translated the binary language they spoke, for the benefit of the operators.^[2]

Farmers called a moist and dark area under the vaporator that commonly housed vaporator mushrooms the mushroom patch.^[3]

HistoryEdit

During the Jedi Civil War, Czerka Corporation was known to produce vaporators for use in its more arid outposts, such as Anchorhead on the planet Tatooine. Former Sith Lord Revan was known to have obtained several of these as part of a negotiated deal with a local tribe of Tusken Raiders.

The Republic Army deployed vaporators during the Clone Wars to help reduce the amount of potable water that had to be shipped on transports.

The Tatooine Moisture Farm Collective existed to protect the planet's water supply. Together with the Bestine Chamber of Commerce, they sometimes employed hunters to kill the wild creatures that damaged the vaporators.^[4] One Tatooine moisture farm, the Lars homestead, had 63 separate GX-8 water vaporators on property.

Behind the scenesEdit

After filming A New Hope, the vaporators outside the Lars homestead were left there, and are still visited by tourists to the Tunisian desert.

AppearancesEdit

Non-canonical appearancesEdit

• Star Wars: The Force Unleashed video game — Ultimate Sith Edition
• LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
• LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
• The Rebel Club (Mentioned only)
• Star Wars: Yoda Stories

SourcesEdit

• The Movie Trilogy Sourcebook
• Heroes & Rogues
• The Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
•  Visual Guide — Chapter 8: Droids for Sale on StarWars.com (content now obsolete; backup link on Archive.org)
• Star Wars Customizable Card Game – Premiere Limited (Card: Vaporator)
• The Illustrated Star Wars Universe
• Star Wars Gamemaster Screen, Revised
• Star Wars: The Art of the Brothers Hildebrandt (Picture only)
•  "Secrets of Mos Eisley"—Star Wars Gamer 7
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Illustrated Companion
• Star Wars Galaxies: An Empire Divided Quick Reference Guide
• The New Essential Guide to Weapons and Technology
•  Beheboth: Blood and Water on Wizards.com (original article link, backup links on Archive.org)
• Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game – Galactic Hunters (Card: Moisture Thieves)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
• Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game – The Shadow Syndicate (Card: Malfunctioning Moisture Vaporator)
• The Unknown Regions

Notes and referencesEdit