Computers are ubiquitous in Star Wars. Are they quantum-level in terms of complexity?
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1Why assume that quantum computing is the in-universe end point of computer technology? Look for some evidence, document what you can, and then ask if someone else has more information.– rosesunhillCommented Mar 25, 2016 at 16:36
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1The laws of physics are perhaps different in the Star Wars universe than in our own (for example, there's sound in space) so we can't be sure quantum physics would work the same or allow for faster computations. Although in The Force Awakens when Finn first returned to the Star Destroyer, I thought I did here them say some bit of technobabble about "quantum" something over the PA system in the hanger.– HypnosiflCommented Mar 25, 2016 at 16:41
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1Hi, I have edited your question to remove the comments about assuming the computers are quantum. I think it is an ok question, but this is a better way of phrasing it maybe.– The Giant of LannisterCommented Mar 25, 2016 at 16:48
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5@Daniel Roseman - "Luke, you switched off your targeting computer. What's wrong?" Other lines from the New Hope script here include "the Death Star plans are not in the main computer" and "It'll take a few moments to get the coordinates from the navi-computer."– HypnosiflCommented Mar 25, 2016 at 17:34
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2Considering the time it takes to calculate a jump to light speed, probably not.– user45549Commented Mar 25, 2016 at 21:28
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1 Answer
Some computers and devices in Star Wars have used "quantum" as part of their description or design:
Canon
Quantum-switch code key: appears in Solo: A Star Wars Story and described in the visual guide. Used for high-security physical keys:
Access to the most secure train cars can only be gained using one-of-a-kind quantum-switch code keys, which are matched to specific biological signatures of their bearers.
Solo: A Star Wars Story: The Official Guide, page 61; emphasis added
Quantum computer diagnostics laboratory: appears in The Rise of Skywalker. It's identified as such in the Visual Dictionary, which doesn't elaborate on what it's used for or by whom.
Legends
- Quantum computer: appears in the Death Star novel in the context of cryptography:
In addition to the best military wards and pyrowalls, the folder was also protected by a random number generated by a quantum computer, said number being forty-seven digits long. Moreover, the program would shift each digit one value lower or higher every six standard hours, and only somebody with the code to access the program running it could keep track of this shift—one had to know the date and hour the program generated the number in order to follow the sequence. It was a slow and unwieldy process, hardly suitable for files that needed to be accessed with any frequency, but workable for him.
Death Star (2007), chapter 34; emphasis added
- Quantum RAM: appears in the novella A Forest Apart as part of an advanced droid's specifications:
[One-twenty?] the droid scoffed. [Don't insult me. My processor speed is fifty-point-three-two times faster than the one-twenty's.]
[Then you must have the GwendoLyn Six,] Chewbacca said.
[That's right,] the droid said proudly. [Tachyon processing bands, quantum RAM, biocell storage.]
A Forest Apart, printed in Tatooine Ghost, page 446; emphasis added
Overall, it seems like quantum computers do exist in Star Wars, but tend to be used for specialized purposes, implying that most computers aren't quantum in design.
