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In The Force Awakens, Rey is shown salvaging components from cylindrical structures in a crashed Star Destroyer's hangar. Is there any information (cue the TFA Visual Dictionary, Incredible Cross-Sections, etc.) on the function of those components and what they're called?

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  • they sort looked like explosive charges to me.
    – RedCaio
    Jan 4, 2016 at 22:09
  • I felt that my answer to this one was pretty convincing, given the image from the authorised companion book. Is there anything else you'd like me to add before considering an acceptance?
    – Valorum
    Jul 2, 2016 at 9:17
  • The question was not about the objects she was salvaging; it was about the structures she was salvaging from. The question has been modified for more clarity. Sorry about the confusion. :\
    – user339676
    Jul 7, 2016 at 21:30
  • @user339676 - Given that there's an answer to the (amended) question, the appropriate action would be to ask a completely new question, rather than invalidating the existing answer by changing the question. For that reason, I'm rolling back to the earlier edit.
    – Valorum
    Jul 7, 2016 at 21:32
  • And yes, I do appreciate that your original question was edited in the first place.
    – Valorum
    Jul 7, 2016 at 21:33

1 Answer 1

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UPDATE: According to the Force Awakens: Visual Dictionary they were "Capacitor Bearings". Quite why a capacitor needs a bearing isn't explained.

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The script describes them as "various mechanisms"

A metal sheet is pulled open to reveal the wrapped up faceof A SCAVENGER, perhaps alien, in GOGGLES, FACE MASK and GLOVES. Backpack with a STAFF strapped to it. Uses TOOLS to remove various MECHANISMS from inside the wall. We are in an upside-down, canted CORRIDOR. The Scavenger finds a valuable piece, drops it in a SATCHEL.

The Junior novelisation is similarly enlightening, referring to them as "various components"

She hung on to the wall of a demolished destroyer and used her tools to wiggle free various components that rust hadn’t devoured. The ship was a treasure trove of metal sheeting and military-grade tech that, if given a proper cleaning, could fetch Rey a meal or two at Niima Outpost.

The Official Novelisation is just about as forthcoming, noting that they're "small devices"

Wielding an assortment of tools, the scavenger was excising an assortment of small devices from one metal wall. One after another, bits of booty found their way into the satchel that hung below the slender figure.

When the satchel was full, the scavenger secured it shut and commenced a perilous descent, avoiding sharp projections and threatening gaps in the wall. Arriving at the bottom of the metallic canyon, the figure hefted a piece of larger salvage recovered earlier and then, laboring under the double load, headed toward a distant slit of sunlight.

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  • LOL. Thanks for the answer, although none of the official quotes really seem to clarify anything. :) The objects resemble the things that TIE Fighters hang off of in the games and Original Trilogy, though I can't be completely sure.
    – user339676
    Jan 4, 2016 at 22:38
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    @Richard - My guess would be 'Capacitor Bearings' means that they use EM fields/capacitance instead of smooth material (a.k.a. ball bears) to prevent friction. Feb 26, 2016 at 0:08

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