Acceleration compensator

The acceleration compensator, also known as the inertial dampener, inertial compensator, deceleration compensator, deceleration equalizer, or drive compensator, was a technology used in starships, especially in starfighters and other high-performance vessels. It compensated for the intense accelerations that a spaceship underwent in the course of its normal activities; without compensators, ships would either have to accelerate much more slowly, or cause a blackout to or even kill their occupants with excessive g-forces.

An average Human could survive around 5 gs, while a trained human in a flight suit was generally capable of surviving around 9 gs without suffering negative effects. Even larger ships such as the Executor-class Star Dreadnought were capable of accelerations of over 1000 gs, which was well above lethal levels of acceleration, necessitating the use of inertial compensators on practically every ship.

Inertial compensators were often dialed back from full power by experienced pilots (from 97 to 95 percent), giving them just enough inertia to feel how the ship was performing without negatively impacting their ability to pilot the ship.

Though used primarily in starships, an inertial compensator could be installed in an airspeeder. Senator Simon Greyshade used one in his custom Narglatch XJ-6 airspeeder to protect riders from the harsh maneuvers the craft was capable of.

Inertial compensators were also used in simulators, making them more realistic by creating artificial sensations of acceleration. They were also used in Senate Building turbolifts.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, modifying inertial compensators was necessary to compensate for the shield-draining techniques of the dovin basals.

Text and facts from the “Acceleration compensator/Legends” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.