Airlock

An airlock was a structure built into most starships and space stations that allowed beings to enter or exit pressurized atmospheres from the vacuum of space, or sometimes, into high-pressure ocean depths. A user would enter the pressurized airlock wearing a space suit, and both exits would be sealed. At this point, the airlock could be safely depressurized so the user could exit the craft. Airlocks were sometimes used for executions as well.

Some ships had airlocks as interior components, such as the prisoner cells aboard Zuckuss's ship, the Mist Hunter. Because Zuckuss would commonly keep his ship pumped full of ammonia, the prisoner cells had airlocks so that they could be filled with oxygen, which would prevent the captured bounty from suffocating, all the while leaving Zuckuss unaffected.

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