Thermal exhaust port

Thermal exhaust ports were shafts which vented heat from reactor cores. The secret Imperial training facility on Daro, which was hidden inside of a mountain, had its thermal exhaust port as one of only two potential exits out of the base, although the sheer drop outside the port made it an unwise prospect without flying transportation. Famously, the Death Star space station had two such ports, a main port and a smaller one which led directly to its reactor, located in the Meridian trench, which had been deliberately designed by Galen Erso as an act of sabotage to give the station a critical vulnerability. During the Battle of Yavin, Luke Skywalker fired two proton torpedoes into the exhaust port with the aid of the Force, leading to the destruction of the battle station.

Text and facts from the “Thermal exhaust port” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.