Gravity well projector / Legends A gravity well projector was an apparatus used to create interdiction fields . By simulating the gravity shadow of a planet or other celestial body , often called a gravity well , a ship ' s travel through hyperspace could be halted or their jump to hyperspace could be rendered impossible within the simulated gravity shadow . These generally large gravity well generators were most often used to counteract hit - and - run tactics and pin outmaneuvered or outnumbered enemies in place . Through history , however , other strategic uses for the technology have been seen . History . Since the advent of the hyperdrive the ability to interdict hyperlane traffic forcibly was seen as an obvious strategic goal . Hyperlane interdiction technology however has had a tumultuous history . Thousands of years before the Battle of Yavin , the peak of interdictor technology was represented by the warship " Leviathan " . Although it could stop the hyperdrives of its day , the " Leviathan " was considered grossly inefficient by later standards due to the widespread use of improved hyperdrive sensors and null quantum field generator s . As of 27 BBY , the interdiction technology of the " Leviathan " hadn ' t been used by the Galactic Republic for centuries , and indeed many had forgotten that the technology even existed . However gravity well projection technology was reapplied by Republic scientists during the Clone Wars . In the eras of the Empire and the New Republic , the Immobilizer 418 was the most commonly used interdictor , such that in common usage the term " interdictor " became synonymous with that specific class of ship . Vagaari . The nomadic Vagaari also utilized gravity well projectors , which were used to prevent targets of their conquest from escaping . It is unclear whether the Vagaari actually developed the technology , or stole it from one of the races they conquered . One of their projectors was captured by Force Commander Mitth ' raw ' nuruodo of the Chiss Expansionry Fleet in 27 BBY , allowing the Chiss Ascendancy to study the technology . The captured projector was installed in the small Chiss cruiser " Whirlwind " with no mention of existing equipment being removed to accommodate it , indicating that Vagaari gravity well projectors were relatively small . On the other hand , it was relatively primitive by Republic standards , as it required to have several easily destroyed stations deployed separately for optimum effectiveness , and so could not be built into a ship . Centerpoint . One of the many functions of the ancient Centerpoint Station in Corellian system was to produce a colossal artificial gravity well . This ability was first revealed in the early stages of the First Corellian Insurrection in 18 ABY , when an interdiction field spanning the entire Corellian system was activated , making immediate intervention by the New Republic impossible . This made Centerpoint the most powerful gravity well projector in Galactic history . It was even theorized that Centerpoint could , by networking the Corellian system ' s planetary repulsors and tapping the gravitic potential of Corell itself , create an interdiction field spanning the entire Galaxy , and thus make all hyperspace travel impossible . Hapes . The Hapes Consortium ' s pulse - mass mines were a related technology . Hapan Battle Dragon s were equipped with 16 pulse - mass mine launchers , and could launch hundreds of the mines to prevent hyperspace travel . While these mines had the distinct advantage of being more difficult to eliminate than an Interdictor cruiser ( they presented much smaller targets , and each individual mine had to be located and destroyed ) , the downside was that they could not be deactivated by the Hapan vessels . This meant that even if the Hapan ships were being overwhelmed by the enemy force , retreat was impossible until the mines ' power was depleted . Thus , Hapan commanders would only utilize their pulse - mass mines if they were confident that victory was assured , or when retreat was not an option . Pulse - mass mines were vital to the Hapan victory in the Battle of Dathomir . Other . One year after the Battle of Yavin , Alliance High Command learned that the Empire apparently was experimenting with gravity well projectors on a planetary surface . As a gravity well projected on a planet ' s surface could cause severe earthquakes or even deform the entire globe , the Alliance decided to send a strike team to destroy the facility housing the projector . An " Empress " - class space station named Yag - prime was built by the Rebel Alliance over Yag ' Dhul during the Galactic Civil War . Warlord Zsinj held the station in 6 ABY . However , the station was captured from his forces by the New Republic , and became ( with the permission of the Givin government ) the site of Rogue Squadron ' s orbiting base for training during the Bacta War . It was during this time that Booster Terrik , the manager of the station , acquired a gravity well projector from Talon Karrde and had it installed on the station . It was later used in conjunction with the station ' s tractor beams to trap the " Lusankya " when it arrived in system . Behind the scenes . In the game " " , there existed orbital stations that possessed gravity well generators which would prevent an enemy fleet from escaping the battlefield , but whether these were common or not is unknown .