No matter how old audiences get, there’s no doubt that they always wish and hope that some aspects of the lightsaber in combat, while others were fascinated by the advanced and sentient droids that are all over the franchise.

When it comes to the science behind much of what is included in Star Wars, it’s still mainly unobtainable in our real lives. However, one aspect of Star Wars that would’ve been game-changing is bacta. Bacta is a gelatinous substance with immense healing properties that has been seen in Star Wars movies and TV shows as early as The Empire Strikes Back. Bacta has helped bring characters back from near-death experiences and miraculously repair nerves, skin, and even muscle - but it seems scientists have cracked the code to bring bacta to the real world.

Scientists Have Successfully Created Their Own Version Of Bacta

According to Science Daily, researchers at Aalto University and the University of Bayreuth, located in Finland and respectively, have developed a hydrogel that has opened the proverbial floodgates on things like wound healing and artificial skin. The hydrogel combines different properties of skin that previous artificial gels have only been able to create singularly. While it doesn’t seem that bacta or Star Wars was the inspiration for this scientific breakthrough, it still resembles how it operates in multiple Star Wars titles.

While the science of it all likely goes over all of our heads, researchers have proven that cuts on skin are mostly healed after four hours, and completely healed after 24 hours using this hydrogel. Bacta has similar properties, though it usually doesn’t come in sheet form. Normally, an individual will be submerged in bacta in order to promote healing. Characters famous for using it include Luke Skywalker, Boba Fett, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Cobb Vanth.

George Lucas' Version Of Bacta Fits With Star Wars' Greatest Themes

Despite this new, groundbreaking scientific research, the healing powers of bacta have something the real-world hydrogel doesn’t have: George Lucas. One of Lucas’ biggest themes in Star Wars was that things are meant to be in balance, or in symbiosis. Lucas believes that things such as the Force are always searching for balance, and in a way, bacta can help individuals find that balance. Bacta essentially restores balance to a person’s health, and since bacta is a living thing, it creates a symbiosis in the galaxy as well.

The first appearance of bacta in Star Wars was in The Empire Strikes Back, where Luke is submerged after surviving a wampa attack on Hoth.

Star Wars fans shouldn’t expect to see the development of real, functioning lightsabers anytime soon, but seeing one of the more wholesome and helpful aspects of Star Wars come to life is truly amazing. There’s surely more work to be done with the hydrogel, so it will likely be a while before fans can get it to heal their wampa wounds like Luke Skywalker. No matter what, it’s always fun to see when the real world imitates Star Wars, and it’s even better when it’s for something so positive.