What do you think the scientists in the Star Wars universe are working on?

[Maximum7]

Just Kyber crystals?!
In Catalyst, we learned about how Galen Erso worked on weaponizing Kyber crystals. First off. Is their society so unadvanced that they are messing around with crystals? Okay they are supposed to fuel the Death Star and are part of the plot, I just find it so strange that FTL travel would be perfected centuries before figuring out the properties of kyber crystals. Anyway, my other complaint was that in the novel, Catalyst, we didn't catch glimpses of what the other scientists that are employed by the Empire are working on. I would love to have known what the Iktochi scientist who Galen got into a fist fight with was working on.


Anyway, my question is. What possible other things could the scientists of the Empire be researching and working on besides kyber crystals? I don't think teleportation or time travel because by the time of the novel Phasma and the Force Awakens novelization, these things are hinted to be impossible. I also don't think matter replication is a viable idea since it would create a post-scarcity society and the Empire would probably try to surpluses all research of that technology. A wormhole gate appeared in the Han Solo comic but nobody seems to be doing anything with it and it was said to be ancient technology too complicated to figure out


So what's left? What else could scientists be working to achieve during the time of the Empire? Any and all ideas besides the ones I mentioned are welcomed.

[Ginger]

They might be working on implant robotic parts to give their minions? Like robotic eyes that have heat vision and dark vision, or can track things faster than any human's eyes or zoom in to see long distances. Maybe implants that give faster reflexes, more intelligence or make you look scary? It worked for Darth Maul. And I bet they'd be doing stuff with prescription drugs too. Medicating their soldiers through their rampant mental health issues possibly brought about by trying to forcefully dominate stuff in the galaxy. Not every Storm Trooper wants to serve The Empire unquestioningly like we saw with that one guy in: The Force Awakens. I assume plenty of brainwashing propaganda is as well being developed by enterprising socially-persuaded researchers to wow more hearts and minds to The Empire's causes.

And on the more supernatural side they may be looking into The Force's psychic abilities like the Mind Trick or sensing somebody's surface intentions? Though come to think of it: By the time of A New Hope I only remember Darth Vader as having any Force powers to speak of. That said maybe they did some research special for him on how to psychically throw people around, mind control them, choke them or read their minds et cetera. I wouldn't mind seeing some Force amplifying devices or something that could give somebody massive psychic powers thank you Evil Science.

[Soupspoon]

Ever better protection for thermal exhaust ports, hypermatter reactors and entire reactor chasm buuldings.

[Internetmeme]

You literally copied and pasted this same thread onto multiple other forums.

And heck, the one you made last week was copied-and-pasted to multiple forums and chans across the internet.

[SecondTalon]

You literally copied and pasted this same thread onto multiple other forums.

And heck, the one you made last week was copied-and-pasted to multiple forums and chans across the internet.

A++ work, Gold stars all around