How Fast Is Hyperspace In Star Wars?

Star Wars occurs in a fictional universe that sometimes mirrors our own.

Of course, there are some outlandish technologies and ideas (like the entire concept of Force Powers), but some postulations have an intriguing premise about them.

The galaxy’s concept of space travel is one such idea. In the franchise, there are two possibilities for space travel: Hyperspace and Lightspeed.

Many have wondered how fast these two notions are and which is faster than the other. Without further ado, let’s delve into the concepts of Hyperspace and Lightspeed.

What is Hyperspace?

Hyperspace is a bit complicated and misunderstood by the inhabitants of the galaxy. Although some of the galaxy’s astrogation specialists and astrophysicists shed as much light on the theory as possible, it still largely remains a mystery.

So let’s dissect it piece by piece.

Hyperspace is a space-time alternative to normal space (Realspace). 

Accessing Hyperspace cannot be achieved through regular means. Instead, this section of space can only be attained by particle displacement (the movement of a particle from its position of equilibrium).

Hyperspace is something of a mirror universe to Realspace. What this means is that for every point in normal space, there is a shadow point that exists in Hyperspace. The same is true for planets, stars, asteroids, and any other object in normal space.

As we have already established, Hyperspace involves the transfer of matter. Thus, for ships to reach this section of space, a substance known as hypermatter is used instead of the craft’s energy supply.

Hypermatter is the fuel source needed for spaceships to enter Hyperspace. Hypermatter is used to fuel the hyperdrive which is something of an engine, allowing ships to travel between regular space and Hyperspace.

Powering the hyperdrive with hypermatter allows teleportation from one point to another without having to sit through the full voyage between those points. Ergo, the time for the journey becomes significantly reduced.

What’s more, a spacecraft’s ability to enter Hyperspace is dependent on its hyperdrive engine and technological advancements. To that end, if a vessel’s hyperdrive system fails while outside of Realspace, it will simply fall out of Hyperspace.

How Fast Is Hyperspace In Star Wars?

Now that we have some understanding of what Hyperspace is, how fast is it exactly?

Star Wars does not disclose much information about Hyperspace, but we do know that it allows vessels to travel faster than the speed of light.

According to the co-writer of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Gary Whitta, the speed of Hyperspace simply “moves at the speed of the plot”.

What this means is that however long it takes to get from one point to the other, it is solely dependent on the plot’s development. Furthermore, the plot would take whatever time is most dramatic and holds the viewer’s attention the longest.

All things considered, it is unclear how fast a ship would travel while it is inside Hyperspace. This obscurity is possibly intentional, as the ships would be allowed to reach their destination at a time convenient for the progression of the storyline, not a minute before or after.

Nevertheless, fans have come up with theories surrounding how fast Hyperspace is.

Based on Reddit threads, it is the consensus that a voyage through Hyperspace can take anywhere from two weeks to under one day to get from one side of the galaxy to the other.

What is Lightspeed?

The speed of light is not a fictional thing and exists in our reality as well. This is the speed at which light spreads through different materials. In our world, “Lightspeed” (or the speed of light) in a vacuum is 3,108 m/s.

In Star Wars, the speed of light is the same. Even so, the term “Lightspeed” is often used as slang for the speed at which vessels transport themselves through hyperspace.

However, as we touched on before, a spacecraft must be traveling faster than the speed of light to enter Hyperspace. What this suggests is that the rate at which the hypermatter particles disperse is faster than Lightspeed.

Therefore, ships with advanced hyperdrive engines and systems can traverse Hyperspace over one hundred thousand times faster than the speed of light.

As a result, a ship with a hyperdrive engine can travel from one end of the galaxy to another in a matter of days as opposed to the months or years it usually takes.

Hyperspace vs. Lightspeed

Hyperspace and Lightspeed are two completely different entities, but they are intertwined with one another.

Hyperspace is an alternative dimension in which pilots are required to travel at the speed of light or faster. According to that definition, Lightspeed is simply the speed at which Hyperspace can be traversed.

To achieve Hyperspace, hypermatter particles need to be manipulated for ships to be propelled through space. Conversely, Lightspeed is simply the moment at which a ship attains the aforementioned speed of light.

Lightspeed is achievable at any point, but Hyperspace can only be accessed through hyperdrives and other specific pathways that connect it to normal space.

Because of how different the two are, it isn’t accurate to state which is faster than the other. Hyperspace is another dimension in which points can connect directly to their mirror destinations in Realspace.

The time it takes for a ship to travel between those points is usually less than it would take traveling at the speed of light. For that reason, it is safe to assume that ships traveling in Hyperspace generally move faster than Lightspeed. 

Accordingly, Lightspeed is the minimum speed needed for entry into Hyperspace, not the maximum speed achievable in the alternate dimension. This solidifies the presumption that time in Hyperspace moves faster than regular Lightspeed.

Conclusion

The galactic universe has concepts that are not too far-fetched from those of our reality. Specifically, Lightspeed is the same concept throughout.

Where fiction begins and reality ends is in the introduction of Hyperspace. This phenomenon is an alternate dimension that closely mirrors that of normal space.

Due to this, an individual can travel from one point in normal space to the alternate point in Hyperspace in much less time than the journey would have originally taken.

To enter Hyperspace, a vessel must contain hypermatter (which goes through particle dispersion) and travel at Lightspeed or faster.

Vessels in Hyperspace more often than not move faster than the speed of light. Yet there is no official declaration of how fast Hyperspace is. In this extra dimension, time simply travels at whatever speed best fits the plot.