Bioweapons, or biotoxins were deadly chemical weapons of mass destruction. Often designed to target specific species, bioweapons were heavily researched by the Galactic Empire, although the Alliance to Restore the Republic prioritized the destruction of those facilities, preventing them from using the bioweapons on a large scale.
Bioweapons were an ever-present threat throughout most major conflicts. During the Clone Wars between the Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems, Doctor Nuvo Vindi re-created a strain of the dreaded Blue Shadow Virus, although it was destroyed before it could become widespread.
Imperial Vice Admiral Perwin Gedde tested ancient diseases on several worlds, raining sickness from sub-orbital battleships. The Imperial Military Department of Advanced Weapons Research initiated Project Blackwing , also known as bioweapon 17-A, on the planet Dantooine. It was a virus capable of turning its host into zombie-like infected.
In the Galactic Civil War, the Galactic Empire researched bioweapons in facilities located on planets such as Coyerti, which was rich with plants and animal life. Coyerti was home to a chemical distillery, which was the target of the 61st Mobile Infantry during the Coyerti campaign in 3 ABY. The distillery was successfully destroyed by a small team of Rebel operatives.
Although the Distillery on Coyerti was destroyed, its weapons were used against the 61st from Coyerti's stockpiled reserves on the planet Nakadia, causing the agonizing death of a number of rebel soldiers including Maediyu.
- Star Wars: On the Front Lines
- Star Wars: The Rebel Files