A data tape, also information tape, was a recording device that could be read by a holoprojector, such as the one standard in R2 units, or a computer terminal.
The Jedi training ship Chu'unthor had many datatapes about Jedi training. When it crashed in 340 BBY, Jedi Master Yoda lead a rescue team to the wreck. He left the datatapes and reader discs about the Jedi, and prophesied a Jedi to defeat the Nightsisters. In 8 ABY, Luke Skywalker fulfilled the prophecy and took the records. In 40 ABY, these were the majority in the collection of Jedi datatapes of the New Jedi Order.
The plans for the first Death Star were recorded on datatapes, which were stolen by a rebel force and provided to Princess Leia Organa and uploaded into R2-D2. Later, the tapes came into the possession of the Rebellion, and helped in the Battle of Yavin.
The use of the word "tapes" in A New Hope was in 1977. In the 1970s, tapes were a modern way of recording audio, video, and computer data.
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe
- Galladinium's Fantastic Technology
- Dark Forces Official Player's Guide
- Alliance Intelligence Reports
- The Truce at Bakura Sourcebook
- The Jedi Academy Sourcebook
- Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
- Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force
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