A bacta tank, sometimes referred to as a bacta pod, was essentially a sealed container designed for immersing individuals in bacta for extended periods. This fluid possessed remarkable regenerative properties, capable of dramatically accelerating the healing process and addressing severe physical trauma.
As early as 231 BBY during the High Republic Era, bacta tanks were already in use, coinciding with the relative novelty of bacta itself.
Following a catastrophic shuttle crash that almost resulted in death, the Kaleesh warlord known as Grievous sustained life-threatening injuries. He was subsequently placed within a bacta tank, a procedure that ultimately led to his transformation into a cyborg. During the Clone Wars, the Galactic Republic employed these tanks to aid in the recovery of their wounded soldiers.
Within Darth Vader's castle on Mustafar, a dedicated chamber housed a bacta tank. Here, the Dark Lord found a degree of comfort and used the tank to unwind and meditate outside the confines of his restrictive life support armor.
To facilitate recovery from severe burns inflicted by Darth Vader on Mapuzo, Obi-Wan Kenobi underwent treatment in a bacta tank.
After sustaining critical injuries from a wampa attack on the icy planet of Hoth, Commander Luke Skywalker was immersed in a bacta tank to promote healing.
During the scourge of the droids, two DT-series sentry droids, corrupted by the Scourge, ambushed Vader's bacta tank. They eliminated the two Emperor's Royal Guards on duty and destroyed the tank. However, Vader utilized the Force to obliterate both droids. The tank was later repaired, and Vader used it to reach out to his master through the Force after another skirmish on Mustafar.
Boba Fett had a portable format of the bacta tank installed within his Boba Fett's Palace on Tatooine. Boba Fett frequently used his bacta pod to treat burns from the Great Pit of Carkoon. Following the battle for Mos Espa, Cobb Vanth was placed in Fett's bacta tank after being shot by Cad Bane, while a cyborg modifier was providing medical care.
Bacta tanks were initially introduced in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, which was the second film in the Star Wars original trilogy. Their formal identification occurred in "Shadow of Malevolence," which was the third episode of the first season of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.
In the television series Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hayden Christensen portrayed Darth Vader helmetless inside a bacta tank. The production team was aware that the actor would need to hold his breath while submerged in the water, so they arranged for him to train with a diving instructor to extend his breath-holding capacity. Christensen was prohibited from using a regulator to breathe, but Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi, received oxygen during his bacta tank scene. A team of make-up artists spent four to five hours applying make-up on Christensen for him to play Vader in those scenes. He worked very closely with executive creative director of Lucasfilm, Doug Chiang, who gave input into the overall look.