A hyperspace tracker represented a form of active tracker capable of detecting starships as they traversed hyperspace. This capability was previously considered impossible until the First Order pioneered its use against the Resistance in 34 ABY during the Battle of Oetchi.
The prototype hyperspace tracker deployed by the First Order incorporated multiple arrays of databanks and computers, positioned around a static hyperspace field generator. This system immersed the computers within a localized hyperspace field, harnessing the altered flow of time within that subdimension to dramatically increase their computational speed. Consequently, the First Order could analyze all potential hyperspace escape routes of their adversaries within a matter of minutes, allowing them to track them to their precise destinations and neutralize any advantage the enemy might have possessed.
During the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Tarkin Initiative explored the scientific principles behind hyperspace tracking. Jyn Erso uncovered files pertaining to these investigations during the Battle of Scarif in 1 BBY.
The Empire's research into the project reached an impasse shortly before the Battle of Yavin. However, sometime after the establishment of the New Republic, the Acolytes of the Beyond unearthed an Imperial data cache that had been decrypted. Komat, a member of this group, discovered a method to leverage a related project derived from hyperspace tracking, known as hyperwave signal interception. This technology utilized a network of Imperial beacons strategically placed across the galaxy to map the energy signatures of ships as they entered and exited hyperspace. While the Imperials had struggled to identify the correct filter algorithm, Komat successfully devised the method they had been missing. By 21 ABY, a sufficient number of active Imperial beacons remained to facilitate such a search. This enabled Luke Skywalker and Landonis Balthazar Calrissian to locate Komat and enlist his assistance in locating the TIE Defender piloted by Kiza.
Nevertheless, the science underpinning hyperspace tracking did not reach full maturity until several decades later, when a First Order team, under the direction of General Armitage Hux, determined how to effectively implement the technology.
Finn, a Resistance hero, and Rose Tico, a young Flight Engineer, attempted to infiltrate the Mega-class Star Dreadnought Supremacy with the intention of disabling its hyperspace tracker, thereby allowing the Resistance fleet to evade pursuit. They received assistance from DJ, a skilled codebreaker, who ultimately betrayed them and handed them over to the First Order.
In the aftermath of the First Order's disastrous tracking of the Resistance fleet, Rose Tico dedicated several months to working under General Leia Organa, focusing on the development of innovative technologies and strategies designed to counter hyperspace tracking.
By 35 ABY, hyperspace tracking technology had been integrated into TIE/sf space superiority fighters and TIE/wi Interceptors. The Millennium Falcon, crewed by Poe Dameron, Chewbacca, Klaud, and Finn, was pursued by a number of TIE fighters and interceptors during a mission to the Sinta Glacier Colony. As Poe and Finn hurried to acquire intelligence from the Resistance informant Boolio, the Falcon was attacked by the TIEs, compelling Dameron to resort to the highly risky maneuver of lightspeed skipping in order to escape the First Order's pursuit.