Star Wars Human Lifespans

[Guardsman Bass]

I thought that during the whole X-Wing series (and in particular the Kryptos Trap), they used bacta to heal the alien-attacking plague that Ysard unleashed on Coruscant.

[1337n1nj4]

It brings up the question of what bacta does exactly. Can it cure severe burns? If so, what's the difference between that and curing skin cancer?

Quite a bit. Burns are cells that are injured/killed due to excessive heat. Cancer is defective cells that multiply unchecked. Put simply, a burn can be healed/repaired, depending on it's severity (3rd degree is pretty much a lost cause without prosthetic intervention, though-- there's a lot of tissue necrosis)-- cancer is a whole 'nother beast.

Does bacta make cells multiply faster, is it a miracle "super-antibiotic" that prevents scars, or is it actually "smart?" (Does it do something similar to that regenerative machine in The Fifth Element?)

Antibiotics don't do anything for aiding injuries. The topical forms used on healing wounds are simply there to prevent infection.

The only thing that could potentially aid in the actual healing would be an increase in prostaglandins, interleukins, and cytokines, along with the various signaling growth factors and the histo-immune cells (mostly macrophages and neutrophils) responsible for healing.

Not that difficult, in biochemical terms, but to make a "smart" version would be quite a trip.