


As more of the galaxy was mapped, more direct hyperspace routes were discovered. As time passed, the laborious task of traveling through hyperspace beacons, which required numerous reversions to realspace, was replaced with new hyperlanes such as the Hydian Way.

As galactic citizens from the Core pushed outwards, star systems fought for hyperspace lanes to be charted through their systems, which brought with them trade, wealth, and prestige. The Tertiary Usaita system was one such system to undergo Old Republic exploration. The Old Republic sent pioneering survey teams to explore and chart new hyperspace lanes with navigational beacons. " You're taking a poorly mapped hyperspace route to a planet where people have gone missing because she's pretty." ― Leia Organa to Luke Skywalker, on traveling with Nakari Kelen to Fex The destruction of such beacons could hinder travel to the system.

Hyperspace beacons helped guide starships to star systems, refueling stations, and ports, and several beacons could act as guides through dangerous and less traveled parts of the galaxy. Star systems could have several or a single hyperlane entrance/exit point, meaning that such points could be guarded and fortified, and ports of access monitored and controlled. Chains of important star systems formed runs, which were vital navigational routes for trade and transit, and such routes could cross multiple sectors. Those routes were regarded as safe, allowing starships to travel without colliding with a celestial body in realspace. Hyperspace routes, also known as hyperspace lanes, hyperlanes, space routes, hyperroutes, trade routes, spacelanes, and runs, were established paths through hyperspace, which linked major worlds in the galaxy, just as roads linked major cities on populated planets. Billions of people depend on those lanes for food and other essentials." ― Senator Izzet Noor, to Supreme Chancellor Lina Soh " Chancellor, I must ask again, how long are you planning to keep the hyperspace lanes closed? Not every Outer Rim world is self-sufficient.
