Unidentified Dianoga

"There's something alive in here."

- Luke Skywalker

This Dianoga was a vicious creature that lived inside Garbage Compactor 3263827 aboard the Death Star.

Description
Like most dianoga, it was a carnivorous non-sentient creature that would eat anything it could find, but it would be quick to flee when presented with danger.

History
At unknown point prior to 1 BBY, this dianoga was known to have boarded the first Death Star, and made its home in one of the space station's many garbage compactors where it would spend the rest of its days eating the refuse of the Death Star's occupants.

In 0 BBY, the creature's "nest" would be unintentionally infiltrated by a small party consisting of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Leia Organa who were trying to escape from the Death Star. Upon seeing them, the dianoga was quick to attack Skywalker and pulled the young farmboy under the murky, polluted water in hopes of a quick meal, but the group proved persistent and were to quick to fight the dianoga to stay alive, but luckily for them, the creature was scared away when the compactor walls activated. The dianoga itself had managed to burrow itself into the wall, and so was relatively safe inside the compactor.

However the creature's survival against the invaders would be short-lived, as soon after the incident, the dianoga was destroyed along with the rest of Death Star by the very same young farmboy it had tried to drown.

Behind the scenes
This creature, first appeared in the original 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, the first installment of the Star Wars original trilogy.

In George Lucas' revised fourth draft of A New Hope, the Dianoga, was referred as "Dia Nogu". In the finished version of film, Lucas was reportedly less than impressed with the delivered Dianoga effect, having envisioned something bigger and more ominous.

Despite its brief appearance in the film, this Dianoga would continue to make regular appearances in future Star Wars media and merchandise in the many years that would follow. In Kenner Products' 1978 Death Star playset, the Dianoga was first identified as the "Death Star Trash Monster".

Appearances

 * Death Star
 * Star Wars Journal: The Fight for Justice
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope novel
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope junior novel
 * Escape from the Death Star
 * Star Wars 4: In Battle with Darth Vader
 * Star Wars 1987 video game
 * Super Star Wars

Non-canon appearances

 * LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
 * LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
 * Choose Your Own Star Wars Adventure: A New Hope
 * Star Wars: Tiny Death Star
 * Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars