Mynock/Legends

"Mynocks. Probably chewing on the power cables."

- Han Solo

A mynock was a silicon-based parasitical organism found across the galaxy that was often seen leeching power from spacecraft. In addition, they could absorb matter from a ship's hull causing it to breach, and if not caught in time, cause catastrophic failure.

Anatomy
Mynocks often attached themselves to passing starships to chew on power cables. A drop in the power of the hyperdrive could increase the travel time. They were considered parasites by pilots and starport personnel, and failure to properly shake them off in orbit before landing could result in quarantine.

Mynocks were one of the few species that could live in the vacuum of space. They had bat-like wings which they could use to fly in atmospheres. However, they were often limited to the vacuum of space due to an allergy to helium found in the atmosphere of many planets. This allergic reaction would cause them to inflate and nearly explode before dying. Many spacewalking sport hunters would kill mynocks by attaching helium-based grenades to them in what was called "Mynock Puffing".

They fed on electrical, stellar, and electromagnetic energy, and would thus attach themselves to power cables or ion ports on ships and structures. The energy was absorbed through a big sucker-like mouth located between their eye stalks. Some Mynocks had legs, while others were legless. In atmospheres, a mynock produced a loud, piercing screech. As they lacked any major organs, they reproduced by mitosis, but only after they had consumed enough material required for replication. A few (sub)species appeared to have existed, including one that had a normal mouth, rather than a sucker-like one, and another that had blue skin and gave birth to live young.

They were commonly eaten by another silicon-based creature, the exogorth, and were the favorite prey of tailrings, who devoured them with voracious relish. Swarms of mynocks could be found alive, flying around a space slug's innards for an extended period of time before digestion began. While living in a slug, they could obtain sustenance by feeding on its veins and intestinal lining. Despite being a silicon-based lifeform, a properly prepared mynock could also be ingested by carbon-based life forms; they were sometimes used in Twi'lek cuisine, such as Mynock Coronet City. However, they were usually seen as a last resort meal by converting their flesh into bioplasma for space stations or colonists, albeit low quality and bitter tasting rations.

Mynocks tended to flock together, generally in a pack of ten, however could migrate annually in large groups. The most notable of these migrations were the famed migrations of Roon, where the sky could literally become darkened from swarms of these creatures. They tended to protect territory in which they resided and would attack in larger numbers if they felt threatened. It is possible that they communicated using pheromones, telepathy, or even through a hive mind.

Subspecies of mynocks included the salt mynock and sulfur mynock of Lok, the atmosphere-breathing Vynock that lived on Corellia, Talus and Bothawui, the Tatooine mynock, and the Talusian Fynock. Atmosphere-breathing mynocks also lived on Imdaar and were known to attack those piloting speeder bikes through the planet's swamps. A group of sentient mynocks, related to mynocks, evolved on a lone asteroid in the MZX32905 system near Bimmiel. Snow Mynocks were found on Hoth.

History
During the Galactic Civil War some factions within the Rebel Alliance used mynocks as nuisance tactics against the Imperial space fleet. When the Imperial Security Bureau learned about hidden mynock incubation facilities, they sent agents to level the buildings.

The Mynock in culture
Because mynocks were generally considered to be loathsome pests, the word "mynock" was used as a disparaging term. However, in recognition of the mynock's skill at evading attack, the Jedi Order named a form of lightsaber combat after the beast: Soresu. Cade Skywalker also had a starship called Mynock. Jacen Solo, Ben Skywalker, and Toval Seyah used the code name, Team Mynock, on their mission to infiltrate the Centerpoint Station.

Mynocks were believed to have little charisma, and irritating people were sometimes compared to mynocks.

Mynocks were spiced and eaten at some times by the Twi'leks, in a way that was reportedly considered good-tasting by other species, although this seems unlikely unless these other species are also silicon based, given that silicon based and carbon based biochemistries are incompatible.

Behind the scenes
"Is it your nock or mynock?"

- A bitizen through the HoloNet

Mynocks were first introduced in the Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization.