Algae/Legends

"&hellip;the algae allows us to breathe oxygen beneath the surface for several minutes."

- Lyric

Algae was a plant that typically grew underwater and liked to cover the surfaces of objects. The plant could also be airborne, where it lived on water droplets and chemical vapors floating in the atmosphere. Additionally, algae grew on objects out of water, sometimes dangling from structures in strands up to several hundred meters in length and creating virtual "forests" of algae.

Colors
"Those colors are caused by microspheres of airborne algae."

- Jacen Solo, describing Bespin's clouds

Algae ranged in colors across the spectrum, including blue, brown, green, orange, pink, and purple, and was sometimes luminescent.

Uses
"The life energy distilled from concentrated banks of algae and other primitive life-forms can prevent the decay common to previous soul-captures."

- Lwothin

While it was preyed upon for sustenance by other plants and animals, some species of algae thrived in a comensal relation with other species, including the Melodies of Yavin 13, to which the plant provided life-sustaining oxygen. Furthermore, varieties such as the bestrum algae from Baralou were broken down and processed into foods for consumption, and dried algae extracts were used to create algae sugar for use in alcohol fermentation. Algae-bread was especially favored by Herglics, who also made algae ice cream.

Sometime before the P'w'eck Emancipation Movement in 28 ABY, the process of Ssi-ruuk entechment was improved upon by harvesting the life energy emitted by algae to prevent the decay of captured souls.

A more advanced form of algae could be found in the Cygnus B system. It contained a planet with oceans inhabited by giant sapient algae beds. Similarly, the planet Paulking XIV of the Corporate Sector had oceans filled with talking algae.

Types of algae

 * Bestrum algae
 * "Glower" algae

Behind the scenes
Algae, a photosynthetic organism in real life, was first introduced into Star Wars lore by author John Chesterman in his 1979 article "Cantina Communications," from Star Wars Official Poster Monthly 16.