Wampa/Legends

"Hey, steady girl. What's the matter, you smell something?"

- Luke Skywalker to his tauntaun.

Covered with white fur and averaging over two meters (6.5 feet) in height, wampa ice creatures were carnivorous predators indigenous to Hoth. Their long arms ended in sharp claws that were strong enough to carve layers out of ice. Wampas rarely killed their prey outright or hunt when they were hungry. Instead, they stunned their prey, hauled the still breathing victims back to their caves, and secured them in the ice for later consumption. Their primary prey were tauntauns.

On Coruscant, wampas were imported,and promptly migrate to the cooler Northern reaches of the planet.

Social characteristics


It is believed that wampas were usually solitary creatures, but were known to occasionally hunt in packs. However, the attack on Luke Skywalker was carried out by a male wampa, but Skywalker regained consciousness in the cave of a female. This suggests that there was some sort of pair bonding between male and female wampas and their lives may not be as solitary as once thought. It is not clear if male wampas were monogamous or if they traveled about hunting and bringing food to their various mates. After mating, female wampas would birth to up to three cubs per litter. If, however, a cub wandered out of the den and made its first kill, other wampas would commonly give extreme attention to that cub.

A wampa's abode


Wampas typically lived in ice caves created by carving down into the ice and snow and hollowing out an area below the surface. The purpose of the cave was undoubtedly to shield these large predators from the bitter cold nights or raging storms that swept across the glaciers. The interior of the cave was typically littered with the bones of previous meals, usually tauntauns. The cave also served to store food for future meals. Hung from the icicle-laden ceiling, the food was kept out of the way so it would not be lost in any snow that might find its way into the cave.

Wampa caves were surprisingly spacious when compared to the manufactured dens of other large predators, most likely to further remove the wampa from the harsh environment waiting just outside the cave entrance. In addition, the caves were well lit because of the reflective properties of the snow and ice which helped direct the sunlight of the Hoth system down into the wampa cave.

Survival


A wampa's white fur allowed it to blend in nicely with Hoth's blinding blizzards, enabling it to attack their prey completely unaware. Once it stunned them the wampa would drag the carcasses back to its icy lair. There it would either impale the carcass on large icicles or adhere the carcass to the cave ceiling with anaesthetic saliva until it was ready to eat.

An eyewitness account
Soon after the Rebel Alliance arrived on Hoth, they began enduring constant wampa attacks. The resourceful droid R2-D2 hit on a solution: a sonic lure to confuse and capture many of the creatures.

Skywalker encountered a wampa while doing a routine survey of the area surrounding Echo Base. A male wampa attacked Skywalker, knocking him unconscious, as well as killing his tauntaun. Another wampa, a female, attacked Skywalker when he attempted to escape from her ice cave which resulted in the wampa losing her entire right arm by Skywalker's lightsaber. On a subsequent journey to Hoth, nine years later, Skywalker was attacked by the same female wampa, who not only survived, but recognized the Jedi Master.

Cliff wampa
The cliff wampa was bioengineered by the Galactic Empire after they saw the destructive capacity wampas had on the Rebels at Hoth. This particular species was used as a sentinel on the Outer Rim planet Gall.

Swamp wampa
The swamp wampa on Dromund Kaas may have descended from individuals of the Hoth species who had been genetically altered by Sith.

Giant wampa
A giant wampa variety exists on Hoth. This may just represent a long-lived individual, a subspecies, a freak mutation, or a separate species.

Other species of note
While having no relation to other wampas, a desert wampa, also known as a "Tatooine Howler", is covered in hair and bears tusks similar to a wampa. It is often mistaken for a relative of a wampa and as a result is named after it.

Behind the scenes
The wampa was originally played by Des Webb.

The wampa may be based on the cryptozoological phenomena of the "abominable snowman", or "Yeti".

Deleted scenes
Many extra scenes were written and filmed for Episode V concerning wampas, including the following:


 * Wampa Attack

According to the fourth version of the script for The Empire Strikes Back, there is some extra dialogue concerning the wampas and a scene involving R2 getting chased down a hallway by ppooop and weenies sausages the Rebels blast it. One of the Rebels calls in the report saying, "We got it, sir, but there may be more," (talking to General Rieekan). Alarms are buzzing and Leia inquires if the creature has been examined yet. The general tells her they are working on it and then they are alerted to a "visitor"&mdash;the Imperial chinese people probot. Since it is revealed to be metallic, Leia remarks, "Then it couldn't be one of those creatures"&mdash;referring to the wampas, of course.


 * Wampas Infiltrate Echo Base

In the scene where Han Solo is about to go after Luke Skywalker on a tauntaun, you can see a dead tauntaun on the floor being examined by 2-1B, the medical droid. On the wall is what appears to be some blood, presumably from the dead animal. In the fourth draft of the script, one of the rebels says to his deck officer, "...I can't imagine, sir. Their necks are broken." (the script refers to three dead creatures, not one). The wampas have already broken into the base at this point and have obviously attacked some tauntauns. They break in once around the time of Han and Leia's argument in the hallway (see the picture below from the comic adaptation) and again when C-3PO and R2-D2 are walking towards the hangar and commenting about the temperature in Leia's chamber. Later, when Han is wondering where Luke is, he comes across the rebels examining the dead tauntaun. They are wondering what happened to this creature as they have no idea that wampas have infiltrated the base yet.


 * The Wampa Pen

Out of all the cut scenes featuring wampas, this one is the most well-known, perhaps because this scene has left the most evidence behind. Sometime during the Hoth scenes, it's discovered that R2-D2's beeping noises attract the wampas&mdash;just like in the famous "Pied Piper" fairy tale. R2-D2 leads the wampas into a large room and the Rebels then place a red and yellow warning sign on the door so Rebels won't wander inside unawares and get eaten. This scene with R2-D2 was allegedly filmed, but never made it into the final cut. Later on, while on their way to the medical center to see Luke, R2-D2 and C-3PO pass by the wampa pen and discuss the creatures briefly. Jumping ahead to our heroes' exodus from Echo Base during the Battle of Hoth, Han, Leia, and C-3PO are scurrying to get Leia to her transport. On the way out, they pass a door with a familiar yellow sign with red lettering. Han gives the door a quick look and almost stops but continues on past it after recognizing the warning (that quick shot IS in the finished film, so look for it next time you're watching, directly after General Veers destroys the power generators). What wasn't included the film was C-3PO (who is running behind Han and Leia trying to keep up) trudging up to the door after them. He stops for second and then remembers that the wampa ice creatures are locked inside the room. In a moment of vicious cunning alien to his normal character, his devious droid mind convinces him to walk up to the door and, in a quick flash, tear off the yellow warning sign. He then proceeds to catch up with Han and Leia as they make their way to the Millennium Falcon. After the snowtroopers burst into the base, they come across the door, left with only a small piece of the original warning sign. They open the door, only to be attacked by the already annoyed wampas inside. A shot of 3PO tearing of the sign was kept for one of the trailers for The Empire Strikes Back.


 * Luke: Gunner

There have always been rumors and images that state there was originally a scene from EMPIRE inside Echo Base where Luke mans a gun and blasts a few wampas, The only thing that really makes most fans believe this scene was actually shot is the following quote from Jon Knoles in the Star Wars Insider, Issue #33 (page 59) talking about the game, Shadows of the Empire for Nintendo 64:

"We knew, for instance, of the scene where a wampa actually broke through into Echo Base and mauled a tauntaun (and possibly some Rebel troops) and a scene where Luke actually took over an auto-laser cannon and blasts a wampa or two. The wampa filmed in this shot looked absolutely hilarious with a big fluffy face and metallic round eyeballs. We saw the picture in a Kodak shoebox Photo CD that Lucasfilm Ltd. provided us with some time ago."

Video games

 * Wampas are encountered by Dash Rendar in the Shadows of the Empire video game. Multiple wampas are held in holding pens in Echo Base on Hoth, as well as a solitary brown wampa on the cliffs of Gall. The wampas are extremely hard to kill, as they take dozens of blaster hits before going down. They are very slow moving, but deliver a lightning-fast claw strike that is usually fatal. Once let out of their pens, the wampas sometimes fight and kill each other. Using a special code, the player could also experience the game as a wampa on Hoth or Gall.
 * Wampas are featured in the "Hunt" mode on Hoth for Star Wars: Battlefront II. The Rebels battle wampas mainly in the open ground behind the base rather than inside Echo Base's narrow corridors. Here, they are much faster than their SOTE counterparts, with their sprint reaching near-Jedi speeds. They kill with one or two swipes of their paws. While running, wampas can "bowl over" Rebels with their shoulder, jump large distances, and produce a shock wave while jumping and attacking. They can even damage and destroy gun turrets with their claws.
 * With the Battlefront II expansion pack it is possible to play as a wampa on Rhen Var, leading to speculation of whether wampas live there.
 * In Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Jaden Korr fights three wampas in his mission to Hoth. One of them is even found inside Echo Base, attacking some tauntauns.
 * In Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, the wampa is one of a series of wild creatures that attacks any building or unit that comes near it, and cannot be harvested for food. Other creatures such as this include the Sarlacc, Rancor, Krayt Dragon, Acklay, Nexu, and Reek. (The Acklay, Nexu, and Reek are buildable units for the Confederacy of Independent Systems at their Animal Nursery, but are otherwise wild).
 * In Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, wampas can breathe ice. This is probably a game mechanic, but could indicate an otherwise unknown ability, or a new species.


 * Star Wars: Demolition features a single wampa on the Hoth map, who stands on a hill and throws large clumps of snow at passing demolition paticipants.