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- "The cave is collapsing!"
"This is no cave!" - ―Leia Organa and Han Solo
Exogorths,[4] also known as space slugs, were members of a silicon-based sentient species that resided in the hollows of asteroids and who prided themselves on maintaining a pleasant ecosystem within their bodies. At least one such being, named Sy-O, lived in the Hoth asteroid belt.
Contents
Biology and appearance[edit | edit source]
Space slugs reached full maturity at ten meters and reproduced by splitting into two smaller, separate bodies. If a space slug was incapable of this process, its growth continued uninterrupted, potentially reaching lengths of 900 meters. Slugs of this size were known to swallow starships whole and house entire ecosystems.[2]
Often living in asteroid fields, space slugs would burrow into an asteroid until completely hidden. From there, they fed on stellar energy emissions, mineral-rich deposits from the asteroid, floating space debris, and other silicon-based creatures, such as mynocks.[2] Largely dormant, the opportunistic feeder could lunge upon passing ships. However, doing so used up all of its energy, exhausting it.[3] The creatures could live extremely long lives. Sy-O, the creature that resided within the Hoth asteroid field was known to have lived for over a billion years and yet was considered young for its age.[1]
Society and culture[edit | edit source]
Exogorths were a patient and relatively peaceful species that prided themselves on their ability to have their bodies become stable ecosystems that were home to countless species that peacefully co-existed. Exogorths with incredibly diverse ecosystems in their bodies were considered highly respectable, however those with limited lifeforms such as Sy-O were looked down upon even by their parents for only being able to host mynocks.[1]
History[edit | edit source]
The species has existed for more than billions of years, as even Sy-O who was billions of years old itself was still considered young by others of its kind.[1]
After the Battle of Hoth, the Millennium Falcon, unable to jump to lightspeed, due to its damaged hyperdrive, fled pursuing TIE fighters by hiding inside what they believed to be the crater of a large asteroid;[5] in reality, the maw was a giant space slug named Sy-O,[1] where they also tried to repair the Falcon's hyperdrive. While sitting in the cockpit, Leia Organa was disturbed by a mynock, and she stepped outside with Han Solo and Chewbacca to investigate. When shots were fired, Sy-O lurched: Solo, realizing where they actually were, ordered everyone back in and flew the Falcon out before the space slug closed its mouth. The space slug emerged and snapped its jaws at the Falcon in hopes of keeping the crew inside it and expanding its ecosystem, but the freighter was too fast for it, and so receded back into the crater.[5] After the Falcon's departure, one of the pursuing TIE fighters was attacked by Sy-O, forcing the pilot to eject into space. The accompanying members of the TIE Squadron concentrated their attack on it, managing to chip its tooth and eventually forcing it to recede once more into its hideout.[6]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]

Ralph McQuarrie concept art of the exogorth
The exogorth first appeared in the 1980 original trilogy film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.[5] Concept art of it was made by Ralph McQuarrie.[7] The exogorth was identified in the 2015 reference book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.[4]
Appearances[edit | edit source]
Non-canon appearances[edit | edit source]
- Disney Infinity 3.0
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures – "Zander's Joyride"
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Sources[edit | edit source]
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Story Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link)
- Ultimate Star Wars
Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Mynock - Creature - Base Series 1)
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (First identified as Exogorth)
- Star Wars: Ships of the Galaxy
Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Space Slug - Creature - Base Series 1)
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
Star Wars Helmet Collection 6 (Highlights of the Saga: Peril in the Asteroid Field)
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
Every Creature in the Star Wars Movies | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars Day-at-a-Time Calendar 2020
- Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills
- Rebellion in the Rim
- Star Wars: Creatures Big & Small
- The Art of The Mandalorian Season One
"Battle of Hoth and the Second Death Star" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian: Making of Season Two
Asteroid Field in the Databank (backup link)
Chewbacca in the Databank (backup link)
Millennium Falcon in the Databank (backup link)
Space Slug in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "This Is No Cave"—From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2
Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Space Slug - Creature - Base Series 1)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ "Amara Kel's Rules for TIE Pilot Survival (Probably)"—From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back
- ↑ The Art of Ralph McQuarrie