This is No Cave. It's an Exogorth.
/So, you want to talk about Monsters? Let’s talk about exogorths, a.k.a. space slugs. Do you remember that old flick, The Empire Strikes Back? Do you remember when Han Solo and Princess Leia flew the Millennium Falcon into that long, narrow cave in the middle of an asteroid only to find out it wasn't a cave, and they had literally parked inside the throat of a giant slug with teeth? That was an exogorth. If you ask me, exogorths are one of the most incredible and interesting creatures in the Star Wars Universe.
Exogorths are as tough as the rocks—mostly asteroids—they live on. Part of a handful of creatures known as vacuumbreathers that can survive in the vacuum of space, these cosmic dust-eating space slugs can grow up to 900 meters.
sourced from lucasfilm
I’ll be honest here. I chose the exogorth because I wanted to write about the biggest, baddest, most vicious monster I could think of for the Geekdom's nightmare before Christmas/monster appreciation week. But after doing a little research, I've realized there's a lot more to these beasts than meets the eye. Behind their reputation as voracious, bloodthirsty monstrosities are highly intelligent, sensitive, thoughtful, and patient, “dare I say” gentle beasts.
Ok, gentle beasts might be stretching it a tad, but some exogorths are known to have a soft side. I know the one near Hoth tried to eat Han and Leia, as well as Chewbacca, 3-CPO, and R2D2 but they did fly directly into its throat and land on its tongue, and Han also shot it. Can you really blame it?
I was listening to a radio show the other day, and Tom Mustill, the author of How to Speak Whale: A Voyage into the Future of Animal Communication, talked about how some whale species live up to 200 years. He said that whales are highly complex creatures that can experience the world in ways we can’t imagine and think about things we can't conceptualize. Well, Exogorths can live for billions of years! An Exogorth that is one billion years old is considered young. So Imagine what kind of unfathomable things are going on inside the mind of an exogorth after floating around on asteroids in the vacuum of space for a billion years. I mean, hopefully, something's going on in there.
Sourced from wookiepedia
Exogorths are opportunistic; they burrow themselves in asteroids and patiently wait with their mouths open, giving the appearance of a cave or a crater. They feed on floating debris, mineral deposits, stellar energy, and other silicon-based lifeforms. They don't, however, spend their entire life on just one asteroid. Though a rare occurrence, the giant slugs can push off of the surface of an asteroid and float through space, and they can even ride the solar winds in pursuit of more suitable asteroids. The giant slugs also host entire ecosystems inside their bodies, and many species peacefully co-exist within them.
Now, you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of an exogorth, as its rear end is pretty much a thermonuclear reactor that excretes radioactive waste. But instead of seeing them as the evil monster they are commonly portrayed as, maybe it couldn’t hurt to take another look. You should never judge a book by its cover.
Personally, I can’t help but think about exogorths differently now. I see them as giant, misunderstood vacuum breathing, radioactive teddy bears, and I wonder what sort of things go on inside their murky innards.
My name is Gregory, and I love all things Star Wars. I have a growing collection of Star Wars figurines and even a Star Wars lunchbox—my niece has the same one. I once almost bought a vintage Attack of the Clones lunch box on Etsy until I noticed it was second-hand. Gross!! I recently attended Star Wars Celebration Europe 2023, in London, England, where I became a Star Wars super fan, and I’m already making plans to attend Star Wars Celebration Japan 2025 with my fiancé Alexandra (also a Star Wars super fan). I’m not a Star Wars expert, nor do I believe such a thing exists. Like music or art, Star Wars is subjective. I try not to take it too seriously. Enter the geekdom, and may the force be with you!
