5 of the most fascinating creatures in the Star Wars universe

1. Sarlacc

Sarlaccs were carnivorous creatures similar to Earth’s Venus flytraps. They start their lives as spores released from a male sarlacc. Able to travel great distances, they finally mature at the age 30,000 (wow!) and settle down 100 meters underground, waiting for unexpecting pray to fall into their sharp mouth.

The most well-known was first introduced in Return of the Jedi as a pet and living disposal. While the heroes were able to escape their jaws, many of Jabba the Hutt’s men were not so lucky. In fact, the sarlacc had incredibly weak stomach acid, resulting in the digestion of food taking over a millennia. If that wasn’t bad enough, the beast would stab its victims with immobilizing neurotoxins, which caused pain and suffering all while their victim was still awake. Yikes.

That last bit of information was very distressing to learn, but I also think that’s what makes them so interesting. These creatures are so ancient and come across as incredibly rare. Yet they’re able to survive on luck, essentially. Before Jabba discovered the one in the great Dune Sea, it must’ve survived on small creatures that accidentally ended up in there. Is one womp rat enough to satiate a sarlacc for a millennium? Maybe some things are better off not knowing.

As dangerous as these creatures are, one has been able to survive and escape the neurotoxins and digestion – Boba Fett. Though it left him incredibly scarred, he did what no one else has been able to do. It will be interesting to see if Fett does what Jabba had done — feed his enemies to the sarlacc of Carkoon in The Book of Boba Fett.