Exogorth / Legends The exogorth , colloquially known as the space slug , was a gigantic species of toothed gastropod . They were silicon - based lifeforms that survived in the vacuum of space by making their homes in the caverns and craters of asteroids . They fed on the minerals of asteroids , various stellar energy fields , mynocks ( another silicon - based lifeform ) , ships , and other unfortunate creatures that unknowingly passed into its mouth . The average adult space slug grew to about 10 meters in length , however there had been instances of near - kilometer long specimens . Some slugs were known to continuously grow to sizes that rivaled capital ships in sheer bulk , with some weighing over a million kilograms . Biology . Space slugs reproduced asexually by fission . Once an adult slug reached a certain size , a chemical trigger would cause it to split apart into two identical slugs . The two new space slugs would immediately become self - reliant . Space slugs also molted as a result of their growth . Occasionally , this mechanism would be overridden , and the slug would grow to monstrous sizes . A space slug would travel through the asteroid fields they inhabited by pushing off the surface of one asteroid and floating through space to land on another . They also could use solar winds to help propel themselves through space . Through highly evolved sense of spatial awareness , they were capable of calculating the speed , trajectory , and distance of perilous moving bodies around them . This sense of spatial acuity also aided them in hunting food . They appeared to have been able to anchor themselves into a cave in an asteroid with tendrils , which also drew nutrition directly from the asteroid itself . As a space slug did not remain in one asteroid for its entire life , it can be assumed that they could break free from their point of anchorage without causing significant injury to themselves . Although their primary diet , similar to Mynocks , was passive radiation , but they do tend to chomp on rocks and metal as well . On occasion , the naturally occurring chemical trigger would cause the space slug to kill whatever occurred near them . These oddities were known to reach sizes of nearly one kilometer in length . These colossal slugs were known to take sizable bites out of capital ships that passed too close to the slug ' s current dwelling , and even swallow smaller vessels whole . At these sizes , the mynocks they ate would often become internal parasites , rather than nourishment , living inside the cave - like esophagus of the slugs that ate them . Some slugs had entire ecosystems of other life living within their digestive tracts . A natural predator of the space slug was the colossus wasp . Exogorth variations . A number of space slug variations existed , such as the giant slug , the crimson slug s , and the Cularin slug s . Giant space slugs were larger than average ones . It remains unclear if they were a separate species from the common space slug , or just individuals larger than normally reported . Crimson slugs were a species of space slug native to the asteroids of Tapani sector . They were distinguished by a red stripe down either side of the body . Cularin space slugs were a variety of exogorth found in the Cularin system which proved to be comparatively easy to train . Some theorized that they were descended from a domesticated form of space slug . Other theories held that these exogorths were descended from natives to the world which formed the Cularin system asteroid belt ( Oblis ) before its destruction , and that these creatures survived and adapted to the void of space . They may have been related to — or the same creature as — the space worms which hollowed out the moon Eskaron . History . The House of Adasca found a way to control the slugs , known to Adascorp scientists as exogorths , after the Great Sith War . Based on the research of Gorman Vandrayk , Adascorp was able to control the hunger drives , growth rate , and reproductive fission processes of the creatures . Arkoh Adasca placed control mechanisms and hyperdrive engines on a group of slugs and sought to sell them to the Republic , the Mandalorians , or the Revanchist faction as superweapons . With the Adascorp modifications , the exogorths could be sent through hyperspace to a specific system . Once there , their increased rate of growth and division could lead to destruction of space stations , asteroids , moons , and possibly even planets . The original exogorths could be sent to another system once they had divided , making it possible to disrupt or destroy hundreds of systems in a very short time . None of the parties who were invited to bid on these new weapons were enthusiastic about using them , however , all three were interested in making sure the weapon did not fall into the other parties ' hands . Camper was able to escape and used the exogorths to kill Adasca atop of the " Arkanian Legacy " bridge and then lure them out to Wild Space . One 80 - meter - long specimen was observed by the University of Sanbra in the Borkeen Belt in 22 BBY . This space slug made headlines , as it was the largest ever found by the university . Thousands of years later , the notorious Mugaari pirate Clabburn the Elder seeded the Hoth asteroid field with space slugs , in order to protect his hidden smuggler bases . In one recorded occurrence a slug living in that asteroid field grew to a size of about 900 meters in length . It was found and officially recorded by Gamgalon the Krish who made a living by capturing these massive specimens . The asteroid belt in the Algunnis system of the Trax sector was home to several huge exogorths . Han Solo unwittingly hid the " Millennium Falcon " in a space slug of similar size when running from the Galactic Empire after the Battle of Hoth . Since exogorths insulated themselves deep inside asteroids and their own heat - generating waste , Leia Organa , Han Solo , and Chewbacca were able to survive inside the space slug with only breath masks to provide oxygen . Solo had heard stories for years of the giant slugs , and had been warned of their dangers , but he dismissed them as mere " ghost - stories " . Certain facilities that resided in space would often keep a space slug living close by to help keep the pesky mynock population down . To keep these specially used slugs from reproducing and growing to uncontrollable sizes , katrium was introduced into the creature ' s system on a regular basis . Behind the scenes . A single Exogorth first appeared in 1980 ' s " " , the second film in the " Star Wars " saga , but was known simply as a " space slug " until 2007 , when of the " " comic series identified its species as Exogorths . The space slug scene in " Empire " was drawn from the mythological motif of , an archetypal story of journeying into the belly of the beast . Artists Ralph McQuarrie and Nilo Rodis - Jamero developed the space slug in sketches . For filming , the slug was realized as a puppet seventy - nine centimeters in length and twenty - eight in diameter . The puppet was covered with an exterior designed by visual effects supervisor Phil Tippett and was operated by special effects artist Jon Berg for more than fifty takes over a period of one week . The space slug was a heavy puppet whose jaws were closed by a return spring mechanism . Night - shift camera operators shot gag footage involving an alternate space - slug puppet made out of a sock . Industrial Light & Magic chief model maker Lorne Peterson created a four - and - a - half - foot - long model of the creature ' s hinged jaws for the shot of the " Millennium Falcon " racing out of the asteroid tunnel , casting the five - inch - tall teeth from a plastic that possessed a translucent quality . Additional teeth were later given as gifts to celebrities or industry guests to the model shop . The set of the interior of the space slug was created by the laying of black plastic on the floor of the Echo Base hangar set , draping black curtains around the " Millennium Falcon " , and releasing a fog of dry ice . Visual effects supervisor John Knoll called it " undoubtedly the least expensive set built " for the film . To create the sound and feeling of slime when the film ' s characters were walking on the slug ' s tongue , Foley editors Scott Hecker and Robert R . Rutledge used nearly twenty - five pounds of pure beef fat in large slabs , as well as dozens of raw eggs , which they then walked on with various pieces of footwear to create the sounds of the characters ' footsteps . Although " Star Wars " creator George Lucas was unhappy with the final scene of the " Falcon " flying away from the creature ' s gaping maw , asserting that it worked better on paper , Lucasfilm Ltd . internet content developer Peter Vilmur has called the space slug one of the most memorable life forms introduced in the film . Author Lukas Kendall has praised composer John Williams ' s scoring of the scene , describing what he calls " a wonderful creepiness and atmosphere with just the subtle effects of the ship , a brilliant use of sound . " When author John Jackson Miller was pitching ideas for his " Knights of the Old Republic " comic series in 2005 , he conceived of a centerpiece for the second year of the series being something biological , spaceborne , and big , invoking the " " feeling of old maps while being something more than just a large gun . As he began writing the story arc , he grew cautious of introducing a large , interstellar life form that would violate the ground rules of the " Star Wars " universe , but , after watching a repeat of " Empire " , realized that the space slug was relatively unexplored and not properly named within the Expanded Universe ; previous material had identified it as being a relic of the ancient world , and Miller ' s comic series took place nearly 4 , 000 years prior to the events of " Empire " . The species was dubbed " Exorgorth , " and artist Brian Ching designed a visual look for the creatures that , along with the name , was inspired by the works of author . The name was misspelled " Exogorth " on one occasion during the lettering stage of issue 18 , and , after catching the mistake too late , Miller decided to make it the official spelling . Despite this , " Exorgorth " appears several times within the issue .