Skip to main content

star wars - How does the Space Slug (Exogorth) breathe in the vacuum of space?



Whilst answering this question, an interesting question came to mind.


In the chase through the Hoth asteroid field in The Empire Strikes Back, the Millennium Falcon takes refuge in a cave, which turns out to be the belly of a Space Slug (Wookieepedia tells me that this creature's proper name is an Exogorth).


I never really thought about it before, but how does this creature breathe? Wookieepedia mentions how it gains nourishment



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.



but school biology teaches me that all living things need to breathe.


Since Wookieepedia is normally pretty good at collating any ridiculous explanation that might have been given in any form of canon and I don't see anything specified, I fear there may be no answer, but I am still curious.



Answer



Presumably, they don't need to.



As your excerpt hints at, at the Wookieepedia clarifies, the Exogorth is a silicon-based life form.


All of your biology lessons will have been given based on knowledge of terrestrial, carbon-based life forms. Oxygen is used in our physiology as part of a complex process, which includes the need for a highly electronegative element.


If a similar process is needed in this silicon-based lifeform, then in all likelihood they use a different element or molecule that's found within the asteroids, and process it in such a way that:



  1. Allows them to use it for their respiration-equivalent process (notice the anatomy picture in the wiki includes no lungs, so they breathe different than many Earth animals)

  2. Allows them to store it for long periods of time, as the resource may be hard to find through their limited asteroid-hopping.


However, silicon is a fairly boring element, so far as we know, and doesn't form bonds like our organic chemistry does. In all likelihood, the physiological processes required to sustain such silicon life won't have direct parallels on the microscopic scale.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

futurama - How much time is lost in 'Time Keeps on Slippin''

In time Keeps on Slippin' , Farnsworth creates a basketball team which he matures by abusing Chronitons. This leads to time skipping forward by random, but ever increasing amounts. How much time was skipped in this way? Answer Unfortunately, I don't think a good estimate can be made for this, for two reasons: Many of the time skips move forward by an indeterminate amount of time. At one point, the Professor mentions localized regions of space skipping forward much more than others. We then see two young boys on the street below complaining about having to pay social security, only to suddenly become senior citizens and start complaining about wanting their money. Thus, each individual could have experienced a different amount of time skippage.
Post a Comment
Read more

harry potter - How could Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra?

I want to be very careful about how I ask this question – I am not asking How did Voldemort die? [CLOSED] Below the text is the relevant passages from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows if anyone wants to review them (I'm sorry for the amount of text). How did Expelliarmus beat Avada Kedavra and kill Voldemort? I feel the reason Harry's Expelliarmus overpowered Voldemort's Avada Kedavra curse has to do with who was master of the Elder Wand and how the Elder Wand works. I've always had trouble understanding fully how the Elder Wand works, though. How much did the fact that Voldemort never truly won or mastered the Elder Wand factor into how Expelliarmus reacted to Avada Kedavra and caused Avada Kedavra to rebound and kill Voldemort? An answer based in book canon would be especially welcome, but any canon source really is fine. Harry heard the high voice shriek as he, too, yelled his best hope to the heavens, pointing Draco’s wand: ‘ Avada Kedavra !’ ‘ Expelliarmus !...
Post a Comment
Read more

game of thrones - Is Syrio Forel dead?

In the episode 'The Pointy End' (Season 1 Episode 8) when Arya runs from the Lannister guards you hear the sound of a sword being dropped (around 4:56): [embedded content] After that neither Syrio or Ser Meryn Trant is never mentioned or seen in the show again, except when Arya mentions to the Hound that Ser Meryn Trant killed Syrio. Is there any mention in the books that Syrio actually dies?
Post a Comment
Read more

tolkiens legendarium - Difference between elves and dwarves blacksmithing in the Lord of the Rings

Both the elves and the dwarves were famous for their metal work in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but what is the difference between what they made, and which one had the better skill of making amours and swords? Answer James Christopher's answer sums up the second part of your question well, but as to the difference in what they made, a little more detail is needed. Once the Elves learned to forge with steel, the shape of the sword changed, now being able to take on the form of a great broadsword or a light and agile curved sword. Additionally, they took great pride in decorating their swords. As we see in the Lord of the Rings , some swords like Sting had magical properties such as glowing blue when orcs are near. As far as the use of Mithril, lotr.wikia has two contradictory passages: Thus, Elven blades became renowned as great weapons, capable of performing deeds beyond the skill of their handlers and were even more glorious when the use of Mithril was allowed to the Elves. ...
Post a Comment
Read more