Dianoga

Dianoga
Designation	Nonsentient
Planet of origin	Vodran
Average length	3 to 10 meters

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This article is about the creature. You may be looking for the starfighter called Dianoga or the pirate vessel.

"There's something alive in here."

―Luke Skywalker^[src]

Dianoga were large cephalopods, capable of growing up to ten meters in length, though most specimens grew to approximately five or six meters. They had a single eyestalk protruding from their mollusk-like bodies, and seven suckered tentacles surrounding a fanged maw.

[edit] History

A dianoga's fanged maw.

Dianoga originated on the planet Vodran—discovered by the Hutts prior to the formation of the Galactic Republic—where the creatures evolved a form of natural camouflage to avoid the planet's large predators. Their bodies would become transparent when unfed, and, conversely, were known to change to reflect the color of the food they had eaten. This was achieved by diverting small portions of digested food into a series of ducts underneath the creature's skin, which would appear to affect the color of the dianoga's flesh.

Over many millennia, dianoga migrated from Vodran by stowing away aboard garbage ships in their microscopic larval forms, and could be commonly found in trash compactors, garbage pits and sewers across the galaxy, living off of any present organic matter. They were primarily scavengers, and only posed a threat to living creatures when starving or threatened. Because of their penchant for organic waste, dianoga were sometimes referred to as garbage squids.

A dianoga in Coruscant's Desrini District.

Dianoga would commonly serve as a hindrance upon the galaxy, nesting in bodies of water, sewage systems, and whatever other large concentrations of dirty, appalling liquid that they could locate. Smaller dianoga were even known to crawl out of toilets. Despite this, they could prove useful, since they served to rid waste of biological material, leaving behind salvagable minerals and metals. Only when a dianoga grew too large was it usually considered a threat, especially in urban areas such as Galactic City on Coruscant. Indeed, in 22 BBY, Coruscant's Desrini District experienced a dianoga infestation, following an incident with a misfiring garbage launcher. Up to twenty-five residents were reported to have been attacked by the scavengers, and it was believed the creatures would quickly spread to neighboring districts. The presence of a single dianoga was often cause for alarm, since the creatures were self-fertilizing hermaphrodites, and could quickly multiply to pose a larger problem.

Closeup view of a dianoga's central eye.

One dianoga was known to have boarded the first Death Star, and made its home in one of the space station's garbage compactors. When Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Chewbacca were forced into the trash compactor during the rescue of Leia Organa, the dianoga attacked Skywalker. It pulled the young farmboy under the water, but was scared away when the compactor walls activated. The dianoga itself had managed to burrow into the wall, and so was relatively safe inside the compactor; that is, until the Death Star was destroyed.

Another infestation of dianogas was experienced by Dash Rendar in the sewers beneath Prince Xizors palace. Upon exiting the sewers, Dash was forced to fight a full grown dianoga, which was at least 10 meters long.

Dianoga could be found in the sewers of Anoat, Coruscant and many other locations across the galaxy. Their flesh was used in the making of dianoga pie, and their spleens could be processed to make Dianogan tea, a beverage notably favored by Admiral Pors Tonith.