Why Does A Trash Compactor Have A Monster Anyway?

[The Wormhole]

Re-watching Star Wars A New Hope recentally and a thought came to mind. Why does the trash compactor in the Death Star have a monster in it? And how did it get there? After all, the Death Star is still relatively new, and with the tight security the Empire's uber battlestation should have, you'd think it would be virtually impossible for a creature such as this to simply stumble aboard. Which would imply that the Empire put it there on purpose. So, what, did Tarkin requisition a trash compactor monster, and the thing was shipped from the Outer Rim? And really, what purpose does a monster in the trash compactor serve that the Empire would want one on the Death Star?

 

[Christopher]

Well, one of the Death Star construction workers had a baby Dia Noga as a pet, see, and then his supervisor was about to find out so he had to flush it, and...

 

[The Badger]

According to Wookiepedia, the Dianoga spread throughout the galaxy on garbage ships, their microscopic larval forms being difficult to detect. So it's possible that one, or more, was brought on-board the Death Star this way.

They did serve a useful purpose, ingesting biological waste and leaving behind minerals and metals to be salvaged.

 

[Silvercrest]

I always assumed it was some kind of vermin that slipped aboard with a cargo shipment, and grew big from eating garbage. The Empire might not have known it was there.

 

[Christopher]

Of course, there's no point asking why there's a monster in the trash compactor without asking why a civilization advanced enough to build interstellar spacecraft and planet-annihilating weapons would even use anything as primitive as a trash compactor. The real answer is, it's a pastiche of '40s adventure serials and these things exist solely to put the heroes in melodramatic but ultimately surmountable peril.

 

[T'Baio]

Why do garbage bins have rats?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I had always assumed it ate the stuff in there, so they used them intentionally to get rid of waste.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Few suspected the lowly Dianoga was actually the sinister Darth Trash!

It's not like the Death Star was exactly built to OSHA standards what with the little catwalks over bottomless drops and tractor beam controls mounted on the outside edge of a platform so it's not too surprising they have space rats in the garbage chutes.

 

[shivkala]

Part of the Republic's effort to go green, I think.

 

[T J]

Why do garbage bins have rats?

Probably because you touch yourself.

I can buy that the microscopic larval forms find themselves everywhere trash is.

 

[miraclefan]

I always assumed it was some kind of vermin that slipped aboard with a cargo shipment, and grew big from eating garbage. The Empire might not have known it was there.

Ditto!

 

[Small White Car]

Of course, there's no point asking why there's a monster in the trash compactor without asking why a civilization advanced enough to build interstellar spacecraft and planet-annihilating weapons would even use anything as primitive as a trash compactor.

Well, remember, they fling it into space when they're done.

Of course you'd want to compact trash before that...for some reason...I guess.

 

[Anwar]

I remember Lucas saying something about how they were originally going to show what the creature really looked like, but the puppet was really bad looking so they only showed the tentacles coming out of the water.

Is there a picture of what it really looked like anywhere?

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Why is it a monster anyway...maybe it was just trying to communicate with Luke...underwater...while strangling him.

And where did Luke and Han get their clothes back from? Chewie's napsack? How'd Han's boots fit in there?

I'd ask why the empire didn't have 10 legions of sarduakar waiting outside the trash compactor in case the heroes got out, but then I remember the plan was to let them escape...Vader's plan, btw...one which fucked the Empire over. Which makes me wonder who really deactivated the trash compactor...or who R2 was really working for.

 

[Samurai8472]

Some StormTrooper ate a blooming onion from "Emperors" the best restaurant in all 7 galaxies.

 

[miraclefan]

Some StormTrooper ate a blooming onion from "Emperors" the best restaurant in all 7 galaxies.

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

Is there a picture of what it really looked like anywhere?

Can't find a picture of the puppet, but this is what they're supposed to look like.

 

[Christopher]

Okay, so how come the Dianoga doesn't get crushed when the compactor operates?

 

[SilentP]

Maybe the trash compactors are linked? Gotta wonder where all that water goes otherwise (since it didn't seem to rise when the sides came in), so maybe the dianoga slips into the fluid pipes to escape? It doesnt necessarily have a rigid bone structure *shrug*

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

Okay, so how come the Dianoga doesn't get crushed when the compactor operates?

Possibly because it can move around the system. They are...interesting looking.