The Biology of Tatooine | Speculative Biology

[@MeekCrayon]

From the world of seas, to the world of deserts. Nothing will stop this Archivist! We got a regular Orion Pax here-

[@dallanledford6364]

Well that's just prime.

[@MeekCrayon]

You could even say it's "Optimal"

[@BoisegangGaming]

It would be fun to see a curious archive video on cybertronians but I don't know what he'd do with it lol

[@MeekCrayon]

Yeah, maybe he and Chris Mcfeely could do a collab on that one.

[@alecity4877]

He just needs to do the biology of Kamino next.

[@camerongrow6426]

Given how long space travel has existed in Star Wars I have to wonder how many invasive species make their way into alien ecosystems. I'm pretty sure there are Banthas on arctic worlds too

[@detroitbecomesurvivaltrain7813]

Sorry but 2nd their should be there

[@dexaphobia8085]

In the clone wars show they reuse animals on almost every planet which inadvertently ties tons of planets together with invasive species, for example on ryloth twi’leks ride blurgs like the ugnaut in the mandalorian

[@detroitbecomesurvivaltrain7813]

@@dexaphobia8085 ye

[@junoniathesilkwing4221]

@@dexaphobia8085 Not to mention that _The Wildlife Of Star Wars_ states that blurgs are native to Endor…

[@friend_trilobot]

This is a super interesting idea, and I totally buy into it

[@abzu96]

This was so well done! I have a book called “The Wildlife of Star Wars” and it’s one of my favorite books in my collection. It’s kinda outdated now since more planets and animals were introduced in the newer movies and Disney+ exclusive shows. I would love to see you cover more of the planets. Maybe, Naboo next?

[@nelsondestefano4150]

Yeah, I still have that book from when I was a kid, it’s still great, and I think it would be an excellent piece of material for this channel, it’s right up their alley

[@YggdrasilAudio]

It's an awesome book, it would be cool to see a spotlight video about the Bespin fauna, though there may be too little material for that.

[@marclytle644]

@@YggdrasilAudio The Alderaan Thranta, which was a creature in the SWTOR game, was imported to Bespin before the destruction of the planet. One of the few creatures that survived. It is thriving on Bespin.

[@YggdrasilAudio]

@@marclytle644 Lucky. I wonder if the Kaminoan Thranta also hails from Alderaan. Or maybe they're related to the Naboo Aiwhas. I love this conversation.

[@junoniathesilkwing4221]

Yeah, I still have that book too. Terryl Whitlatch is an amazing artist.

[@bobograndman]

Tatooine was actually a fertile planet and hosted an advanced species, but they were enslaved by the Rakatan Empire. During the Rakatan Civil War they rebelled, and in response the Rakatans bombarded the planet to such an extent much of the surface turned to glass. Over the years the glass turns to sand, and the native species hid underground to survive. They eventually split into 2 groups the Tusken raiders and the Jawas.

[@TheLongasen]

I was thinking about this too!

[@Trailmaker.]

was going to comment a simpler version of that because of him talking about Desertification, but you beat me to it.

[@mushroom4095]

Man, the star wars lore is truly convoluted. I feel like a much simpler explanation could have been that an ocean covered the land, the water current turning it's bottom to sand, and over millions of years, perhaps a slight drift in orbit caused the oceans to dwindle and disappear. kinda like how tectonic plate shifts caused the sahara to become a desert? I'm not hating though, more power to you.

[@DotKom01]

​​@@mushroom4095 Convoluted is maybe the wrong word to use. It's not that hard to follow and it provides a backstory for two otherwise unexplained intelligent species. It's also just kinda cool

[@dplocksmith91]

I'm glad Disney referenced that part of Legends. Hopefully Dawn of the Jedi actually includes the Rakata, and doesn't just make up a new origin for the Jedi Order.

[@MANESHARK]

This is pretty well done, though it is sorely lacking Jawas. They are a very important part of Tatooine's history, and as the only other creatures besides the Tuskens to have human-like sentience, they definitely should not be ignored.

[@lawsontse1545]

They are people not creatures

[@MANESHARK]

@@lawsontse1545 A creature is a non-human animal. Jawas are people, but they aren't human, though some evidence suggests they might be distantly related.

[@jayoctopus8832]

Also womp rats

[@MANESHARK]

@@jayoctopus8832I feel that womp rats unfortunately don't have enough footage to talk about in detail in this style.

[@Littlekoji-df1cf]

@@lawsontse1545 what about Tuskens

[@mohammadazad8350]

It's impressive how you managed to make a biological analysis of a planet with the limited information you have

[@wisdomaxolotl2766]

There is a lot of extra lore for Star Wars. Lucasfilm let a lot of people make kids books, which lead to some much more in depth books. I'm guessing he used Wookiepedia.

[@friend_trilobot]

The concept of a researcher studying the star wars planets really reminds of Ursula Le Guin's novel, Rocannon's World for a very specific reason - in that book an ethnologist goes to a poorly documented backworld out of a genuine sense of curiosity but it ends up being basically an 80s sword and sorcery planet (tall barbarian warriors who ride on large winged cat-like creatures and carry giant swords and live alongside diurnal psychic elves and subterranean subspecies of elf that are basically dwarves) - he gets swept up in the adventure but never really stops being a legit researcher and sees everything through an anthropological lens - he blends into the story, but it's the same way an anthropologist would blend in with a culture they are studying - I just think it's a hilarious concept to have a very serious researcher, someone better suited to a hard science fiction world, accidentally witnessing an over the top space opera, like star wars 😂

[@gustavsantos6225]

Love ursula's books

[@friend_trilobot]

@@gustavsantos6225 she's one of my all time favorite authors, for sure

[@the_gaming_hyena24]

Absolutely love it. Much like trey the explainer said, I always wondered if many of tatooine’s more earth-like creatures were descended from animals brought there by humans

[@alecity4877]

@_____ wasn't it confirmed it was the Rakata who turned Tatooine into a dessert?

[@alecity4877]

@_____ Yes, sorry it's been a while since I read those comics.

[@gavinwiebe6613]

I dont know anything about starwars but in this video he calls one of the animals a reptile, and reptiles have to come from earth. an animal-like alien lifeform thats coldblooded with scales etc. wouldnt be considered a reptile, because its not a descendent of the first reptile (which is on earth)

[@DracoJ]

@@gavinwiebe6613 star wars takes place long ago in a galaxy far away. The planets in star wars had their own first lifeforms other planets where a phenomenon known as convergent evolution (I think I might be wrong) takes hold. Basically this is how many creatures can have evolved the same attributes even of they aren't related. Pterosaurs, bats, insects, and birds all evolved flight but are very distantly related bats are mammals, birds evolved from theropods, Pterosaurs were lizard related reptiles, and insects were the first flying organisms. So its not far off to find similar life or attributes of life on earth in an alien organism. So while a creature on tatooine can be like a reptile or classed as one its unlikely its origins were from earth. Not saying they couldn't be from other planets but I don't think the prehistoric world of earth had the tech to jump galaxies. I don't even know if earth existed during this story. (Long ago it says but how long ago I don't know) hope this helps.

[@gavinwiebe6613]

@@DracoJ You're good, convergent evolution is the proper term. I know that alien life could evolve to be reptile-like, but they will never be classified as reptiles, and thats what my comment was about. In order to be classified as a reptile, you have to have descended from the first reptile. its not about having scales or being cold blooded (for example birds are reptiles)

[@monkewithinternetaccess6107]

Most people wanna be a Jedi or Sith. Not me, I wanna be a Tusken nomad with a giant lizard pet.

[@ryonhatcher4561]

You should do the Biology of Thra from the Dark Crystal. I'm sure you’ll love it.

[@lsmmoore1]

Delgo would be a good one as well. There's some interesting speculative biology in the world of that movie (the Lockni and Nohrin worlds). That movie seems to creep out some folks who aren't interested in speculative biology (which I suspect is why it didn't do too well at the box office) but for speculative biology, it's a good one.

[@EtchaSketch444]

I'd love to see that cause Thra's eco system is so damn weird.

[@ryonhatcher4561]

@@EtchaSketch444 It’s an alien world, its Ecosystems are gonna weird.

[@SleepySloth2705]

The biology of Naboo is going to be a goldmine 👌

[@abzu96]

Yessss! Especially, if he looks at the book “The Wildlife of Star Wars”

[@Jaysin412]

I definitely wanna see an episode on Kamino and the Kaminoans. They have such an odd planet being kinda suspended on the outskirts of the galaxy and a smaller satellite galaxy, almost a wandering planet, but not entirely.

[@venomrulesall]

This made me want an actual Star Wars Nature Documentary.

[@phantomari1316]

Always that would be insane

[@guodzillakaiju5683]

I can absolutely envision one narrated by David Attenborough or Nigel Marven.

[@alexism9656]

I might be wrong, but I don't think Rancors are native to Tatooine.

[@veemogamer2476]

That was a great video! Ive always wondered about the Krate Dragon after a certain bounty hunter helped kill the one you studied. A recommendation for another planet to study is Hoxxes IV! It's owned by the Deep Rock Galactic company so you might need a good word in to actually get to the caves. But if you can brave the harsh deserts of Tatooine and the crushing depths of Sector Zero, I'm sure it'll be no problem!

[@pinchevulpes]

Long as you give me my share of the Pearls I don’t care what you do with the Corpse!

[@GreatAukEntertainment]

We need more star wars biology videos! Love your work dude!

[@elizabetho.7484]

A Star Wars nature documentary? Amazing. Love this channel.

[@bobstanly9198]

I would love a breakdown like this of the witcher bestiary. Although the creatures are more fantastical than as a result of evolutionary development.

[@Squid_does_games9638]

I don’t know if this would be up your alley but could you do one of these on the robotic animals of horizon: zero dawn. The story is basically that humanity created a nano machine bio weapon that self replicated by consuming biological matter. To preserve the remaining flora, fauna, and humanity, they built giant bunkers like arks governed by ai set to start trying to recolonize the planet with plants and animals after the nanomachimes die off in a couple hundred years. The ai’s use machines based off of biological animals from the present and the past, but with some evolutions and machanical body part for increased efficiency. I think it is an interesting take on how an ecosystem could coexist with nature and machine.

[@peanutbutter6720]

It would also bring a huge boost to viewership since Forbidden West is coming out so soon.

[@peterstoric6560]

I may be forgetting something here, but weren’t bantha’s carnivorous (or omnivorous) and were able to extend their tongues like a chameleon to catch insects?

[@river.m2010]

If something only eats insects it’s an insectivore by the way. I could imagine banthas eating insects seems to make sense

[@peterstoric6560]

@@river.m2010 I assumed they would also eat womp rats and other small creatures due to how scarce food would be there

[@river.m2010]

@@peterstoric6560 life always finds a way

[@RoamingAdhocrat]

in Star Wars: Larry, we see Steve Ben Obi-Wan Larry Kenobi feeding raw meat to his amphibian camel

[@doddermodd]

Nobody talks about this, but the reason people of Tatooine mostly wear white is because it doesn't absorb heat.

[@Automatonation]

Your editing of Star Wars media into a documentary is absolutely fantastic

[@taiko1237]

This looks really cool! Also, I remember reading in a Star Wars guide book thingy that juvenile Sarlaccs wander the desert for a long time before settling into the sand and growing gigantic, and only females become stationary. Males keep wandering the sands looking for mates until they die.

[@guillaume_beaumont]

I was just doing something else and saw you posted a video. And damn, now I have to watch it.

[@nogoodgod4915]

Amazing channel, really glad I found it!

[@ryannovel8892]

Hay! I'm writing my own fantasy-scifi novel per this year and I don't how it will ends. But your content always give me inspiration and keep writing! Thank you soo much to make these contents. Keep it up!!!

[@Cwronaga216]

Just as a note on banthas they're actually omnivores and eat meat as well. Also a sarlacc is the worst way to die in Star Wars and they actually start their life cycle as small predatory pack animals that run around killing thing. The sarlacc adult will digest you over the course of about 1000 years and they keep your Consciousness intact during the entire process so you feel the entire thing and even copy your Consciousness after your death so that you can continue to suffer even after you're fully digested. The sarlacc seems to get pleasure out of the suffering of its victims

[@hansakkerman2611]

Which marks them as beings of pure evil. Anyone unfortunate enough to be swallowed by the Sarlacc is subjected to a thousand years of living hell, as their "host" keeps them alive, sustained and conscious throughout. Sarlacc only do this to sentient victims, banthas, dewbacks and the like are just consumed "normally" Honestly, this makes me wonder why no-one has made it their life's mission to kill each and every one of them.

[@Shadamachaeon]

According to " The Wildlife of Star Wars" book, the Sarlacc are not native to Tatooine, they are actually spread through space by spores, which eventually land on habitable planets.

[@argon2532]

@@Shadamachaeon I'm pretty sure that a lot of the wildlife in Star Wars have been transported throughout the galaxy on various star ships. I mean, how else would a krayt dragon be found on two planets?

[@darthcinnamn1195]

HECK YEAH, I love Star Wars and alien biology and I always wanted someone to make a video just like this. Thank you so much CA!

[@echoecho3155]

Care to do a Legends version? There's a bunch of old sourcebooks and art compilations that provide a really detailed look at the environment. Coruscant could also be a good one to tackle. From duracrete slugs and hawbats to escaped pets and chtons, that planet has a lot of really unique wildlife.

[@Rhyme_Zil14]

I might be a bit late but can you try doing a horizon zero dawn video it could be a bit difficult as it's machines not organic life but you could have a try doing it if possible

[@jeffreyjosepamplona3417]

A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. Great work pulling this off!

[@maxleroux]

You're doing the biology of Star Wars now? Look out everyone. We're going to be here for a while.

[@enixxe]

I would love to see more Star Wars content. I feel like it's ripe for worldbuilding inspiration for both traditional fantasy and sci-fi, and this video did not disappoint.

[@dominikbach3983]

Yes I already loved your content and now you are doing star wars! Keep it up!

[@janvesely1087]

Please do more Star Wars planets!

[@sivanlevi3867]

If you know the National Geographic special "Extraterrestrial", the lifeforms created for it are also pretty fascinating.

[@andrewmartin2567]

This is awesome and very well done. I would love to see you do a series on a bunch of other planets from Star Wars universe, you could explore the jungles of Kashyyyk with it’s terrifying predators and massive wroshyr trees, the seas of Kamino brought about by ecological disaster at the end of an Ice Age, or the eternal twilight of Umbara. You could even explore the history of Coruscant, how it used to be much like earth but is now an Ecumenopolis thousands of layers deep with new terrifying species evolving in the darkness below the surface. Edit; also where are the Jawas? They are native to Tatooine and are much more receptive to offworlders, readily adapting to new technology and even traveling off world to new planets.

[@jarcake6581]

I was just asking for this! The Mandalorian & Book of Boba Fett really expanded much of Tatooine.

[@konradlorek3043]

Nice, Dune vibes

[@allsuper9268]

I would love to see a video about biology of the the different alien species in Star Wars either sentient or not.

[@a.kitcat.b]

I was never a Star Wars fan but I loved this story along with all these creatures!! I can't wait to see more like it!

[@Littlekoji-df1cf]

I would love to see more videos about star wars biology.

[@Temtatork]

I once read on the wookiepedia that tatooine was originally similar to earth, but overexplotation by an invasive alien civilization decimated the resources of the planet

[@alecity4877]

Not just overexplotation, it was also terraformed by weapons once the natives (common ancestors of both Jawas and Tusken) rebelled against the Rakata. What followed was a rapid change in the climate, ecosystem and to an extent the surface's geology which was a catastrophy for the ecosystem and the locals.

[@sirshotty7689]

@@alecity4877 and don't forget the time Czerka just left all their shit lying around. Doesn't that mean the Jawas have been riding around and maintaining the same sandcrawlers for 4,000+ years or do they just switch it out with the newer model every few hundred years? either way it's funny to think about.

[@alecity4877]

@@sirshotty7689 I've always thought the Jawas rebuilt their sandcrawlers piece by piece as they got old, kind of a ship of Theseus to question if they are the same sandcrawlers after all the replaced parts, you know what I mean?.

[@sirshotty7689]

​@@alecity4877 Yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking, but what do they do with the replaced part? scrap it. sandcrawlers do have their own productions facilities so it's possible that they make the replacement parts themselves. so with those two probabilities in mind answer this, what percentage of the sandcrawler contains the original metal?

[@alecity4877]

@@sirshotty7689 that question is kinda impossible to know with that data.

[@theblub8587]

interesting to add: when u look closely at the sarlacc diagram, u can see a little sarlacc being stuck to its body, just like a male angler fish to a female one

[@Goblinhandler]

Yeah that’s the male, they eventually fuse then explode to release the sarlacc spores

[@SignalFire_Animations]

An archive entry on Star Wars biology? From Tatooine?? YES! MY PRAYERS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED!

[@Akaashi__]

Make a video regarding Kamino and Dagobah, they look pretty interesting to cover, specially Kamino, looks pretty complex.

[@justanormalguyy]

Could you make something about the Stargate franchise, please?

[@BJHSquared]

There are so many planets and species that would be so interesting to explore.

[@justanormalguyy]

@@BJHSquared exactly!!!

[@sivanlevi3867]

According to an old Extended Universe novel by George Lucas, Tatooine was a vibrant tropical world until it was assaulted by the Rakatans, a race from the opposite side of the galaxy bent on conquest. Their attacks were so devastating, they destroyed almost all life on the planet, especially through the destructive uses of Bogan, the Dark Side of the Force.

[@robmcclory5491]

this was brilliant you've got to make another one of these for another star wars planet

[@laayiv9449]

I'll put in a request you cover the biology of the planet Malacandra from C.S Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet.

[@Elidrawsthings]

First, as a science fiction writer with a degree in evolutionary biology I love your videos. That said, the only critique I'd give this video is that Rancors are not indigenous to tatooine, they are brought in from Hutt Space. (There natural habitat is a jungle).

[@dakotagarcia997]

I’ve never seen a Camel eat a cactus till today..

[@raenfox]

Still missing womp rats and sand demons. After all, if you have the fearsome krayt dragon, one really should mention the one creature capable of hunting them.

[@hammygames077]

Justa small note, the krayt dragon pearls aren't formed aroundn sand as that would be dissolved by the acid. Instead the pearls form around kyber crystals, hence their worth.

[@NFCloud]

Holy shit, from 4546b to tatooine, i might as well just sub instead of relying on my recommended..

[@inquisitor_snake]

Just a quick correction, The planet turning into a dessert was not done naturally. It was the result of a planetary bombardment that happened thousands of years ago

[@grey1643]

There is also a lot of sand in Tatooine. It is really coarse and rough and irritating and it gets everywhere

[@JustBadAtGames]

From subnautica to SW?! Stop reading my mind! I've already binged all your videos, what more do you want from me?!

[@gearsfan6669]

if the game would ever get another creature model update, I feel like you would have field day with No Man's Sky, heck even just one covering the basic fauna forms would be interesting

[@pickle9571]

I do love me some star wars biology.

[@awkwardllama0509]

I instinctively panic for a second for the camel's safety when I see em noming cacti lol

[@SpaceKnight105]

may the force be with you man!

[@Logovanni]

Where is this material from? The stuff that’s not from the movies and the mandalorian of course.

[@user-zj4rn5pz2x]

I was expecting this thank youuu love from tataouin 💕💕

[@that_sthetea]

ohhhh i've been waiting for you to touch on the worldbuilding of star wars. im so glad you made this video!

[@koriw1701]

I love the way you tell the stories about these distant places as if we were witnesses to the immersive version of the great *Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy!* You construct such wonderful monologues that I can't wait to see each new one as it emerges from your files. Thank you for your work!

[@KerbalHub]

Tatooine: exists Life: exists perfectly fine Anakin: *I DON'T LIKE SAND*

[@dontreadthedescription5654]

I can’t wait for more Star Wars biology videos

[@RandomMarcus92]

Actually. Rankor are originally from the planet Dathomir. Darth Maul’s Home Planet.

[@Bleepbleepblorbus]

Timeline All yesterday's All today's All tomorrow's what's next? No seriously I'm asking All interspecies? All mythology's? All in-between's? How about... All fictional's?

[@thegabrelian631]

In the star wars comics tatooine was just nuked, and became a desert

[@LunaticPrime]

Keep 'em coming! :) But why didn't you talk about the sarlacc's digestive feature to digest it's prey over up to a thousand years? And great sand dragons are way more like sand fish than the sand apes.

[@sdabestani]

You keft out JAWAS?! Especially when according to KOTOR jawas & tuskens share a common ancestry?!

[@Micha-mj7vg]

1:51 ''Camels are experts at keping cool''😎

[@gabrielcalvo2623]

I love your videos! They're so interesting, and your narrative is pretty good. Could you do a Monster hunter video?

[@theramazing4615]

"Wow, You're stepping into a very dangerous place there" "Tatooine?" "Didney" jokes aside, great video

[@reignrevival2689]

Interestingly Massiff are used throughout the galaxy by various groups as guard dogs and what more or less amounts to K9 Units in some law enforcement including the Grand Army of The Republic.

[@gufoferdinando1879]

Nice video! Next I'd like a video of the The Snouters: Form and Life of the Rhinogrades

[@violetlight1548]

This was a really cool video! It's great to examine such a well-known sci fi world from a speculative biology perspective -- to see its animals as more than movie monsters. I'd like to recommend the "Dragonriders of Pern" novel series by Anne McCaffrey, if you'd like another sci fi world with an interesting and unique biosphere to explore :)

[@lamaahruloma4270]

When I was riding Astrachan-Kazakhstan camels, they ate everything, not only plants or succulents. They loved to eat fish or basically everything and anything. Maybe it was because of the Soviet Union or it's in their nature to be omnivores.

[@Darkstrider3009]

love it

[@romeobelisario3190]

From what I remember of the Old Republic comics, Tatooine’s current landscape was due to a giant orbital weapon glassing much of the surface and evaporating most of the water.

[@EmirMakesStuff]

Something about these videos is so relaxing, its probably youre voice

[@koziewitha-k6516]

You made one major mistake in this, Rancors are not wild on Tatooine. They are not part of the ecosystem, but simply a one off creature to there

[@shaunlucas205]

He said that

[@darealshinji]

I always find the narrative of the heat being the result of the binary star system very strange. A second star doesn't automatically turn all its planets into hot deserts. The distance to its stars, the angle and the atmosphere are important. If Tatooine was further away it would turn into a freezing world.

[@mikibednarczyk3439]

Are you going to do other planets from Star Wars?,like Naboo,Dagobah,Hoth,or Endor?

[@daQuietsho]

Welp... I must rethink my worldbuilding after all I guess...

[@anasb.8647]

man, evolution and adaptation are fucking trippy, like, imagine making yourself cooler in a desert by evolving fucking fur, the idea itself seems like a paradox but is real

[@thedukeofweasels6870]

The sarlac pit almost seems to be related to mysterious the flesh pit National Park superorganism because of how similar their anatomy is an excellent example of convergent evolution since being from two completely different galaxies they're most certainly not actually related but if both adapted to a similar environment with a similar strategy

[@TheMajesticSeaPancake]

Love the video, but binary systems are far from rare, when you say it at the beginning, just wanted to correct. Keep up the content though love you guys.

[@nikolajsteffensen6578]

fun fact. in their native environment Rancors are actually pack animals. they are very social. and it's very possible that a young Rancor bonds to others if they treat it well because it starts viewing them as it's pack.

[@Dylan-Hooton]

Nice! I can't wait for you to look at the wildlife of Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna. ;)

[@wyattsongshogan1969]

I hope you talk about the other animal life in Star Wars any other planets I hope you do literally I like your videos really really like your Videos😍😍😍😍😍

[@wlsnsoares]

Rare, many stars exist in binary or more complex systems. Actually, single stars are exceptions if a remember well. Saturn is a failed star. We almost get a binary system.

[@saturn6784]

Speak for yourself I am quite the star

[@Merennulli]

I'm glad you discussed the issue of invasive species. We really need to ban the import of rancors.

[@Sithari_XAOS]

9:15 Rancor are very surprising when you dig into their lore. They live in herds run by matriarchs and are so naturally peaceful that they hate fighting, you have to go to great lengths of conditioning and probably torture to make one ready for combat.

[@sneath5142]

Idk if its even possible but if you could do the Biology of the Elder Scrolls games would be a dream come true.

[@nathski22]

Amazing!!!!!!!!

[@Piocoto123]

It should be noted that camels do not naturally eat cacti, as cacti are exclusive to the Americas but have been naturalized and cultivated in most of the world

[@brandonhiatt2546]

I thought of something cool since you did a biology of dragons then why not a biological video of the creatures from monster hunter from all regions/games.