What is "sarlacc"

The sarlacc (plural sarlacci) is a fictional creature in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. It first appeared in the film Return of the Jedi (1983) as a multi-tentacled alien beast whose immense, gaping maw is lined with several rows of sharp teeth. The sarlacc in the film inhabits the Great Pit of Carkoon, a hollow in the sand of the desert planet Tatooine. This creature is one of the largest of several sarlacci scattered across the Star Wars galaxy.

In the original Return of the Jedi, the sarlacc is simply a barbed hole in the desert sand which characters fall into and are consumed; some are pulled into the sarlacc's mouth by its tentacles. In the 1997 Special Edition of the film, computer-generated tentacles and a beak emerge from the opened mouth. Besides Return of the Jedi, the creature and others like it are featured in Star Wars literature.

Like other aspects of Star Wars, the sarlacc became a part of popular culture. The creature was incorporated into the merchandising campaign that accompanied the release of Return of the Jedi. It is the subject of analysis and humor in works of literature unassociated with Star Wars.