Les Jones

Star Wars > Star Wars FAQs

Starwars.com FAQs, via Kottke. Some of these are good, but since starwars.com is a Lucas property some of them really toe the company line. Here's a question I had always wondered about:

Why didn't the wampa ice creature show up on Han or Luke's sensors when they were searching for life on Hoth?

and the answer:

The primary criteria that LFI (life form indicator) scanners use to detect phenomena are heat signatures. From that, the sensor examines the signature to determine the likelihood that it indeed a living being and not some other heat source. Wampas, having evolved on the frozen plains of Hoth, have extremely efficient insulation. Their thick coats and tissues do not let any vital body heat escape, thus making them effectively invisible to casual sensor scans.

Yeah, I'm not buying that explanation, either. Efficient insulation, my foot. The stupid things have to breath. If Luke's scanner can pick up heat signatures from miles away it can pick up hot breath from a dozen feet.