It's May 4th, and that means it's Star Wars Day! In celebration of this yearly sci-fi occurrence, I will be examining a key issue: Tauntaun or Rancor?
If you aren't a Star Wars fan, let me explain...
A Tauntaun is a reptomammal living on the ice planet of Hoth. They are large bipedal organisms that are found throughout the planet and have a few different sub-species. They mostly live off of lichen under the snowy surface that makes up the entire planet. Tauntauns can be used as mounts to get around a planet's surface quickly. A few are shown in the film "The Empire Strikes Back".
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Tauntaun
A Rancor is also a reptomammal that is found on the planet Dathomir. They are a large carnivorous species that can be fairly aggressive in their wild state. They are semi-sentient, though, and have a very close relationship with the Dathomiri witches. They can also be used as a mount, or trained with armor and weapons. Rancors can be found across the galaxy because of exotic animal trading. This has also led to a few sub-species evolving to fit into new climates. A feral one can be seen in "Return of the Jedi".
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rancor
So again. Which do you choose? Let's say you're sitting by a campfire and a pod crash lands in a field near you. You run over, and inside you find a baby Tauntaun and a baby Rancor. You can only save one. Which do you choose?
It's hard isn't it? At least for those Star Wars fans out there. I posed this question to a friend while we were camping a few weeks ago. He sat there and didn't say anything for a while. Then he admitted that he didn't know what he would pick. He asked me if I could choose, and I found that it was hard as well. So we sat and compared the two, then contrasted them. Both had their pluses and minuses, so it didn't make the decision any easier. I finally picked the Tauntaun, just because it was smaller and probably didn't have such a voracious appetite. But my friend was still having trouble. It took many different consolations to enable him to decide:
- The animal wouldn't get captured by the military or government
- You would be able to feed the animal easily
- You would have room to keep it
- Scientists would take DNA samples to clone it and study it without harming the animal
- The escape pod would have a saddle for when it reached maturity
He still found it hard to decide. Finally, I said neither of the animals would die. Whichever one he chose was his, and that I got the other one. At this, he chose the Tauntaun. It took the better part of an hour for him to decide.
After we left the fire, I sat there and started thinking about what had just happened. We loved Star Wars so much that when the question was posed, we actually had trouble deciding what to pick. At first I sat there feeling ashamed at myself. How could I care that much? It's just a stupid film franchise. But then I thought of how I had grown up watching the films, reading the books and comics, playing with the toys, and playing the video games. It was a childhood memory. Star Wars had given me something to love and cherish for the rest of my life. How could I be ashamed about something I had loved since childhood? The thought quickly passed over me, and I just laughed at the conundrum my friend and I had just faced.
So, Tauntaun or Rancor? Either way, Star Wars still has an impact on people. No matter what they say.
HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!
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