This is something that has been bugging me for a while. As we all know, the fate of those being thrown into the pit is to be slowly digested over a period of a thousand years. At first glance, this would seem to be one of Jedi’s silly ideas (isn’t funny how long the torment lasts?), something that is very much in line with the “comical” torture of the Gonk droid, and the cartoon screeches of those falling into the pit.

However, isn’t also conceivable that a creature like Sarlacc is Force sensitive, and is able to extend the lifetime of its victims? We know that Jabba for instance, is able to resist the Jedi mind tricks, so it’s not out of the question for a monster to employ Force-related abilities. The idea of an unnaturally long lifespan isn’t so incredible either with Yoda lasting 900 years. We don’t know if this the natural lifespan of his species, or a result of his abilities with the Force, but the concept is present.

But then if it were the case that the Sarlacc is indeed using the Force to keep his victims alive for centuries, why would it do this? Because it’s the necessary time for his digestion? To keep from starving to death? Or perhaps, because it’s a sadistic creature. Lending credibility to that idea would be the Emperor choosing to kill Luke in a slow, painful manner insead of destroying him as quickly as he could with his powers.