Worms known as conduit worms were parasitic, non-sentient creatures that originated on the planet of Coruscant and consumed electricity. As they developed within the ecumenopolis' electrical conduits, they transformed absorbed components into functioning organs. These worms could reach lengths of hundreds of meters, often infesting the power cable networks of the Coruscant Underworld and drawing energy from starships. The term "conduit worm" was sometimes used as an insult, implying someone was a "little parasite."
The electricity found in buildings and starships served as the food source for these non-sentient conduit worms. While growing within electrical conduits, these parasitic worms would absorb components, such as batteries, which they would then convert into organs. They possessed eye threads, resistor segments, and capacitor beads (for energy storage) extending from their core segments. Notably, they lacked a distinct head, body, or tail. The feeler threads of a conduit worm could extend for hundreds of meters, and mouth cups frequently appeared at the ends of these threads. Their skin was gray-and-brown, and they had black eyes.
These worms were known to board ships covertly and consume the electrical wiring while the ships were in flight. They were considered as dangerous as stone mites. If extremely hungry, a conduit worm might attempt to burrow through a humanoid's ears and into their head to feed on electrical impulses.
Urbanization over thousands of years on Coruscant resulted in the development of unique wildlife, including conduit worms, within its underworld. These creatures thrived by growing around and consuming components from the endless power cables of their homeworld. The potential for infestations to cause the loss of vital artificial light led some underworld residents to wear exterminator backpacks equipped with probes that could detect electrical currents affected by the worms. Conduit purgers were also employed as pest control tools to eliminate worms from infested conduits. These devices allowed residents to locate and remove the worms before they could grow and start feeding on sleeping humanoids.
The term "conduit worm" was also used as an insult, similar to calling someone a "little parasite." In 20 BBY, during the Clone Wars, Borkus, the Sullustan owner of the Power Sliders diner on the Outer Rim planet Abafar, likened Meebur Gascon, a member of the Zilkin species, to a conduit worm before throwing him out of his establishment. Later, between 6 BBY and 5 BBY on Lothal, Merei Spanjaf, a student at the Junior Academy of Applied Sciences, called the school's athletic director, Janus Fhurek, a conduit worm after learning about his xenophobic actions. By the time of the Galactic Civil War, conduit worms had been transported to the Outer Rim planet Xorrn, where they coexisted with other species.
The initial mention of conduit worms within the current Star Wars canon occurred in "Missing in Action," which was the twelfth episode of the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, an animated television series. It was initially broadcast on January 5, 2013. Their first canonical visual representation was in "Coruscant Underworld," an article featured in the "Guide to the Galaxy" section of the twenty-sixth issue of the Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, published by De Agostini around July 1, 2015. Originally, conduit worms were created for Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary, a 2002 Star Wars Legends reference book authored by David West Reynolds.
Reynolds himself conceived the conduit worm, intending it to be a hybrid of organic life and an electrical circuit. Robert E. Barnes, a concept sculptor, created the model displayed in Attack of the Clones: The Visual Dictionary using wire, Sculpey polymer clay, urethanes, epoxy, and paint. The design of the conduit worm was intentionally "pretty nasty," and it was built to the scale shown in the book.
Conduit worms were featured in "Omega Saves the Day," a non-canon LEGO comic story published in the 115th issue of the German Lego Star Wars magazine. Martin Fisher wrote the story, Natascha Römer and Yanic Leipzig provided the illustrations, and it was released on November 1, 2024. Sometime between 19 BBY and around 18 BBY, the Bad Batch commandos and the young clone Omega picked up a shipment of conduit worms on Ettan for the Trandoshan Ciddarin Scaleback, who warned them not to open the crates. Initially puzzled by the crates' high energy levels, several conduit worms escaped and headed toward the group's ship, the Marauder. The group struggled to contain the creatures before they could attach themselves to the ship, fearing the worms would disable the Marauder. Omega used power packs to lure the conduit worms away, allowing Wrecker to trap them back in their crates. Wrecker then slept on top of the containers to prevent any further escapes.