Spoo

Spoo is a fictional food product that served as a running joke within the Babylon 5 science fiction television series. In the series' fictional universe, spoo is made from worm-like creatures of the same name and is generally regarded as the most delicious food in the galaxy; the creature itself, however, is regarded with contempt by most species. Despite appearing only in a few episodes, spoo was embraced by fans and became part of the series' extended mythology.

Use of the word "spoo" to denote a food item predates Babylon 5, which began airing in 1993. The show's creator J. Michael Straczynski was a writer for the 1985 cartoon series She-Ra Princess of Power. After a Babylon 5 fan recalled a possible spoo reference from that show, Straczynski replied, "Yeah, I slipped some spoo in there once. A couple of real cute (as in wanna drop a truck on them cute) elf-types offer Skeletor a bowl of Spoo." In a 1995 interview, Straczynski referred to that scene as his favorite of the show.

Spoo appeared in the first episode of Babylon 5, where it was briefly mentioned by the Narn Ambassador, G'Kar. Straczynski, who wrote the episode in question, was asked about spoo by fans on various internet message boards on which he frequently participated. At first, Straczynski's responses were terse: "Spoo is." In another early post, he explained how he created the word: "Spoo is Oops spelled backward." He eventually noted that the taste of spoo is that of "Meat Jello. Served chilled."

After years of speculation from Babylon 5 fans, Straczynski finally offered an extensive explanation of the origins and nature of spoo. He said spoo are tiny, pasty, mealworm-like creatures that travel slowly in herds. Their main behavior is sighing, which "can reportedly induce unparalleled bouts of depression" in other creatures. They are raised on ranches and harvested through "whacking". Spoo are regarded with contempt by most species in Babylon 5; they "are the only creatures of which the Interstellar Animal Rights Protection League says, simply, 'Kill 'em.'" Despite this, they are "generally considered the most delicious food in all of known space".

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