We’ve seen a few leaks and glimpses of Porgs in a behind-the-scenes reel from ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘ and now Lucasfilm has officially unveiled these cute little creatures. This is a gray area for the franchise for as much as we all love the cute droids like R2-D2 and BB-8, everything that is organic has had a mixed reception. Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks are two perfect examples of George Lucas having tried to give us something cute in Star Wars and either failing or not having them loved by everyone.
Even with Lucas gone, the attempts at cute aren’t over as we’re now getting Porgs. These creatures live on Ahch-To so you know they’ll be popping up in or around a few key scenes to the film.
So what they Porgs? According to Lucasfilm Story Group’s Pablo Hidalgo:
“Porgs are native to Ahch-To and can be found dwelling along the cliffs of the island where Luke and Rey are. In many ways, they’re the Star Wars version of puffins. They build nests. They can fly. Their babies are called porglets… Given how rarely their island has visitors, their curiosity outweighs any skittishness they may have… Ever since that roadside scavenger let out that belch outside Jabba’s palace in Return of the Jedi, the idea that there’s an entire animal kingdom living amid the drama and adventure of the Star Wars saga is a compelling one. Besides, porgs are cute. You fall into those deep, soulful eyes. I think a lot of people are going to want a porg as a pet.”
The idea initially came from Rian Johnson and, as you can tell from the image above, they aren’t going to just be CGI. While puppets were used to bring some of them to life, CGI did get used as well “depending on what’s needed.”
Historically, we’ll see kids loving these with a mixed response from adults. However, unlike Ewoks and Binks, I suspect that these will be a little less intrusive and in your face to the plot and generally better received.
Hopefully, these guys don’t replicate like tribbles.
Are you excited for the porgs to invade ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ with those giant cute eyes? Share your thoughts in a galaxy far far away, or, the comments below!
