So, the one marketing piece that had a lot of people worried about ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi‘ was the introduction to the Porgs. Let’s talk about the new little guys, shall we? Before I get ahead of myself though it should be noted that there will be a few minor spoilers in the film here so if you haven’t had a chance to see the latest release of the Skywalker Saga than you should probably turn back now.
Okay, still with me? 1… 2… 3… Porgs Away!
It is easy for the cynic who first saw a Porg in the trailer to simply dismiss it. Clearly, these cute little puffin-like creatures are just marketing ploys to sell toys that will be annoying in the film, right? Well, yes, all but the annoying part. They actually not only are cute but thanks to a few climbing aboard the Millennium Falcon it looks as if they’ll be sticking around as well.
Likely to be dubbed the Tribbles of the ‘Star Wars’ universe, these little guys went from being food for Chewbacca to hanging out with him in the cockpit as he was flying away from the First Order in a scene that called back to ‘Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back’ when Han Solo was getting away from Imperials and later the giant slug-like space worm called an Exogorth.
These creatures which are native to the planet Luke Skywalker has been hiding out on, Ahch-To and are probably closer to puffins than penguins which most of the original comparisons seemed to be. They have nests, they can fly, and with their giant oversized eyes yes they are damn cute to boot. Also, as it wasn’t shown onscreen it wasn’t clear if they guilted Chewy into not eating one of their own but as he had already cooked it, I bet that it ended up as his dinner.
They just couldn’t show it happen after we got those huge begging Porg eyes looking up at him. However, his food preferences may have changed with how readily he accepted them hanging out on the Falcon with him for pretty much the rest of the movie.
Are they a marketing gimmick? The short answer is yes. The long answer is unlike many of the poor choices made in the prequel trilogy to sell toys, these guys actually work. They seem like something that you’d want to have for a pet and aren’t annoying every single moment that they’re on the screen.
Overall, I support the Porgs being in the room and hope they continue to add a light levity and cuteness to help equalize the darker aspects of the story which has been presented. Even knowing in my heart that part of their creation is for selling toys regardless of what director Rian Johnson might say, they fit well and were a ton of fun.
Do you think we’ll see a continuation of the Porgs show up in ‘Star Wars: Episode IX’? Will they play any real part in the story or just be cute little afterthoughts? What do you think they taste like as Chewy likely ate at least one of these little guys? Most importantly, what did you actually think about the Porgs? Share your thoughts below!
