The latest aliens to join the Star Wars family are a community of furry, bug-eyed creatures called porgs. Spotted in the behind-the-scenes promo at this year’s D23, they’re a furry cash-grab designed to add some levity to Luke and Rey’s intense training montages in The Last Jedi. And, dammit, they are throwing me for a loop.
What are you, weird tiny ball of fluff?! Still: YouTube
In an interview with StarWars.com, resident Star Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo shared some more information about porgs, which will make their debut in The Last Jedi. He revealed their name was coined by director Rian Johnson, and they’re basically the Star Wars version of puffins. For example, they build nests for their eggs, and they can fly. They’re native to the island of Ahch-To, dwelling along the cliffs where Luke and Rey are training.
Their babies are called porglets.
Concept art by Stéphane Kardos. Image: StarWars.com
Star Wars has traditionally had a rocky relationship with trying to market cuteness. It seems like every time they try to make something adorable, it doesn’t work. For example, both Ewoks and Jar Jar Binks were designed to sell to kids. The scheme might have been effective at first, but they ended up losing out in the long run because they didn’t add anything of value beyond their general “aww factor”. Then again, BB-8 was designed for the same purpose, and there’s no one in the world who can convince me he’s anything less than a treasure.
It’s one of those things where I’ll have to wait and see how the porgs turn out, but right now I’m iffy on whether they’re going to actually serve a purpose beyond inspiring the newest line of Furbys. I mean, just look at this quote from Hidalgo: “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,” he said.
Star Wars: Killing me with cuteness.