Not unlike Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars is a franchise so rich – so splendid – that often the smallest character or creature can become a cult hero.
Think of the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi, or even the bounty hunter known as Boba Fett, who is arguably one of the most iconic characters in all of Star Wars history. And all that after only 6 minutes and 32 seconds of screen time. But by looking ahead to the future, if there’s one new addition to the series canon that is poised to become an online sensation, it’s the porgs.
Those pint-sized sea birds are said to be indigenous to Ahch-To, the far-flung Jedi temple on which Luke Skywalker has spent most (or perhaps all?) of his self-imposed exile. First teased via a touching behind-the-scenes featurette, come December, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will introduce porgs to the masses, and it’s nigh on certain that those adorable little critters – part penguin, part puffin – will resonate with Star Wars fans the world over.
With little over three months to go, it’s fair to say that The Last Jedi is beginning to round the final corner, and while responding to one curious fan on Twitter, Rian Johnson offered up some new intel on the “inquisitive” porgs.
First and foremost: they can fly short distances, which would explain that early concept art of a porg perched atop R2-D2. What’s more, word on the Internet is that The Last Jedi‘s furry little mascots are on Ahch-To for a reason, so perhaps they have some historic connection to the last Jedi Temple? Time will tell.
Rian Johnson will steer The Last Jedi into theaters in time for December 15th, and after he reportedly passed up the chance to helm Episode IX, Disney and Lucasfilm have handed the keys over to J.J. Abrams, who will complete this current Star Wars trilogy on December 20th, 2019.
