As we have known for a few months now, Luke Skywalker was never completely alone on the planet Ahch-to. Through leaked concept art we learned the Jedi Master has some company, and perhaps even friends in the creatures known as the porgs. With their short stature and adorable eyes they are probably the most awe-inducing element of Star Wars since we met the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi.
Though they do not heavily resemble their off screen counterparts, porgs are inspired by real animals that inhabit the real island of Skellig Michael, the island used for the location where Luke Skywalker went into exile. The creatures are called puffins, a seabird that is known to spend its summers on the island. Rian Johnson discussed how they came to be a part of the movie with Entertainment Weekly:
“If you go to Skellig at the right time of year, it’s just covered in puffins, and they’re the most adorable things in the world,” said Johnson. “So when I was first scouting there, I saw these guys, and I was like, oh, these are part of the island. And so the Porgs are in that realm.”
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As for the temple on Ahch-to, it may not even resemble what most of us think of as a temple. Johnson said he kept pushing to go back further and further in time, the idea was to move as far away from looking modern as possible. The tree from the teaser trailer may give us an idea of how far back Johnson is going, and while the formation of the Jedi as a religion will not be heavily covered in The Last Jedi, Ahch-to does hold Jedi secrets unbeknownst to fans, says the films director, Rian Johnson:
“Hopefully it will be fun to discover in the context of the movie. My notion was this is a place that goes all the way back. This is where the cave paintings are. The first designs that we had were temples, and I just kept pushing it back and saying, ‘No, think earlier, think earlier. Let’s push this all the way back and see how deep we can go into the foundations of where this all started.”
We are just over four months away folks from The Last Jedi, what is arguably the biggest and most anticipated movie in the history of cinema. If you weren’t excited before, now is the time.
What are your thoughts on the porgs and exploring ancient Jedi mythology? Let us know in the comments down below!
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SOURCE: EW