While fans are still hotly debating whether Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi is a work of art or a flaming mess, here is one more divisive topics that might tear the fandom apart: porgs.
Episode VIII introduced the bug-eyed, bird-like creatures that are natives of Ahch-To. While they were largely ignored in the movie, fans most likely have not seen the last of them.
Origins Of Porgs
In a post on the movie franchise's website, the man behind the bird creatures, Jake Lunt Davies, explained the origins of the latest addition to the sci-fi universe. The porgs, according to the designer, were created not just to sell merchandise. They exist to make Ahch-To, or Skellig Michael in Ireland in the real world, look a little more alien on the big screen.
"From what I gathered, Rian had gone to shoot this sequence on Skellig Michael, which is the real island location that stands in for Ahch-To, and that island is covered in puffins," he shared. "It's a wildlife preserve and everywhere you look there are hundreds of birds dotted around the landscape."
The porgs, therefore, while adorable, also serve a purpose. Instead of shooing the puffins that reside in the location or digitally removing them in post-production, Davies and his team replaced the real-world avian creatures with their own indigenous species.
Davies also revealed that they created several iterations of the creatures before landing on what the world knows today as the porgs. The creatures' appearance, he said, was influenced by a mix of puffins, seals, and pugs.
People React To Porgs
Even before Star Wars: The Last Jedi came out, porgs have been a popular topic for debate. While some hated them with passion, some were completely enamored by the small creatures. Much like how BB-8 was the star of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the porgs became the face of Johnson's Episode VIII.
Nerdist asked the cast of the new movie whether they love or hate the porgs. Like the fandom, the stars of the popular space opera were divided by the issue.
"I hate porgs," declared Gwendoline Christie, who played the role of Captain Phasma. "I think they should be erased from the film."
Her co-stars Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke) and Domhnall Gleeson (Gen. Armitage Hux) share the same hatred toward the creatures. Looks like the First Order would blow up Ahch-To just to eliminate the porgs if they still have a Starkiller Base.
Laura Dern, who joined the franchise as Admiral Holdo, is totally in love with the creatures. She specifically loved the porgs' massive, pug-like eyes. Watch the interview below.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi is now showing in cinemas worldwide.
