'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' fan video finds the porgs messing with BB-8's head
There are many things to be excited about when it comes to The Last Jedi — Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker actually speaking and doing things on camera; Daisy Ridley’s Rey getting in some Jedi lightsaber training; the introduction of new characters like Kelly Marie Tran’s Rose; trips to fantastic new locales like the Canto Bight casino; and the final franchise appearance of the late Carrie Fisher’s Leia. But of course, nothing is quite as exciting as PORGS, the weird, furry penguin-like creatures that are set to play a significant role in Rian Johnson’s upcoming sequel. And now, one fan has channeled that enthusiasm into a funny video that pits the diminutive creatures against a familiar robot.
In the above Star Wars Blips short “Keep Away,” the porgs band together for some fun — at BB-8’s expense. While the robot doesn’t seem to be in legitimately dire danger, he does lose his head in the presence of his new porg companions, who here behave akin to rambunctious kids eager to pester their older comrade — thus suggesting that they’ll be delivering considerable comedic spark to Johnson’s installment in the official saga.
Johnson has said the porgs were inspired by the indigenous wildlife of Ireland’s Skellig Michael, the remote island that stands in for Luke’s Jedi temple. “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,” Johnson told Entertainment Weekly. “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.”
Will the porgs be this year’s breakout big-screen stars? Or will they suffer an Ewok-grade backlash from fans who don’t want their interstellar adventures populated by cute plush-toy creatures? The answers to those questions won’t be fully known until Star Wars: The Last Jedi blasts into theaters on Dec. 15.
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