Porg

Porgs were a species of sea-dwelling bird. They were native to the planet Ahch-To, where Jedi Master Luke Skywalker made his exile in the years prior to the Battle of Crait.

Biology and appearance
Porgs were a species of non-sentient birds. They were stocky in nature, with two short wings, flat, beak-less faces, and two webbed feet. Porgs were sexually dimorphic; males were slightly larger than females, and males also had orange plumage around the eyes. Porgs of both sexes were covered in dense feathers, with white coloration on the body and face, and gray to brown on the wings and back. They were much lighter than they looked, thanks to a thick outer layer of waterproof feathers with a fluffy underlayer for warmth. They could fly short distances but not far enough to leave their native island. They could also run quite swiftly on the ground and were good at maneuvering into small spaces. The birds had stereoscopic vision, colored with brown irises and black pupils. Porgs favored colder environments.

Porgs apparently also possessed an understanding of certain liguistic terms. When they overheard Rey refer to Chewbacca as "Chewie" they mistook it to be the word chewy, leading them to wonder whether Chewbacca would serve as her food.

Behavior
These hyper-curious, cliff-dwelling creatures were found throughout the islands of the planet Ahch-To. They were capable of performing controlled dives into the sea, where they fetched fish to feed on or pass on to their otherwise helpless offspring, which were called "porglets". They also hunted crustaceans. Porgs exhibited a roosting behavior, and they built nests along the island cliffs. They built nests from hair, fiber or grass and decorate them with shiny objects they had acquired. Porgs loved water, both to drink and to play in. They also loved tasting new things. Porgs had strong natural camouflaging abilities, as well as many interesting calls, ranging from burbles to squeaks to song. They crooned a special song when they were pleased. However, they could also be completely silent when necessary. Despite their curious nature, they could be quite shy if they felt threatened. Porgs, both wild and domesticated alike, were unusually smitten by human objects, and found shiny objects very fascinating. If their curiosity ran unchecked, they could wreak havoc. Porgs enjoyed being petted and scratched, especially behind their ears. A group of porgs was called a "murder."

History
"When did this old rattletrap become a birdcage?"

- Leia Organa, commenting on the infestation of porgs in the Millennium Falcon

At the time of the First Order–Resistance war, when Jedi Master Luke Skywalker threw his lightsaber off a cliff, two porgs investigated the weapon. The birds nearly activated the weapon, before they were scared off by Rey. Shortly afterwards, another porg watched in curiosity from its nest as the Jedi Master spearfished from an island cliff. While staying on Ahch-To, the Wookiee Chewbacca roasted two porgs for supper. A few of the birds stared at him before he could take a bite, but Chewbacca scared them off.

Later, at least four porgs found their way aboard the Millennium Falcon and made a nest. One of them accompanied Chewbacca during the Battle of Crait. Despite having an initial antagonism with the porgs, Chewbacca grew to like them and became their friend.

Boarding the Millennium Falcon, General Leia Organa observed a number of the creatures roosting aboard the vessel, prompting her to ask Chewbacca when the ship had become a birdcage.

Behind the scenes
"&hellip;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."

- Pablo Hidalgo

Porgs were designed for the 2017 film Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi. They were conceived by writer director Rian Johnson, who created them to digitally cover up the vast numbers of real-life puffins present on Skellig Michael, the filming site for Ahch-To. Rian "was looking at how can he work with [the puffins]. You can't remove them. You physically can't get rid of them. And digitally removing them is an issue and a lot of work, so let's just roll with it, play with it. And so I think he thought, 'Well, that's great, let's have our own indigenous species.'" Porgs were first revealed in behind the scenes footage from The Last Jedi at the D23 Expo in July 2017. They were officially named in a StarWars.com interview with Lucasfilm Story Group creative executive Pablo Hidalgo.

During the concept stage of The Last Jedi, creature designer Jake Lunt Davies explored a variety of influences, drawing ideas from birds, bats, flying squirrels, and aquatic creatures such as seals, otters, and beavers. The design approved by Johnson was based on a seal combined with a pug, akin to aquatic, flightless penguins. Porgs were created using a variety of effects, including puppets and CGI. About fifteen porgs were built, each for a specific moment in the film, a group of painted models, animatronic pieces, and 1 "hero" model. The creatures' squawks were made using a manipulation of a combination of recordings of doves, chickens and turkeys. The recordings were pitched to create the birds' unique sounds. Additionally, the Skywalker Sound team used a turkey call brought in by an intern. When ILM created the CG porgs, they took care to match the movements made by on-set puppeteers.

Concept art for the film revealed that it was initially intended that, in the scene where porgs investigate Skywalker's lightsaber, one of them would have activated the weapon just as another was looking down the shaft, killing it.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
 * Star Wars: The Last Jedi: A Junior NovelPorg nest.png
 * The Last Jedi Adaptation 1
 * The Last Jedi: Rey's Journey
 * Chewie and the Porgs

Non-canon appearances

 * Porg Invasion
 * Porg Invasion
 * Porg Invasion