Lanais were an avian sentient species who lived on temple island on the ocean planet of Ahch-To for thousands of years. The females of the species took on the role of Caretakers and attended to the ancient structures on the sacred island—which was the site of the first Jedi Temple, where Jedi Master Luke Skywalker came to live as a hermit after his Jedi students were killed by his nephew Kylo Ren—while the males were known as the Visitors.
Biology and appearance
Edit
Native to the aquatic planet Ahch-To,[1] Lanais were an avian sentient species[2] who dwelled on temple island which held the first Jedi Temple. They were distinguished by their gray skin and bird-like skinny feet.[1]
Society and cultureEdit
Lanais spoke a non-Basic language, and were able to communicate with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker during his self-imposed exile on Ahch-To.[1]
HistoryEdit
For thousands of years, Lanais inhabited the temple island on Ahch-To, and the female Caretakers tended to the ancient structures at the site of the first Jedi temple.[2] After the death of his Jedi students at the hands of his former apprentice and nephew Kylo Ren, the legendary Jedi Master Luke Skywalker came to Ahch-To,[5] home of the Lanais,[3] to live in solitude.[5] The Jedi Master's presence on the island was accepted and tolerated by the Lanais,[1] but when Rey came to the island to be trained by him, the Caretakers found that she disrupted their work.[1]
Behind the scenesEdit
- "They're kind of these sort of fish-bird type aliens who live on the island. They've been there for thousands of years, and they essentially keep up the structures on the island."
- ―Rian Johnson
The Lanais were created and developed for Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi, the eighth film in the Star Wars saga, which was released on December 15, 2017.[6] The Caretakers were first revealed in an article by Entertainment Weekly, released on August 9, 2017.[7]
Rian Johnson, the writer and director of The Last Jedi, wanted the Lanais to bear resemblance to nunnery in real life. They were designed by Neal Scanlan's crew, and Michael Kaplan made their working costumes which reflected "a nun-like, spartan sort of existence." Johnson also described their language as "a blubbery sort of Scottish fish talk."[7] The creature effects supervisor Neal Scanlan also said that he felt like "the only creatures that would ever exist on the Ahch-To island were those indigenous to it, where very few other species and DNA would have reached them." This led Scanlan to the idea of the Lanais being an extrapolation from the porgs[8]—a sea bird species native to Ahch-To[9]—and having bird-like feet, despite being a further developed race.[8]
During the film's production, the Lanais were animated with a person inside, one of whom was a friend of Daisy Ridley,[7] the actress who portrays the character Rey in the film.[10]
AppearancesEdit
- Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi (First appearance)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: A Junior Novel
- The Last Jedi: Rey's Journey
- Chewie and the Porgs
SourcesEdit
- New The Last Jedi Images, The Star Wars Show Goes Hollywood, Lost Lucasfilm Loot, & More! on StarWars.com
- Star Wars: Look and Find
- Star Wars Made Easy: A Beginner's Guide to a Galaxy Far, Far Away
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi Look and Find
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary (First identified as Lanai)
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Ultimate Sticker Collection
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi Activity Book with Stickers
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Heroes of the Galaxy
- Check Out the Bold, New Star Wars: The Last Jedi "Pop Icon" Posters on StarWars.com
- Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: New Edition
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- Alcida-Auka in the Databank (backup link)
- Caretakers in the Databank (backup link)
- Thala-Siren in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Star Wars: Episode VIII The Last Jedi
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Star Wars: The Last Jedi: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Star Wars: Look and Find
- ↑ Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Expanded Edition
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
- ↑ The Official Title for Star Wars: Episode VIII Revealed on StarWars.com
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Breznican, Anthony (2017-08-09). The Last Jedi: Meet the porgs and 'The Caretakers' from Luke Skywalker's island. Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved on August 14, 2017.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Nugent, John (2017-10-30). The Last Jedi: New Revelations From Star Wars Creatures Boss. Empire. empireonline.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved on October 31, 2017.
- ↑ Introducing Porgs, the Cute New Creatures from Star Wars: The Last Jedi on StarWars.com
- ↑ Star Wars: Episode VIII Now Filming on StarWars.com (backup link)
External linksEdit
- Breznican, Anthony (2017-08-09). The Last Jedi: Meet the porgs and 'The Caretakers' from Luke Skywalker's island. Entertainment Weekly. ew.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved on August 14, 2017.
- Nugent, John (2017-10-30). The Last Jedi: New Revelations From Star Wars Creatures Boss. Empire. empireonline.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2017. Retrieved on October 31, 2017.
