One of the most divisive movies in the Star Wars franchise, The Last Jedi continued the adventures of the scavenger Rey as she trained with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker on the planet Ahch-To, hoping to uncover the secrets of her mysterious Force gifts. While Chewbacca and R2-D2 made repairs aboard the Millennium Falcon during Rey’s training, they encountered the curious porgs, small aquatic creatures that resembled an amalgamation of seals and birds. They caused no end of mischief, but with their round furry bodies and large sad eyes, how could anyone stay mad at them?
Some Star Wars fans found the porgs to provide adorable comic relief, while others felt they were annoying marketing ploys. Regardless, the porgs are here to stay, having stowed away on the Millennium Falcon to join the fight against the First Order. If you think The Last Jedi was the last time you’d ever see the porgs, you haven’t been paying attention! Here are 10 other appearances made by porgs that you may have missed!
CHEWIE AND THE PORGS
The adorable porgs practically scream (you’re imagining it, aren’t you?) to be included in a children’s book. With their round, fuzzy bodies and large doe-eyes, they are the perfect protagonists for youngsters just learning about Star Wars. Kevin Shinick and Fiona Hsieh must have come to the same conclusion when they decided to write and illustrate Chewie and the Porgs.
This adorable adventure focuses on Chewie as he explores Ahch-To while Rey is training with Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, followed by a flock of inquisitive porgs. While Chewie makes repairs to the Millennium Falcon and forages for food, the porgs are a constant source of aggravation. Nevertheless, by story’s end, he has several new porg friends.
FLIGHT OF THE FALCON: PIRATE'S PRICE
Set directly after the events of Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Flight of the Falcon: Pirate’s Price is part of a one-shot adventure included in the larger Star Wars Adventures comic anthology. It focuses on famous space pirate turned Rebel leader Hondo Ohnaka, who recalls his time spent with Han Solo and Chewie aboard the Millennium Falcon.
The Falcon is being pursued across the galaxy by Bazine Netal, a First Order operative looking for the famous Corellian freighter and the droid BB-8 it carries. While Hondo is aboard the Falcon, he befriends a particularly brave porg he names “Puffy” after his fondness for the Blue Puff Cubes (think marshmallows) Chewie feeds him. Puffy and the rest of the porgs help Hondo in a daring prison escape.
STAR WARS ADVENTURES: FLIGHT OF THE FALCON
Flight of the Falcon is the final installment in the one-shot adventure from the Star Wars Adventures anthology series of comics. It followed mercenary Bazine Netal on her quest from Maz Kanata’s castle tavern to the far reaches of the galaxy on the hunt for Han Solo, Chewie, and the Millennium Falcon.
Initially intrigued by the presence of the droid BB-8 in Maz Kanata’s castle, Netal is contracted by the First Order to pursue it. Her adventures tracking down the Falcon, as well as her interactions with famous space pirate Hondo Ohnaka, serve as a backstory to the setting in Disneyland’s new Star Wars theme park Galaxy’s Edge, and the premise for the ride Smuggler’s Run. The porgs who nest in the Falcon make several amusing appearances!
POE DAMERON: THE AWAKENING PART II & PART III
Set after the events of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, Poe Dameron #27: The Awakening Part II and #28: The Awakening Part III centers on famous fighter pilot Poe Dameron after the conclusion of the Battle of Crait. It focuses on the small moments between characters as they grapple with the death of loved ones during their engagements against the First Order.
Poe recounts his adventures after being separated from Rey and Finn in The Force Awakens, the exciting dogfights he participated in with Black Squadron against the First Order in The Last Jedi, and the Battle of Crait. The serious moments are broken up with humor and warmth from the porgs that nest in the Falcon.
STAR WARS: PROJECT PORG
Anyone that grew up feeding virtual pets will rejoice at Magic Leap One’s foray into the world of virtual porg rearing. Since the release of The Last Jedi and the rollout of porg-filled fun at LeapCon, Magic Leap One’s annual developer conference, the company has developed its own headset in conjunction with Star Wars: Project Porg and ILMxLAB at Lucasfilm.
With the VR headset on, you’ll find that Chewbacca has left you a device and a porg to play with. C-3PO is on hand to instruct you how to care for your porg, including feeding it treats, playing with it with a laser pointer, and helping it find a mate and have offspring. It offers users a way to combine their imagination with virtual elements they can interact with.
STAR WARS FORCES OF DESTINY: PORG PROBLEMS
In this Star Wars animated short, Rey is under the tutelage of Jedi Master Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To, struggling to lift a stack of stones with the Force. Looking on is a group of curious porgs, the bravest of which decides to activate her lightsaber. While at first it’s scared by the Jedi weapon, it scoops it up the moment Rey realizes mischief is afoot.
As the porgs race to the water’s edge, Rey catches up with them just as the curious porg makes its dive. Using the Force, she freezes it in mid-air and pulls it back to her, lightsaber and all. When she’s successfully retrieved her weapon, she chides the porgs for their aggravation, but nevertheless invites them to train with her whenever they want.
TALES FROM WILDSPACE: THE BEST PET
Tales from Wildspace: The Best Pet is included as the second story alongside Star Wars Adventures 5, which focuses on Leia and Luke on a diplomatic mission gone wrong. The Tales from Wildspace series focuses on Emil Graf, grandson of a great Rebel hero, who charts unknown reaches of space and chronicles his stories.
The porgs featured in The Best Pet are porg stowaways from The Last Jedi and Rey’s time on Ahch-To. They’ve nested in the Millennium Falcon to cause all sorts of chaos. They’re seen interacting with a variety of human objects, such as brushing their fur with a human hairbrush, eating toothpaste straight from the tube, and playing with cups of water near electrical equipment.
STAR WARS FORCES OF DESTINY: PORGS!
In this Star Wars animated short, Chewie and R2-D2 are making some repairs to the Millennium Falcon while Rey is training with Luke Skywalker on Ahch-To. Suddenly, a porg pops out from behind a control panel and makes off with some blue cables. Chewie and R2 track the porg to its nest, where it and its mate are using the cables as liner.
Chewie tries to offer them other things to use besides his cables, but they refuse. The cables remind them of a blue piece of foliage that is too perilous for them to reach. Chewie gallantly climbs the cliffside to retrieve some for the nest, and they return his cables to him, accompanied by many nuzzles.
THE ART OF STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI
Coinciding with the release of The Last Jedi, a gorgeous book of Lunt Davies’ concept art called The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi premiered, detailing all of the imagination and creativity that went into designing the characters and environments of the film. Davies explains that he was given a “puffin people” directive by Rian Johnson, whose shoots on Ahch-To (the Skellig Islands of Ireland) were plagued by the seabirds.
With puffins in mind, Davies drew a series of sketches, nailing the concept on the fourth or fifth try. His three main influences were a seal, a pug dog, and the puffin. The big eyes and sad, neutral face became instantly iconic within the film, with Star Wars fans either loving or hating them.
STAR WARS: GALAXY'S EDGE
Galaxy’s Edge opened to the public on May 31st, 2019. Nestled where Toontown used to be at Disneyland, the Star Wars themed area features several exciting intergalactic attractions, merchandise retailers, eateries, and so much more. Featuring a new planetary environment previously unseen in the Star Wars Universe, you’ll find the familiar faces of porgs at the Black Spire Outpost, where the Smuggler’s Run ride is located.
Porgs previously appeared alongside space pirate Hondo Ohnaka in the Flight of the Falcon comics, with one particularly curious stowaway on the Falcon receiving the name “Puffy” by the new Rebel hero. See them around the Falcon and get one to take home with you at Black Spire Outfitters.