We have been hearing about birds on Ahch-To for a while now and this week MakingStarWars.net gave us a bit more to work with. With Rebels showing convorees and now these new guys its got me thinking about why are birds or bird-like creatures are showing up in Star Wars and what the are all about.
Before we get into it I have some prerequisite reading for you. First read up on Porgs on MakingStarWars.net here and here, and importantly in their latest article here, that provides a drawing of the Porgs from LumberjackNick. Also, checkout what Davestrrr has written in the past on convorees here and here. All done? Groovy. Let’s get to it.
So we know that the Convor is an avatar for someone/something and is obviously related to the Force according to a quote from Dave Filoni. According to MSW, Porgs are creatures that inhabit the island where the original Jedi Temple was, and it is acceptable to assume they have some sort of Force connection.
According to those same reports the Porgs are protectors of the island and have given permission for Luke to be there and eventually they extend that to Rey. My question is why would we add this creature to Star Wars universe, what narrative purpose does it serve? Besides the obvious of giving the real life Puffins that are on the island a plausible Star Wars identity in the background of shots.
Convor is an avatar, likely of the Father or Daughter from the Mortis arc, and so its purpose is fairly clear. To watch the events unfold and provide another link to the Clone Wars animated series. Since there are many Porgs they unlikely to be avatars and that doesn’t fit with how a Star Wars movie tends to tell its tale anyway. The latest MSW report also tells us Luke converses with the Porgs and I believe this is where they fit. The Porgs remember.
They are not only protectors of the island but protectors of the knowledge of the beginnings of the Jedi. They know the lost history of the Jedi, and they know what they were originally as opposed to what they became in the Prequels. In the prequels, the Jedi were obviously fatally flawed and narrow minded. It is possible that through communicating with the Porgs, and the manuscripts we saw in the trailer, Luke has learned of the original Jedi.
The recent reports suggest that the Porgs are unique to Ahch-To, so it is possible that they are part of the reason why the ancient Jedi were drawn to this location to begin with. For example, maybe the Porgs protect the Temple just like they protect the island. This would keep the Temple safe all those years. If the Porgs give permission for Luke to be there, then they presumably also let the first Jedi live there to build their Temple. Could they have led them to the tree or to some kyber crystal cave? Of course, their presence there could just be a coincidence.
But wait there’s more! As MSW stated and I mentioned earlier the Porgs eventually extend their permission to reside on the island to Rey. This is after Rey fights off a large sea monster. I believe that this is the key to Luke deciding to train Rey. We have been able to glean from various responses from the cast and crew that Luke is reluctant to train Rey as a Jedi and something must change his mind. We also know via MSW that Chewie is accepted by the Porgs and of course welcomed by Luke, they both lost their best friend in Han and they would likely take comfort in each other’s presence. Rey is the only one not accepted by both Luke and the Porgs from the beginning.
This is what leads me to believe they are the reason Luke decides to train Rey, in fact I suspect the statement of the Jedi must end is before Rey has been accepted. The Jedi will live and it will because of the Porgs. This is because the Porgs both remember and protect the Jedi Temple and they show Luke that there is a possibility that, with Rey, the Jedi could be what they once were.
Brought to you by @mazlow01. Stay tuned to spoiledbluemilk.com for updates!