Star Wars: All of ‘The Last Jedi’s New Creatures

The latest installment of the Star Wars saga took us to a variety of new worlds and introduced us to a variety of new species. Prior to The Last Jedi‘s release, one of the creatures that audiences were most excited about were the porgs, which were bird-like creatures that lived on Ahch-To.

Writer/director Rian Johnson went to great lengths to create incredible animals that not only helped populate the diverse worlds of the saga, but also made sure that the animals tied directly into the narrative in some way.

Check out the new creatures The Last Jedi introduced below.

Porgs

These creatures captured the attention of audiences from their very first appearances in promotional materials earlier this summer, inspiring countless memes and expectations of what to anticipate from the creatures.

An interesting element about the creatures is that Johnson created them as a tribute to puffins, the animals that live on Skellig Michael, which is the real-world island that stood in for Ahch-To.

It’s tough to know if these adorable creatures will have any relevance in upcoming films, as at least one made a next in the Millennium Falcon and left the island, leaving fans patiently awaiting Episode IX in 2019 to see if the porgs live on.

Caretakers

More residents of Ahch-To, these creatures ensure that what remains of the Jedi Order on the island stays intact. A cross between a fish and a bird, these creatures don’t take kindly to Rey’s regular, albeit accidental, disregard for the island’s artifacts.

Thala-Siren

While the thala-siren didn’t appear in promotional materials for the film, the marine mammals of Ahch-To played an integral role in Luke Skywalker’s survival. The creatures spent much of their time sunning themselves on the island’s shores, with Skywalker relying on their enriching green milk to help nourish him.

Vulptex

Another creature that captured audiences imaginations are the vulptex (pluralized as “vulptices”), which audiences took to calling “crystal foxes.” Their stiff hides allow them to live on the mineral planet Crait, ultimately helping the Resistance discover just how much hid beneath the surface of the planet.

Fathiers

Much like the porgs, the fathiers debuted earlier this summer without much context, leading fans to wonder how these animals, which appear to be a cross between a horse and a dog, would factor into the film’s narrative.

Audiences learned that the animals were exploited by the wealthy on Canto Bight to be used for races after being taken away from their social groups. At one point in The Last Jedi, a fathier helps Finn and Rose escape, and at another point, the duo helps them escape.

You can see all these creatures in The Last Jedi, in theaters now.