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Cuteness Overload: Star Wars Fandom Has Turned Against The Porgs From 'The Last Jedi'

After being previously glimpsed in promotional material, the latest trailer for Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi gave us an adorable look at the Porgs.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 2 min read
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'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' [Credit: Disney]

Forget Wookiees, Ewoks or even Yoda; Star Wars has a new cuddly critter for fans to obsess over. After being previously glimpsed in promotional material, the latest trailer for Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi gave us an adorable look at the Porgs. Quite what a Porg is remains to be seen, but as some sort of cross between an seal and a hamster, they are just too cute to handle.

However, while those cuddly little Star Wars-branded Furbies are set to become this year's must-have addition for under the Christmas tree, there is a worrying new trend emerging. It all started with William Shatner trolling Star Wars, but now the original love for the pint-sized Porgs has backfired. These poor creatures have become public enemy No. 1.

Are Porgs Just A Way For Disney To Sell Toys?

Johnson himself has already asked if we sick of the Porgs ("I [totally] get it if people are a little wary of cuteness in the Star Wars universe"), and it didn't take long for the Twitterverse to turn on the franchise's newest creation:

Hot off the cliffs of Ach-To, the overuse of the Porgs in #TheLastJedi trailer implies that they could be coming with Luke Skywalker when he eventually makes it off that rocky outcrop. Using that tired Star Wars trope of flogging merchandise, isn't it convenient that The Last Jedi and its latest marketable plaything both arrive just in time for Christmas?

This Isn't New For The Franchise

For those already sharpening their butcher's knife and setting their sights on Porgs, you should probably remember that Star Wars was always conceived with children in mind. Also, I doubt that an assault of Porgs on your senses is exactly going to force you to boycott the movie.

That being said, you can't blame some sort of backlash on a character that is purely there to boost sales of poorly-stuffed teddies and obnoxious Funko toys. Apart from its robots, the Lucasverse has always struggled to balance cuteness in its films. Those furry Ewoks may have saved the day, but they still face a backlash all these decades later after 1983's Return of the Jedi. Don't even get my started on a "loveable" attempt at the blabbering Jar Jar Binks.

Sadly, it looks like Porgs are in for a rough ride, and no matter how much Johnson tries to defend them, this is one species that is destined for the trash compactor.

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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