Here's the Real Reason Those Adorable Porgs Exist in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

When a problem arises, make it the star of the show.

Porgs are the latest alien species to be added to the Star Wars universe but they weren't always supposed to be in the film. In fact, the adorable (and maybe even edible?) creatures weren't even in the script for The Last Jedi until filming began for scenes on Ahch-To (Luke Skywalker's Jedi hideout island) which was filmed on the real-life Irish island, Skellig Michael.

Creature concept designer Jake Lunt Davies told StarWars.com that when director Rian Johnston was filming on Skellig Michael, the island was covered in puffins, which are protected due to their conservation status. It was too difficult to digitally remove them and physically moving wasn't an option either.

So, they decided to convert them to porgs. (See? Everything has a reason!)

"I drew some various ideas, some cute, some were ugly. It was mainly sort of playing around with different avian [concepts]," Davis said. "It was influenced by a seal and a pug dog and the puffin."

Davies also admits he didn't expect the fandom to be so divided about the porgs.

"I was surprised when, suddenly, the Internet goes crazy for [porgs] and it turned into a meme fest," Davies admitted. "It was a huge surprise."

So, there you have it, that's the origin story of the Star Wars universe's most cuddly and loveable puffin-pug hybrid. Who cares what the haters say, porgs are here to stay.

Photo: Disney