You love porgs. We love porgs. Everyone loves a porg. But there’s a new creature being introduced in The Last Jedi that could steal the porg’s thunder. Thanks to its stunning appearance. And the fact that it has an important role to play in the forthcoming movie.
Introducing the Vulptex
First glimpsed at D23, and cameoing in the most recent Last Jedi trailer (1.47 mark in the above vid), the beautiful, glass-like creatures were initially dubbed “crystal foxes.”
But according to EW, the animal is actually called a “vulptex.”
Lucasfilm’s Pablo Hidalgo came up with the name, inspired by “vulpes,” which is the Latin word for fox. And if they are travelling in a pack, the collective term is apparently “vulptices.”
As EW explains, the vulptex inhabit the inhospitable, mineral-rich world of former Rebel Alliance hideout Crait, where they have roamed free for decades.
Crystalline Creatures
Neal Scanlan, head of the Star Wars creature shop, says that their appearance has been affected by the terrain. Scanlon explains: “The idea is that these wonderful sort of feral creatures had lived on this planet and had consumed the planet’s surface and as such had become crystalline.”
Aaron McBride designed the vulptex, inspired by crystal chandeliers (rather than this Pokemon), and using a dog with drinking straws attached to its back as a visual guide. Which we’d love to see.
Animatronic puppets were then built for the actors to perform opposite, while models were digitally scanned for the CGI animators.
Vulptex v Porg
Following their cameo in that aforementioned trailer, social media has been pitting porg against vulptex, with fans picking their favourite of the new creatures.
But while we still don’t know all that much about the porgs, aside from the fact that they were inspired by the puffins of Skellig, are native to the planet of Ahch-To, and look cute sitting next to Chewbacca, we now know that the vulptex will have an important part to play in The Last Jedi.
Speaking to EW, Scanlan explained: “They live within the burrows and within the tunnels beneath the planet. So there is a time where their ability to shine within the darkness should provide a guiding light to our heroes.”
And you won’t see a porg doing that.
Will the future of the galaxy, therefore, depend on the vulptex? We’ll have to wait until mid-December to find out, as that’s when The Last Jedi hits screens worldwide.