Ahch-To is a place of great mystery. On one hand, it’s the first Jedi Temple, a place of great importance to those Force-sensitive members of Disney’s galaxy far, far away. It’s also served as a temporary haven for one Luke Skywalker, who slipped off the radar just prior to Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
After establishing a raft of new characters (and droids!), J.J. Abrams’ franchise revival ended with the moment Star Wars fans had been anticipating for generations: the return of Mark Hamill’s wise old Jedi. It was an admittedly brief reveal, with the Mouse House and the creative minds at Lucasfilm opting to reserve most of Luke’s arc for Rian Johnson’s upcoming sequel, Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Which brings us back to Ahch-To, the idyllic island known in real-life as Skellig Michael. Previous rumors have suggested that Luke Skywalker won’t be alone on the primordial isle, and a sketch unearthed today by the folks over at Making Star Wars only fuels that fire.
Embedded below, the drawing purportedly unveils the cutesy Porgs as they’ll appear in The Last Jedi. Like an adorable cross between a pug, a puffin and a regular ol’ penguin, these alien allies will allegedly catch the eye of Chewbacca, who is said to have a few touching scenes with Ahch-To’s local wildlife as Daisy Ridley’s Rey embarks on her rigorous Jedi training. In classic Star Wars fashion, today’s report also notes that those creatures will actually be real puppets in keeping with the franchise’s renewed commitment to practical effects.
There’s also mention of a heartfelt reunion between the Skywalker siblings, Luke and Leia, which will no doubt pull on the heartstrings after the untimely passing of the great Carrie Fisher. We’ll have more for you on that one as time wears on, but for now, have a gander at those bug-eyed Porgs down below, with a tip of the hat to artist Lumberjack Nick.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be with us on December 15th.
