In the third episode of “Ahsoka,” giant star whales suddenly appear: the Purrgils. “Star Wars” fans have known them for a long time, because they are incredibly important for the saga. And now they will be in the future of the Disney Plus series.
Even in the third season of “The Mandalorian” we saw the Purrgils briefly – that’s when Grogu caught sight of the space whales flying through hyperspace. In the new episode of “Ahsoka”, however, we see them in a splendor that has never been seen before in “Star Wars” live action. We’ll explain why the giant creatures are such an integral part of the “Star Wars” canon, why they’ve been mentioned many times before (including in the “Kenobi” series), and how incredibly important they’re likely to become to “Ahsoka. “
TRAVELING THROUGH HYPERSPACE – ONLY POSSIBLE THANKS TO THE PURRGILS
The Purrgils, reminiscent of whales, have a special characteristic that makes them so important to “Star Wars”: they can travel through hyperspace. They are the only creatures known to be able to do so without technological assistance. Thousands of years ago the travel of the Purrgils through hyperspace was studied and from this the technology was developed, which now makes it possible for spaceships. For this purpose, fixed paths through hyperspace were used, which were also copied from the whales.
The fact that traveling through hyperspace suddenly became possible, ensured about 20,000 years before the events in “Ahsoka” that a republic could be formed for the first time. For the first time, the planets of the hitherto known galaxy were connected in such a way that it was really possible to travel back and forth between them in a reasonable amount of time, and thus regular trade and other exchanges took place.
The famous hyperspace travel responsible for many iconic “Star Wars” images, with which the current “Ahsoka” episode begins not coincidentally, would not even exist without the Purrgils.
The Purrgil – here in animated form in the series
But the fact that animals were the origin of travel through hyperspace quickly receded into the background. Because the more hyperspace routes were put into operation, the more the whales suddenly got in the way. After all, a purrgil can be larger than a spaceship, and when such a creature makes its way through hyperspace without regard for navigation systems, it’s a hazard. In the past, there have already been collisions – mostly with fatal results for the crews.
Therefore, the Purrgils were hunted and killed. Purrgil hunting was considered a special heroic deed. In “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” Bail Organa (Jimmy Smits) reveals to his adopted daughter Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) what great adventures he dreamed of when he was young. In the process, he tells her that he wanted to hunt Purrgils – which also makes it clear once again that, in the eyes of most of the galaxy’s inhabitants, the majestic creatures were just something to be hunted at this point.
THE PURRGILS – A RARE SIGHT
After being hunted so extensively, they were thought to be extinct. But we know, of course, that some still exist. They just try to stay away from other creatures, have gone underground, so to speak. But especially Force-sensitive people can sense them – which is probably why Grogu saw them in “The Mandalorian”.
Jedi Ezra Bridger was also able to establish a special connection with the Purrgils in the animated series “Star Wars Rebels.” He even managed to make them allies in the fight against the Empire – which is exactly what leads us to believe that they will become really important once again in “Ahsoka” and that we have by no means seen all of them in the third episode.
THE PURRGILS ALSO TRAVEL BETWEEN GALAXIES
At the end of “Star Wars Rebels,” it was the Purrgils who carried Ezra and villain Thrawn away from the galaxy we know. This is because they not only have the ability to travel in hyperspace within a galaxy, but also between different galaxies. How many there are, by the way, is unknown. There used to be at least seven galaxies known in “Star Wars” – but that was in books that are now no longer canon. The concept that there are more galaxies, by the way, was already hinted at by George Lucas in the original trilogy. Plans to deepen the theme at this point, however, were then discarded. In the prequel trilogy, it was alluded to once again.
In “Ahsoka” everyone is now searching for Thrawn, whom they suspect to be in another galaxy, and here the Purrgils could play a role again. Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) should manage to get her hyerspace ring working shortly. This should then allow her to travel to the other galaxy where Thrawn is supposed to be. By the way, the path there is also based on an old Purrgil migration route. Presumably Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and co. will want to follow Morgan to the other galaxy or even try to get there first. So if they can’t use the hyperspace ring themselves, the Purrgils would be their only chance. Possibly they can convince the whales to transport them.
RETREAT FOR THE HUNTED ANIMALS
The fact that we have now suddenly seen so many of the animals thought to be extinct in one bunch in the third episode is surely no coincidence either. It seems much more logical that the remaining Purrgils have retreated to a safe place after being hunted everywhere. The edge of the galaxy known so far from “Star Wars” seems to be a safe place, because almost nobody goes there, there is no ship traffic at all – because hardly anybody knew so far that it is possible to travel on from there to another galaxy. Also the routes between the galaxies should be populated by the animals which are mostly in motion and rarely remain at one place. And possibly many more Purrgils live in another galaxy then…
