Rogue One
is officially over — go see it if you haven’t already — which means we’re ready to shift focus to the next major Star Wars movie. Episode VIII is set to launch next December, which means there’s plenty of time for trailers and spoilers between now and then.
Luke made an annoying appearance in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, right at the end of the movie. Rey hands him his lightsaber, and that’s how the film ends. Episode VIII will pick up the action from that moment, and Making Star Wars has learned more details about what happens on that planet.
Luke lives on Ahch-To, a world inhabited by some exotic animals. The bird-like creatures are designed based on the puffins that live on Skellig Michael, the actual island where the Ahch-To scenes were shot. From the sound of it, these creatures may be the next Star Wars hit following BB-8, although they’re likely not meant to be as significant to the story.
“Rumor has it the creatures have razor sharp teeth and are a mixture of the terrifying and the adorable. They’re sort of like a bird mixed with a Gremlin,” the site notes. “Basically combine a puffin, a Furby, and Star Wars it up, and you have yourself an idea of what this creature is. They’re tiny–maybe 15 inches tall or so.”
So these creatures apparently allow Luke to live on the island. He’s some sort of protector for them. Rey, meanwhile, is not.
However, during her training with Luke things get interesting. She fights a large sea monster and her victory over the beast will win the hearts and minds of these Star Wars puffins.
To recap today’s spoiler, Episode VIII is bringing a Jedi master’s teaching to a young Jedi, adorable creatures that connect to the characters, and monsters you have to defeat with the help of the Force. Raise your hand if any of this sounds familiar. That said, Episode VIII can’t come soon enough.
Finally, here’s a video of some real puffins, from our actual planet.
