As much has been said about the new Star Wars aliens the porgs as just about anything else in the film. Now, one of the movie's stars speaks out on what she thinks, as well as her character's opinion of the little guys. Daisy Ridley seems to really love the cute alien puffins. As an actress, it seems she's most excited by the fact that the creatures are practical effects, rather than CGI creations. Though, Ridley admits that Rey doesn't spend a great deal of time interacting with the creatures, as she's quite focused on other things. According to Ridley...
It's wonderful to be working around practical things on set that have such personality. Rey, honestly, is too wrapped up in her own journey to pay attention to porgs. Which is a sad thing.
For all the attention that porgs have received in the run-up to Star Wars: The Last Jedi, it's far from clear exactly what purpose they serve. We know that at least one porg is more than simply a background character, as we've seen it on the bridge of the Millennium Falcon. However, while Chewbacca will apparently take an active interest in at least one of the little creatures, Daisy Ridley tells USA Today that Rey will not. It seems that she'll be too focused on her training to give the seabirds of Ahch-To the time of day. Ridley herself wishes this weren't the case, as the actress calls the porgs "adorable" and "hilarious."
There are those that consider the porgs to be "too cute." There's a feeling by some that they exist solely so that plush merchandise can be sold to little kids, much in the same way that many criticize Ewoks today. Even Star Wars: The Last Jedi director Rian Johnson admits that porgs were on the verge of being too cute but he also says they have their place in the new film.
While cute isn't necessarily an adjective that is considered to be a major part of Star Wars, it's not like the concept of cuteness is entirely foreign to the film series either. Even beyond the teddy bear-like Ewoks, there have been creatures that at least some would find cute. However, they are usually secondary characters and the issue here seems to be that porgs are coming across as being something more than that.
If, however, it's true that Rey will basically ignore the little guys, then it would seem that they may not play that prominent a role. Rey is the one that will spend some significant amount of time on the porgs homeworld, and if she doesn't interact with them, then there are few other characters who even could. Perhaps all the porg hate is premature. Enjoy the cuteness and move on.
