Let’s Talk About Those Space Whales in ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian’: A Purrgil Breakdown
These lightspeed traveling space whales inspired early starship engineers to figure out hyperspace travel for themselves; it’s the Purrgil.
This season The Mandalorian has brought one of the galaxy’s largest creatures into live action with the appearance of the Purrgil. Though these massive space whales have only been sighted once in a live-action show, we’ve seen the quite a few times throughout animated shows. And they’ve been instrumental in some major events that are probably about to come back up again in the upcoming series, Ahsoka. So let’s take a moment and learn a little more about the giants of deep space; the Purrgil.
The Basics
Purrgil look a lot like gigantic whales with four squid-like tentacles that fly through space. Usually, they’re the size of a small starship, but have been known to get much larger; sometimes half as long as an Imperial Star Destroyer. And somehow they are able to survive in and swim through the vacuum of space.
Usually, Purrgil have a blue or purple color, but if they don’t inhale enough Clouzon-36 gas, they can sometimes turn a dull brown color. Despite being some of the most interesting and inspiring creatures in the galaxy, many space travelers consider them pests and will fire on them on sight. This is mostly because they will sometimes collide with ships that have entered their path of travel.
Hyperspace Travel
Purrgils are known throughout the galaxy for their ability to travel through hyperspace. When they have had enough Clouzon-36, Purrgils can metabolize it into hypermatter fuel and use their natural bodily functions to create simu-tunnels and jump through hyperspace for lightspeed travel.
In fact, it was the Purrgils who inspired early way-finders to develop hyperdrive technology and eventually create their own form of hyperspace travel. Some of the first commercial ships designed for hyperspace travel were even named for the creatures with the MPO-1400 Purgill-class star cruisers.
Appearances on Screen
We had seen the Purrgil on screen a couple of times before Din flew by one this season. Hera Syndulla talked about their habit of accidentally flying into ships and referred to them as a “big lumbering menace.” But Ezra Bridger formed a connection with the creatures and was even saved by one before seeing visions in their eyes.
About two years later, Ezra would call on the same Purrgil to help them defeat the fleet led by Grand Admiral Thrawn and his flagship, the Chimaera. With Force, he controlled three Purrgil to grab the Chimaera with their tentacles and jump into hyperspace. Neither of the characters nor the ship has been seen since.
But with their promised return on Ahsoka this year as well as the appearance of the Purrgil on The Mandalorian, it’s looking likely that these hyperspace giants will be back before too long.
Did you know about the Purrgil before we caught a glimpse on The Mandalorian? What is your favorite space-faring creature? Where do you think the Purrgil flock took Ezra and Thrawn? Let us know in the comments!
May the Force Be With You, Adventurers!
