![]() The natural world and its wild inhabitants are critical, emotional, and very real inspirations for the fantasy and science-fiction universes so many of us cherish, either in written word or onscreen. But remember, the worlds they reside are fiction. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, or of wildlife, or in my case both, it’s hard not to be fascinated by the creatures in the background and long to learn more about them. They’ve taken on the very surface of the planet they live on.” According to an article written by Empire, Neal Scanlan the creature effects supervisor for The Last Jedi, said “they’ve fed off this planet for so long that their fur has become crystalline. What captures my imagination however, is wondering what they eat in a world where we only see crystals and salt? Do they reflect light from their bodies, as a way to keep cool themselves? Why do they appear white or translucent? Much like our real polar bears (Ursus maritimus) their white fur is actually comprised of two colors, dark skin and translucent hair, resulting in effective camouflage. Their name is a cross between the words Vulpes, genus for foxes, and vertices, the many angles on a crystalline structure. Humor me one last time, but the ice-crystal foxes, or Vulptices fascinate me. These hardy creatures make a big splash into life as eggs, layed cliff-side and abandoned by parents, half-fly half-fall from the cliff into the waters below where it instinctively knows how to swim and fend for itself. These native seabirds are colonial nesters on rocky islands, returning year after year. In fact, the Porgs were introduced to the Star Wars universe because real-life puffins covered the filming location for Luke Skywalker’s Jedi hideaway on the planet of Ahch-To-the real-life wildlife preserve of Skellig Michael. Interestingly I was close, but their true inspiration included a pug dog instead of a penguin. To me, they appear to be a cross between a puffin and a penguin, with the wide eyes of a Harp Seal. Let’s begin, with the cutest creature in the Star Wars universe, non-baby Yoda division, the fictional Porg. George Lucas and other creators imagined a universe from what they saw in real life. This isn’t biomimicry per se-the design and production of materials, structures, and systems modeled on biological entities and processes -more like a creative reinterpretation of the natural world. Which illustrates what a wild and diverse set of species exist in our world. Many and more of these fictional species of flora and fauna were assuredly drawn, literally and figuratively, from real life. Am I the only one who is insanely curious how the ice-crystal foxes of the mineral planet Crait function within their ecosystem? How cute are Porgs? But can they fly? What are the mating habits of Orbaks? Do banthas enjoy living in those hot, arid climates or would they be more comfortable on the icy home world of Hoth, where our heroes utilize the rugged tauntauns? I find myself asking more questions than there are answers, and find myself using my biology background to invent full life histories for each of these creatures. Credit: Wookiepediaīut baby Yoda isn’t wildlife per se, he’s a sentient being, who nonetheless piqued my curiosity about the wildlife from Star Wars. What if Yoda’s species are non-binary, asexual, or even reproduce via cloning? “Baby Yoda”. We only know his gender and that’s only, as we Earth people understand gender in its binary form. Even baby Yoda, as the internet is wont to call him, has no name. Anyone else noticing a theme?Īfter completing the new Mandalorian show, I asked my partner, “what if baby Yoda were real?” Would he be unique? What does he eat? Across George Lucas’s entire fictional universe, only a handful of Yoda’s species even have mention. However, with a stay-in-place directive in effect, this, socially isolating, and sometimes mind-numbing time, has also allowed me to deep dive into some of my favorite fictional universes Star Trek, Star Wars Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings. With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting our nation and world, so much has changed since then. To think it was only in December, and as I write this, four months ago. ![]() With the release of the final episode the Skywalker Saga portion of Star Wars in December 2019, fans worldwide flocked to theatres to witness the concluding tale. If you haven’t seen the original Star Wars series, released way back in 1977, I’m guessing you don’t care about spoilers but if for some reason you haven’t gotten around to it please consider hyper-jumping your way into this universe. ![]() SPOILER ALERT: First off, let me warn you, spoilers coming. In honor of May the 4 th - a look at how fiction meets reality in a galaxy far, far away. ![]()
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