What Are Purrgil Hyperspace Whales In Star Wars?
In Star Wars, characters usually need a starship in order to travel faster than light. But lately, we’ve been seeing the big exception to this: Purrgil hyperspace whales that can travel faster than light without any kind of mechanical apparatus.
If you’re interested in learning more, then hold on to your hydrospanner because we’ve got everything you need to know about this mysterious space phenomenon.
In terms of appearance, the Purrgil hyperspace whales are rather nightmarish: they look like giant whales that also have creepy-looking teeth and a number of tentacles. They are also huge, with adult Purrgil growing to about half the size of an Imperial Star Destroyer. They mostly have skin composed of blue and purple coloration, though shades of yellow and gray are sometimes available as well.
Purrgil hyperspace whales that can travel faster than light without any kind of mechanical apparatus
Many Star Wars fans first became aware of the Purrgil hyperspace whales thanks to their brief appearance in the most recent season of The Mandalorian. However, these characters have a rich history that dates back to earlier Star Wars television shows.
And now that Ahsoka is bringing in so many elements from shows like Star Wars Rebels, we’re confident these oversized critters are going to play a similarly outsized role in the adventures of our favorite heroes in a galaxy far, far away.
Rebels was when we first saw the Purrgil hyperspace whales, and thanks to Hera Syndulla, we know that different spacers have different reactions to these things. For example, some pilots consider them a myth, but older pilots believe that Purrgil helped create the early hyperspace lanes. The creatures are a very rare sighting either way, so it’s no surprise that many spacers have never encountered them.
Star Wars Rebels was when we first saw the Purrgil hyperspace whales
However, the spacers who actually encounter Purrgil hyperspace whales often have a very different reaction: outright anger and annoyance. These creatures have a tendency to fly very close to spacegoing vessels, and if a pilot is caught unaware, this could lead to their accidental death.
And even some of the most experienced pilots can die when enough of these giant space whales are swarming around together.
Why, though, are we so confident that we are going to see more of the Purrgil hyperspace whales in this season of Ahsoka? In the final episode of Rebels, these creatures are effectively weaponized by Padawan Jedi Ezra Bridger: after he made a bond with them via The Force. Ezra convinced several Purrgil to wrap their tentacles around Thrawn’s Star Destroyer and jump into hyperspace.
Ezra was also on that Star Destroyer, and since Ahsoka and Hera are actively trying to find Ezra, and since the Purrgil were namechecked in the last episode, they will very likely play a major role in finding Ezra (and, perhaps, finding Thrawn).
The appearance of the Purrgil hyperspace whales earlier this year in The Mandalorian is just one more indication that the Star Wars shows on Disney+ are trying to bridge the gap between new content and earlier shows such as The Clone Wars and Rebels.
It’s very rewarding for longtime fans to see things like a live-action Cad Bane, even if he did get vaped quicker than Greedo. And we think it’s likely to see the whales pop up in Ahsoka due to both the Ezra connection and the fact that the show is nonstop fan service for Rebels lovers (not that we’re complaining).
Ultimately, the Purrgil hyperspace whales serve as a reminder that the Star Wars universe is much wilder and weirder than the average fan can imagine. And we can only hope that modern Star Wars writers utilize these strange creatures to tell us the kinds of stories we’ve never had before.
Although if any of you end up writing weird Star Wars fanfic with tentacles after reading about the whales, we might have to deny ever having known you.
