From the very start, the Nefarious Blurrg was guaranteed a place in this project. It has long been one of my favorite pets in Star Wars: The Old Republic and was certainly the first Cartel Market pet I unlocked for use across my account. Blurrg pets come in many varieties, but this one’s striking red, scaly hide and black stripes draw attention and let you know even before seeing its name that it is the most nefarious of the bunch.
A big part of the fun of this project for me has been exploring the origins of these pets and seeing how they are connected to other creatures both real and imagined. To my surprise, the Blurrg has put down footprints in every little era of Star Wars‘ lore. To most Star Wars fans, Blurrgs are familiar as the surly lizard mounts ridden by Din Djarin and the Ugnaught Kuiil in the very first episode of The Mandalorian, but a Blurrg pet appeared in SWTOR seven year earlier, and fans of the Clone Wars cartoon will recognized the use of Blurrg mounts in an episode three years before that in 2009.
A production illustration of Blurrgs at home of the range from The Mandalorian.
The origins of Blurrg’s stretch even farther back into Star Wars history to the early days of The Empire’s Strikes Back’s development in the late 1970s, with a few more stops along the way.
What we now call as a Blurrg had its start in the creation of the creatures that eventually became Tauntauns in Episode 5. It’s obvious if you compare them side by side. Both have long tails, Tyrannosaurus-like bodies, with sturdy back legs and teeny tiny forearms. During Empire’s development, Industrial Light and Magic’s artists, creature designers and animators explored the possibility of the mounts used by the Rebels as being lizards rather than the more mammalian Tauntauns eventually seen on screen.
Creature design for The Empire Strikes Back that inspired the Blurrg.
The original design must have struck a chord with someone at ILM because in 1985, this design was revisited and reused for the movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. The creatures seen in this TV movie were brought to life in delightful stop motion animation and remain recognizable as the Blurrgs we see in Star Wars today.
The stop-motion animated pack animal from Ewoks: The Battle for Endor.
It’s interesting to reflect back on a time after the conclusion of the original trilogy when the Star Wars franchise was most prominently carried by the Ewoks, who starred in their own comic books, Saturday morning cartoons and television movies. This media was definitely aimed at children rather than adults or even teenage fans, was clearly made with a limited budget, and not lacking at all in cheese, but it does serve as a reminder that Star Wars doesn’t have to be completely serious all the time.
In 1995, during the heyday of the Expanded Universe, the creatures were formally identified as Blurrgs in the book, The Illustrated Star Wars Universe. This book is a travel guide of the major worlds seen in the Star Wars films, and I imagine the creature’s name is meant to be indicative of its call or moo. Curiously the illustration of the Blurrg used in the book seems to have been an early design that does not match what was seen in the movie. The book’s depiction of the Blurrg was later adapted for use in Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars’ first MMO-RPG.
Blurrgs as we now know them found their place in modern Star Wars lore in the Clone Wars and later Star Wars: Rebels animated series before finally returning to their live action roots in The Mandalorian. They have the bodies of a dinosaur, the clompy feet of a rhinoceros, and the full, furious face of a fish. They are ridiculous, but I think that is a big part of their charm. As we have seen many times, they are hybrids of different animals, but in a final form that any kid can instantly understand. Yeah, you can ride them like horses, but they’re probably not going to be happy about it!
Many Blurrgs (left to right): Speckled, Hooded, Lurker, Striped, Nefarious, Mottled, Sublime and Mossrankle Blurrgs.
In SWTOR, Blurrgs only exist as pets. There are no full-sized adults to encounter in the wild nor mounts that players can ride. Still, there is a wide variety of Blurrg pets to collect in colors certain to match any player’s fancy. With the exception of the Umbral Blurrg, a retired pet included with a Cartel Coin promotion, all Blurrg pets came from the Cartel Market, and, for the most part, remain reasonably priced on the Galactic Trade Network. As I write this, the Mossrankle Blurrg is currently available for purchase from the limited time Subscriber Token Vendor, but I recommend collectors check the auction house before spending the more precious tokens on a pet.
Should you adopt a Blurrg of your own? Some pets adore their owners. Some are as loyal as the day is long. Some bring joy after a long, hard day. The Nefarious Blurrg follows us reluctantly and silently judges our every move. Sometimes we all could use a little bit of that in our lives.