Category Archives: My Artwork

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 on 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.

The Nexu was one of the most highly requested pets for me to include in the project. The subject of this installment is the Woodland Nexu. There are several varieties of Nexu pets available in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but with this particular version, I was able to depict one whose source is not the Cartel Market and whose appearance most closely matches the Nexu as it appears in its Star Wars debut in Episode 2: Attack of the Clones. This pet allows me to explore the philosophy behind how the Nexu and many, many other creatures in Star Wars lore are created; we can see how mixing and matching qualities of different animals from our world can lead to fictional creatures whose first impression can tell a viewer all they need to know about the creature.

The Woodland Nexu pet can be purchased from either faction’s Kessan’s Landing reputation vendor at Legend rank for the cool price of 1 million credits. An alternative pet, the Wasteland Nexu is available from the Spoils of War vendor for 75,000 credits and 125 Tech Fragments. There are also a few other Nexu that come from the Cartel Market, but they are from more exotic breeds than the two pets on the vendors. There are also several Nexu mounts, most of which also come from the Cartel Market, but if you participate in the PVP seasons, you can save up Season tokens to purchase one of two distinctive armored Nexu mounts. Finally, if you’d like to fight alongside a Nexu, one is available from the Cartel Market as a creature companion.

Nexu first appeared in Star Wars in 2002 in the arena melee during the climax of Attack of the Clones. The Nexu was designed by Lucasfilm Concept Sculptor Robert E. Barnes. His initial designs were more lion-like, an appropriate choice given the Nexu was meant to fight our heroes in a colosseum, but he revised the creature when he realized that George Lucas wanted “a feeling, not a literal translation” of the kind of creatures we might expect to see in such an encounter.

Nexu design by Robert E. Barnes from The Art of Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

George Lucas has a design principle that has become known as “The Three Second Rule.” Much of Star Wars’ setting is weird, alien, and fantastic, but it is also grounded enough that it remains familiar to the audience who ought to be able to “connect right away” with its vehicles, creatures, and strange technology as soon as it appears on screen. “The designs have to live by themselves” without explanation. And in that regard, Barnes’ Nexu succeeds brilliantly. It’s not meant to be just an alien lion; it’s meant to be a fearsome and disturbing predator.

Barnes described the Nexu as a “mutated hybrid” and it certainly is that. Nexu have the toothy maw of a shark, the four eyes of a jumping spider, the pelt and stripes of a jungle cat, the claws of a velociraptor, the spines of a porcupine, the forelimbs of a primate, and a long split, rat-like tail. Look, I’m a cat person, but there is nothing adorable about the Nexu. This isn’t a fuzzy house cat or lazy space-tiger, it is every inch a nightmarish predator. You won’t need three seconds to realize that.

On the irradiated jungle world of Taris, this full grown, wild Nexu smiles for the camera.

I think this design explains why the Nexu is so distinctive that it has reappeared often throughout Star Wars lore. It can be seen on screen in the Bad Batch and, of course, throughout Star Wars: The Old Republic. Players will encounter Nexu early on Taris, but they also show up on Voss, Corellia and Nathema.

Nexu are said to be trainable so perhaps a domesticated Woodland Nexu kitten won’t chew off your face, but be careful when you sleep because it may just go for your toes when you least expect it!

With the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event back in full swing, I figured a trip to the Smuggler’s Moon would be appropriate for the next installment of Pets of the Old Republic. The Mischievous Miniprobe feels like the best pet to have out when trying your luck (or lack thereof) at the slot machines.

This is the second droid I’ve featured in this project, and it is one of the most unique pets in all of the game. The Mischievous Miniprobe flies and beeps alongside you, and it will occasionally open up to spray you with sparkles and confetti. This miniprobe’s programming is clearly meant to remind you not to take yourself too seriously.

The original source of this pet is the Cartel Market, but it is currently not available for purchase, and at least on Star Forge, it will cost you many, many pretty pennies to buy from the auction house of the Galactic Trade Network. This is such a delightful and unique pet, that I hope that it might find its way back to affordable sale one day.

If a droid floats in a Star Wars movie, it’s probably evil.

Floating droids of this type go back to the earliest days of Star Wars, as seen by the Interrogation Droid in A New Hope and the Imperial Probe Droid from The Empire Strikes Back.

Miniprobes both in Star Wars lore and SWTOR tend to favor a spherical construction, so the Mischievous Miniprobe’s design is unusual in its class. Shintar remarked that this pet reminded her of an old school telephone receiver, but I would not suggest putting this droid up to your ear lest you want a face full of confetti!

“Non sequitur. Your facts are uncoordinated…”

I don’t know if it’s intentional, but the robot that Mischievous Miniprobe first brought to my mind was the space probe Nomad from the original Star Trek episode “The Changeling.” Both robots float, have long central “torsos” and antennas atop their heads. The head of the Miniprobe recalls the T-series astromechs that are common in the Old Republic, but Nomad’s low-budget 1960’s aesthetic doesn’t feel too far off from Star Wars’ 1970s style. Attach some spindly robot arms and legs to Nomad and you’ve practically got IG-88!

Regardless, a Mischievous Miniprobe is not likely to threaten the lives of the crew of any starship in a galaxy far, far away, but someone with an electro-mop may have to clean up the literal mess it leaves in its wake!

Within SWTOR lore, the only other droids that seem to have a similar structure are the Iokath Technolith remotes. We have encountered Zakuulan gods of rage, passion, envy, apathy, sorrow and death. I am certainly drawing together the most narrow of threads, but perhaps the Mischievous Miniprobe was created by or in tribute to an unseen trickster god from the Machine God pantheon. I would not be shocked to learn that even on Iokath there was a place for their version of the Coyote spirit or Loki.

This miniprobe does not seem like one that fancies mischief.

If you’ve been following my Pets of the Old Republic project, you may have noticed that I’ve fallen a bit behind lately. This summer I have had opportunities to spend more time with family and friends, and something had to give. It’s unlikely that I will finish this series when I’d originally intended, but I promise I will finish it! I received so many great suggestions for pets to feature that I fully intend to cover them all.

And maybe this will give Broadsword time to finally slip a Porg into SWTOR…

With summer just around the corner, the perfect pet to kick off the proud month of June is the Shimmering Ginx. There are several other Ginxes available and countless other pets in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but none of them are quite so colorful as this Ginx!

The Shimmering Ginx can be won by players participating in SWTOR’s yearly summer Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event. The event is coming up in less than one month, so anyone who hopes adopt this flamboyant little frog and several other eye-catching pets do not have long to wait.

Ginxes are frog-like creatures found on the planet Makeb  as well as in swamps on other worlds around the galaxy including Yavin and Zakuul. Ginxes are generally docile, but fully grown they are quite large and occasionally surly so I don’t advise getting too close. In addition to the Shimmering Ginx, three other Ginx pets are available, including the legendary Venomous Ginx which was rewarded from SWTOR’s infamous and not often missed Galactic Command gearing system of the Fallen Empire era. Players looking for a more sturdy Ginx with which to adventure can also purchase a Ginx Handler’s License from the GTN or Cartel Market which allows players to fight alongside an adult froggy companion of their own.

The Ginx creature companion, a Mesa Ginx, the Shimmering Ginx, a Praire Ginx and a Venomous Ginz always root for the Frogdogs.
Wait. Are there even prairies on Makeb?

Frog-like aliens are extremely common, appearing in both animal and alien form across Star Wars lore. I can only assume that in a galaxy far, far away frogs also taste like chicken given how such diverse characters as Jabba the Hutt, Jar Jar Binx and Grogu all consider them delicious. Return of the Jedi features not one but two frog-like creatures. The most prominent is the Worrt, an alien which is the source of one of several burp jokes in Episode VI. The Worrt’s basic physiognomy is very similar to that of the Ginx, and I imagine they are somewhat related, but perhaps only in the way that a crusty, horny toad is related to a glistening river frog.

This Worrt looks worried.

The second alien is well-known to anyone who participates in PVP in SWTOR: the Frogdog. With their jagged teeth and bulbous eyestalks, Frogdogs are about as creepy as they come. Frogdogs are generally regarded as mere animals, but they are actually fully sentient, a fact that allows them to take advantage of situations in which they might be ignored and dismissed as mere pets.

Score one for the Frogdogs!

Jabba the Hutt apparently used one as a spy in his palace, and it seems likely they have a long association with the Hutts given that Frogdogs are the mascots of one of the most popular Huttball pick-up teams of the Old Republic Era.

Frog Lady is nice. Baby Yoda is a jerk.

There are other intelligent, frog-like creatures in Star Wars, but I’ll spotlight two of the most familiar and recent. Turgle, is an amphibious native of the planet Koboh with long, lankly limbs and slick green and yellow skin. He debuted in 2023 as a companion to Kal Cestis in Respawn’s Jedi: Survivor video game. But I also want to mention the infamous character known only as “Frog Lady”. Frog Lady appeared in the second season of The Mandalorian and played a guest role in two episodes late in the season. At first she and her plight are largely the butt of a series of jokes at her expense, but in her next episode her character is treated with actual empathy and compassion. I attribute that change in tone to Bryce Dallas Howard who directed that episode; she has demonstrated in her work on the show to be willing to focus on the humanity of the characters in the stories she tells. That is as important in Star Wars as in real life.

Representation Matters

When deciding the order of pets to cover in this series, I knew the Shimmering Ginx would be featured in June, Pride Month, the celebration of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer culture. The rainbow is a symbol of their community and the Ginx’s color scheme is equally colorful.

As a CISHET dude, I am not the best person to discuss these issues, but I want to add my voice in support of my friends and family and others of one of the most vulnerable minorities who are being targeted for simply wanting to live their lives as who they are born to be. It has been shown time and time again, that when people can embrace who they are by coming out and/or transitioning and find community with others who support them, they have better, happier and healthier lives.

When it comes to LGBTQ representation, SWTOR has not always had the best track record. At launch, any queer content was, at best, relegated to subtext, despite the fact that Bioware was already known for having gay romances in Mass Effect and the original Knights of the Old Republic. I don’t know if EA or Lucasfilm chickened out, but SWTOR was justly criticized for leaving behind its queer fans.

Over the years, SWTOR has begun to right that ship. Gay romances and flirts were introduced with the game’s first expansion, Rise of the Hutt Cartel. As part of the next, Shadow of Revan, the game introduced Lana Beniko and Theron Shan, who have become the SWTOR‘s major romantic leads, easily eclipsing the original companions in attention and screen time. Both Lana and Theron can be romanced by characters of either gender, and it’s amazing to see how fans have responded to and become attached to those characters. Moreover, many of the game’s original companions have returned to the story with the option to be romanced by same-gender characters, an overdue, but welcome change.

With the current expansion, SWTOR’s efforts at inclusion have continued with trans-friendly customizations for player characters and most recently with a literal rainbow of options for several of the game’s PC alien races.

I never had a problem relating the characters I created in SWTOR, but I’m very happy to see new players have options I never would’ve imagined back in 2011. I’ve being gaming in one form or another for decades, and I’ve seen in myself, my friends, my fellow party members, my guild-mates and members of the online community, the desire to create characters that reflect parts of themselves, characters that amplify parts of themselves others don’t get to see, and characters that lets themselves to be who they aspire to be. I’m very glad to see SWTOR move in a direction that inspires people to play more of these characters in this game that I love.

I don’t know how far the good people at Broadsword can move SWTOR’s old game engine in that direction, but I believe they intend to keep pushing. I hope they succeed. I want SWTOR and its community to be a welcoming place for anyone with good intentions to play and have fun and escape from the trouble of the real world, if only for a little while, into another galaxy where they can be heroes too.

How does the saying go? Yavin showers bring Makeb flowers? As spring gives way to summer, I thought I’d take a look at one of the most (but not, to my surprise, completely) unique pets in Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Makrin Creeper Seedling.

This weird little pet was initially available as a reward for players who pre-ordered SWTOR’s first expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel but is now available to everyone as one of the rotating options purchased from the Galactic Seasons token vendors on Fleet. When the Makrin Creeper Seedling was suggested for this project, I thought it was the only pet of its kind in the game, but during my research I discovered that there is a second Makrin pet, the Juvenile Makrin Creeper, a pet so rare I don’t think I’ve ever seen one in the game!

Makrin Creepers are described as very large creatures often indistinguishable at first glance from a wooded hillock or copse of trees, most notable for their six spider-like creeping legs which gives them their name . They are normally docile, but can be dangerous if provoked thanks to their thick bark-like hide, enormous size and long, jagged limbs. Players first encountered Makrin on the planet Makeb during Rise of the Hutt Cartel, but they can also be found on Odessen in the wilderness outside the Alliance base.

An adult Makrin Creeper waters itself at an oasis on Makeb.

The codex entry for the Makrin does not clearly address the question of whether they are animal or vegetable. It is very possible their appearance is an adaptation that allows them to better hide from predators, similar to earthborn Phasmids (or stick bugs) or the Orchid Mantis. However, like so many other aliens in Star Wars, I think it’s safe to suggest Makrin Creepers are likely a hybrid of plant and critter, and possess traits and properties of both. I have neither found an official classification nor thought of an entirely satisfying one myself. Should we call them Botansects? Or perhaps Bugflowers?

Plant-like creatures appear in very many stories from our own culture, from the Dryads of Greek mythology, the Fighting Apple Trees in Wizard of Oz to the Ents of the Lord of the Rings and Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. It should come as no surprise that plant-like creatures appear all over Star Wars lore as well.

The first of these was likely created by artist Ron Cobb as part of the concept art for aliens meant to inhabit the Mos Eisley cantina in the very first Star Wars movie. This “Ambulatory Plant” did not make it into the film, but like so many other unused designs, it found its way into Star Wars lore through the comics and novels and games of the Expanded Universe where it was identified as a Revwien.

Jedi Master Ood Bnar, dreaming of a Datacron on Ossus.

There are many other botanical aliens across the galaxy, but players of Star Wars: The Old Republic may have encountered two others during their adventures.  The first is the Neti Jedi Master Ood Bnar, one of the longest living individuals in all of Star Wars lore. Ood Bnar appeared in some of the very first stories in the Old Republic setting, and while he remains deep in slumber on Ossus at the time of SWTOR, he will reward resourceful players with access to a datacron and a sprig from one of his branches.

The Curse has a hunger that cannot be sated.

The latest plant-like creature we encounter in SWTOR is the Curse, the fearsome final boss in the games most recent and most excellent flashpoint, Shrine of Silence. The Curse a horrid outgrowth of Voss’s Dark Heart, and Illeva has reasonably suggested that the Curse might be related to the Drengir, an invasive race of malevolent, carnivorous plants that threatened the  galaxy during the High Republic era.

Let none of these fearsome, flowering foes dissuade you from adopting a Makrin Creeper Seedling of your very own! It may not be as floofy and huggable as a Loth cat, but when it sprouts to full size, you’ll have made a loyal treehouse-sized, walking forest friend!

As I approach the half-way mark of this project, I decided that the next Pet of the Old Republic ought to be one that can encourage me to keep pressing on towards the finish line. To reach that goal, there is no better choice than Speedy the Turtle.

Speedy is unlike the other pets I’ve covered. Speedy doesn’t follow you on your adventures, instead players can only interact with Speedy by following them on the shore of the Rishi stronghold, where Speedy regularly patrols back and forth along the sandy beach beneath the overlook.

Our Strongholds can often feel rather sterile and quiet, especially compared to other environments in SWTOR, so I always appreciate catching sight of Speedy as they enjoy their walk along the waves. It helps make my stronghold feel more alive. Speedy isn’t a vendor sick of buying my grey items or one of my bored companions staring off into space, Speedy is just out there living their best life and doing their own thing. We can all stand to be a bit more like Speedy, I think.

The Cerulean Turtle and the Juvenile Turtle cheer on Speedy as they make their way up Heartbreak Hill.

For players who want an actual turtle pet to accompany them around the galaxy, there are two options available. The first is the Juvenile Turtle, a pet sold on the Cartel Market or by other players on the GTN.  The second is the turquoise blue Cerulean Turtle that can be purchased by players who have reached the Champion reputation rank with either Manaan Invasion force faction.

Finally, in the interest of covering all bases, I am aware that there is a secret achievement involving Speedy. I can assure you, gentle reader, that even if I play SWTOR until they turn off the lights and unplug the servers I will never, ever unlock that achievement.

Turtles All the Way Down

Turtles, like many other familiar animals, serve as inspiration for many aspects of Star Wars lore. In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players will likely have encountered hard-shelled Shaclaws on their quests around the galaxy. Likewise fans of the Ahsoka show will recall the Noti, aliens found on the planet Peridea in a galaxy even farther away. The Noti also have large carapaces on their back that they use for defense and protection.

Shelleigh the Shaclaw makes a surprise appearance in the Nature of Progress operation.

However, both Shaclaws and Noti seem to be more crustacean than the reptilian turtles, and are at best distant relatives to Speedy. That said, as we’ve seen throughout this Pets of the Old Republic project, it’s very common for Star Wars aliens and creatures to mix and match different characteristics of various earthbound creatures into something new. If the Star Wars design aesthetic could be said to have an over-riding goal, it is to make its worlds, creatures and vehicles familiar at first glance but strange upon closer examination.

A Noti and Sabine Wren from Ahsoka.

Inspiration from actual turtles can be found in other corners of Star Wars lore. One of the earliest examples is alien species known as the Yinchorri who were first introduced in the story “The Alderaan Factor”, one of my favorite Star Wars comics of the 1980’s. They would also appear in several of Dark Horse Comics Star Wars stories in the 1990’s and 2000’s. The Yinchori are humanoid aliens, but their physiognomy is most definitely turtle-like, despite their lack of hard shells.

Yinchori pilots from issue 86 of the Marvel’s Star Wars comic series. Art by Bob McLeod and Tom Palmer.

Where we see the most inspiration from turtles in Star Wars, however, is not in any strange alien creature, but in its vehicles. Turtles are among the many earth-bound animals evoked by the movies’ famous Walker military vehicles. An early design of the fearsome All-Terrain Armored Transport from The Empire Strikes Back with its shell-like main body and head sticking out is certainly more turtle-like than the final version seen in the film, but this design would be revisited during the prequel era for the squatter All Terrain Tactical Enforcer which hews closer to a familiar turtle body-type, despite the addition of two extra legs to its mechanical design.

This connection is made explicitly clear in graffiti created by the Clone Troopers which appears throughout the stories of The Clone Wars animated series. The image seen below is a drawing of their tank as a heavily armed turtle familiar to anyone regardless of their home galaxy.

Turtle power!

Ultimately, is Speedy too much of a turtle and not strange enough to be a proper Star Wars alien? I don’t think so. I’m certain an actual herpetologist could rattle off any number of differences between Speedy and a real turtle. For me Speedy is weird and cute enough to feel at home on Rishi, and I hope to see more additions like that in our collection of Strongholds.