Category Archives: Pets of the Old Republic

This installment of Pets of the Old Republic features the third and final droid to appear in this series. I feel like I should’ve featured more droids given their importance in Star Wars history, so should I return to this project, I’ll be sure to expand their numbers. For today, however, let’s take a good look at another one of my favorites: the Gree Data Core.

The Gree Data Core is, at first glance,  simply a hovering cube. It shares design elements with other Gree technology players encounter on during their testing on Ilum, in the Operation Terror from Beyond and the Ancient Hypergate, PVP Warzone. The Core is one of four pets players can collect from the “Relic of the Gree” Event, Star Wars: The Old Republic’s very first recurring event, and one that is still a favorite of mine whenever it comes around. Players can purchase this pet once they achieve the Reputation rank of Newcomer with the Gree Enclave; a level that can be achieved the first week players participate in the event.

A Bit program from Tron can respond with only two states: positive or negative.

I’ve always been fond of the Gree aesthetic for the simple reason that as a child of the 1980s, I thought the movie Tron was cool. By today’s standards, the film’s story is slight, and its once groundbreaking special effects seem rather quaint. I was taken by its neon soaked glow, its terrific electronic musical score, and the fact that it very presciently asked at the start of the internet age who should have access and control of the online world. Finally, it explores the question of how much of ourselves we put into the things we create, a question as old as art itself. And, to be clear, Light Cycles are totally rad.

The first published depiction of the Gree by artist Christian Gossett from the article “The Gree Enclave”.

The Gree made their first appearance in 1995 during the early days of the Expanded Universe in an article written by Timothy O’Brien for West End Games’ Star Wars Roleplaying Game. The Gree have been mentioned here and there in subsequent Star Wars lore, but they’ve appeared most prominently in SWTOR. Many aspects of the Gree that players will recognize from our interactions with them, such as the planet Asation, their extensive use of Hypergates and their interest in maintaining ancient technologies come straight from O’Brien’s writing. The Gree’s distinct neon-piped technology and the color and geometry based metaphors that fill their speech patterns are additions to their lore from their roles in SWTOR.

Portal‘s Weighted Companion Cube really isn’t much of a companion.

I should mention the Gree Data Core’s two most obvious inspirations. The first is the Bit from Tron. The Bit is a small, polyhedral, floating shape that can only communicate using Yes or No answers. They also float above the ground and accompany more complicated programs or users across the Game Grid, much like the Gree pet in SWTOR

However, the Data Core closely resembles the Weighted Companion Cube from the acclaimed video games Portal and Portal 2. Portal is about traversing spaces using technology that resembles Gree Hypergates, so it is reasonable to believe that the Gree would be fans as the game as well. Unlike the Gree Data Core, the Companion Cube is inconveniently immobile and seemingly uninterested in accompanying anyone on their adventures.

A collection of cubes: B1-SAL Probe Droid, Gree Data Core, BX-23 Probe Droid, BX-24 Probe Droid, P1-XL Probe Droid, B25-Sal Probe Droid.

Curiously, cube-shaped pets are very common in SWTOR. In recent years, the game has awarded five more to players as login promotions. The first of these pets was inspired by the infamous “orange pixel” bug from the very, very early days of SWTOR, and contains in its design elements of other droids from across Star Wars lore. The two most recent cubic airborne droids are cousins of the beloved, sad sack droid B2EMO from Andor.

Listen to the Gree speech patterns long enough and it starts to make sense!

Currently, the Gree Data Core is only cube pet available to players, so I highly recommend checking out the Gree Event next time it comes around on Ilum. After that, definitely take time to raid the Terror from Beyond, one of my favorite SWTOR operations. When leveling up a player on the Republic side, also make sure to earn the title “Black Bisector” from the Gree side quest on Coruscant. The player’s interactions with the Gree Operators assisting the reconstruction of Coruscant are both amusing and a good introduction to the Gree’s culture and distinctive dialect.

This installment of Pets of the Old Republic features a creature not with too few eyes but a pet with too many: the Earthen Thurrb. This is one of the most distinctive pets in Star Wars: The Old Republic. This baby Thumb and its grown up kin are found, for now at least, only in SWTOR.

In the game, the source of the Thurrb pet is the harvest themed Feast of Prosperity event, and had I kept to my original schedule for this project, this entry would have appeared while the Feast was still active. If you have leftover Feast tokens, you can still purchase this pet from the Feast vendor on Nar Shaddaa. Even if you have to wait until next year, it is worthwhile to highlight pets that are available from the game’s many factions and events.

As of this writing there is not much information known about Thurrbs, but I think I can conclude a few things from the pet itself as well as the three Thurrb mounts. Two of the three existing Thurrb mounts were found on the second Galactic Season reward track and for the moment are otherwise unavailable to new players, but the third, the Conflagrant Thurrb is available from the “Classic and Non-Seasonal Rewards” vendor as part of their rotating offerings past Season rewards.

Adult Brumal, Tellurian and Conflagrant Thumbs keep watch over a tiny Earthen Thumb while explaining the value of a strong vocabulary.

Because of their colorful hides and names, we can assume that Thurrbs thrive in many diverse habitats from fiery hot to wintery cold and everything in between. Thurrbs are mammals but based on their frog-like faces and fish-like fins and ears, seem to be adapted to thrive in aquatic environments and might even be amphibious.

At this point in this series, it should not surprise anyone to learn that Thurrbs are inspired by all sorts of creatures whose parts combine into a unique whole. Fully-grown Thurrbs have massive tusks like a walrus, eyes like frogs, and the cavernous mouth, the thick hide and hefty frame of a hippopotamus. Unlike hippos, which are aggressive and dangerous to humans, one fact we know about Thurrbs is that they have a much milder temperament.

It’s hard to maintain eye contact with the prequel era Aqualish and the original trilogy Talz when you don’t know which eyes to look into.

The first thing you might notice about a Thurrb, however, are its four eyes. While creatures with a single eye are somewhat rare in Star Wars, aliens with four are remarkably common. During this very project, I have already covered the quadruple eyed Ginx, the Mewvorr and the Nexu. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of four-eyed aliens in Star Wars lore. Other examples include the Lisk found on Ilum, some species of Aqualish, and the Talz which was first seen in the cantina scene of A New Hope and will be familiar to SWTOR players from the Sith Warrior’s companion Broonmark. It makes sense that strange monsters with extra eyeballs are common in Star Wars. Extra eyes immediately make a creature into a literal “bug eyed alien” and mark it as something very far outside our usual frame of reference.

I want to conclude with some remarks about how the Thurrb was introduced and discuss how the game’s approach to pets are has changed over the years. The large majority of pets featured in this project were created specifically for Star Wars: The Old Republic. I think this speaks to the goal of the game’s developers to tell stories not just within Star Wars’ existing setting, but to add to it and create worlds and characters and creatures all their own. Certainly much of the fun of SWTOR is getting to dig in the Star Wars sandbox and play with the toys we recognize from its lore, but a big part of what makes the game so memorable to me are the people, places and things we’ve never seen before.

The Curious Rodir Cub is another unique pet that debuted during the Feast of Prosperity.

The Thurrb is one of those. It was introduced first as an adorable and silly pet, and reappeared in a different context as a full sized creature we can ride across the galaxy. Many (but not all) of SWTOR’s original pets were simply miniature versions of their fully-grown counterparts, but in recent years, extra care has been given to the detail and texture of the pet models to make them both cute as babies and distinct from their adult versions. We can see this with other pets such as the Rodir, the Varactyl, the Pritarr and many more.

As for pets inspired by other Star Wars stories, I’m all for adding those too. My unsuccessful years-long campaign to get SWTOR to add a Porg pet is proof of that! But I will never object to seeing something unexpected and fresh, and I look forward to seeing what tiny robots and cuddly critters they can come up with next.

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…