Ahsoka: What are purrgil? Star whales explained

In Ahsoka Episode 3, we see purrgil flying through the clouds – so, here’s everything you need to know about the legendary “star whales.”

In our review, we wrote: “Ahsoka’s third chapter feels like half an episode; the spacefaring action may be exciting, but it’s a distraction from the fact that it hasn’t really done anything.”

Only a few moments are worth noting: we see Hera’s son Jacen in live-action for the first time, which may spell a doomed future for the character; and as Ahsoka and Sabine descend into the clouds of a planet in the Denab system, they come face to face with a pod of purrgil.

Coming after their brief silhouetted appearance in The Mandalorian Season 3, Ahsoka viewers may be curious to know a bit more about the creatures – so, here’s a breakdown of the basics.

What are purrgil in Ahsoka?

Purrgil are a semi-sentient species of whales generally only found in deep space.

As per Star Wars’ official website, they’re “massive, whale-like creatures” who live “not on land or sea, but in space, and were the stuff of legend for the galaxy’s smugglers and pilots.”

“They were often a bluish purple color and moved gracefully thanks to four large hind tentacles, along with two side fins and a dorsal fin,” the website adds.

“Purrgil required a specific green gas in order to breathe, which allowed them to travel great distances through space. While very few have seen it, purrgil had the ability to travel through hyperspace.”

It was these creatures that Ezra Bridger summoned in the finale of Star Wars Rebels, in which the purrgil wrapped their tentacles around Thrawn and his ship (with Ezra inside) and vanished into the Unknown Regions.

In Ahsoka Episode 3, we learn that the Eye of Sion is a giant hyperspace ring that’s been designed to take advantage of the purrgil’s migration paths, and in theory, it’ll allow them to travel to a neighboring galaxy just as they’re capable of.

How many extragalactic worlds are out there, and could purrgil be the key to unlocking a whole other side of Star Wars we’ve never seen? Only time will tell.

Ahsoka Episodes 1-3 are available on Disney+ now, which you can sign up for here. You can check out our other coverage below:

• Episode 1 review
• Episode 2 review
• Ahsoka cast and characters
• Who is Marrok?
• What time does Ahsoka come out?
• How many episodes of Ahsoka are there?
• When does Ahsoka take place in the Star Wars timeline?
• How long are Ahsoka Episodes 1-2?
• Where was Ahsoka during the original Star Wars trilogy?
• Darth Sion and the Eye of Sion explained
• Ahsoka budget: How much did it cost?

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