Did The Empire Know Where It Was All Along?

Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for The Bad Batch season 3, episode 4.

One subtle Easter egg in Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3 suggests that Luke Skywalker’s island on Ahch-To may not have been so impossible to find after all, signaling a major Star Wars retcon. Ahch-To was the location of the first Jedi temple and was theoretically unknown in the larger Star Wars galaxy, as that was Luke’s logic behind selecting the planet as the location for his exile in the sequel movies. The sequels didn’t only introduce the planet, though; Star Wars: The Last Jedi also introduced Porgs, the odd native creatures of Ahch-To.

Porgs were immediately extremely popular among Star Wars audiences because they were first adorable and second a bit of comedic relief. Amid Luke Skywalker’s devastating and controversial transformation into a bitter hermit who wanted to be far away from the galaxy and his loved ones, the Porgs had an ear-piercing scream that they frequently emitted. This very scream is the source of The Bad Batch’s most recent Easter egg, however, and it has major implications for Star Wars.

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Star Wars: The Bad Batch Contains A Subtle Porg Easter Egg

In The Bad Batch season 3, episode 4, “A Different Approach,” Crosshair and Omega attempt to rescue Omega’s beloved creature, Batcher, whom she befriended while held captive by the Empire. During that rescue mission, they enter a cargo dock full of other creatures. Although the animal making the sound isn’t shown on screen, the very distinct Porg screech can be heard in the distance.

While it wasn’t confirmed that Porgs only exist on Ahch-To, they are native to the island, and they’ve never appeared anywhere else in Star Wars. If this facility did contain a Porg, it suggests that not only did some traders have an awareness of the planet, but also that they had either been to the island themselves or worked or traded with someone else who had. This has massive implications for Luke’s sacred Jedi island, which was meant to be “the most unfindable place in the galaxy.” Perhaps it wasn’t only findable, but also had already been found.

Traders & Explorers Must Have Known Ahch-To’s Location All Along

If, in fact, that creature was a Porg, then at minimum, explorers knew of the Ahch-To’s location and had even been there. This is significant not only because it becomes Luke’s hiding place, though, as it was also the Prime Jedi’s temple, which included the ancient Jedi texts, containing, presumably, many secrets and long-forgotten traditions of the Jedi. This raises questions about what explorers may have found, what they might now know, and what else could have been taken from the island beyond just a Porg or two.

This Easter egg in The Bad Batch isn’t the only hint that others had discovered and explored Ahch-To before Luke Skywalker, though. There are many nods to Porgs at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, meaning that Porgs must have made their way to the planet of Batuu and were well-known. Porgs can be purchased as pets on Batuu, which suggests that many creatures had recently been taken off the island or that they had been around for some time and were already repopulating on their new planet. Both, however, mean that visits would have been made to Ahch-To at some point.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Empire was aware of the planet or its larger significance to the Jedi, though, particularly because the First Order is definitely not sure of the planet’s location, as the plot of Star Wars: The Force Awakens is driven by Snoke and Kylo Ren’s mutual obsession with finding the island and Luke Skywalker. It also suggests that the explorers hadn’t discovered the true origin of the island and its connections to the Prime Jedi. Had they realized it, this surely would have been leveraged for a payout from the Empire.

Did Some Explorers Even Know About The Hermit On Ahch-To?

Luke Skywalker

Alliance

Jedi

Race

Human

Died

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Description

Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Father), Padme Amidala (Mother), Leia Organa (Sister)

Despite Luke Skywalker’s isolation on Ahch-To and the First Order’s desperation to find him, this suggests that some explorers may even have been aware of his existence on the island, although, again, likely unaware of who he was and his importance. However, there’s no nod to that possibility in The Last Jedi, which does seem to support Luke’s assertion that the island was extremely difficult to find and an ideal location for his exile. Even so, that may just mean that The Bad Batch retconned it, and more on this Ahch-To connection may be to come.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 3, episode 4 is available now on Disney+. Future episodes release Wednesdays at 12:00 AM PT, 3:00 AM ET, and 8:00 a.m. GMT.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch

Cast

Dee Bradley Baker , Michelle Ang , Noshir Dalal , Liam O’Brien , Rhea Perlman , Sam Riegel , Bob Bergen , Gwendoline Yeo

Release Date

May 4, 2021

Seasons

3