Category Archives: Pets of the Old Republic

April 14, 2025 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #12: Speedy

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.

 

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April 1, 2025 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: 0401: Sam & Max

This seems like the best day of the year to discuss why man’s best friend has been absent from my Pets of the Old Republic project and why the subjects of today’s post are in no way actually pets: Sam & Max!

Sam & Max: Freelance Police is a nearly four decade old multi-media franchise featuring the madcap stories of Sam, an anthropomorphic dog in a fedora and suit, and Max, his “hyperkinetic, three-foot rabbity thing” partner. Their surreal and truly bizarre adventures span comic books, comic strips, video-games and even an animated television show. “But what does this have to do with Star Wars?” I can hear you asking. Excellent question!

Sam & Max comic strip from The Adventurer newsletter.

Sam & Max’s creator is Steve Purcell who began working as an animator and artist during the early days of LucasArt shortly after Sam & Max made their comic book debut. While working at LucasArts, Purcell drew a series of Sam & Max comic strips for The Adventurer, LucasArt’s quarterly newsletter. These strips featured Sam & Max parodying the genres of LucasArt’s games, including Star Wars. Max himself made some cameo appearances in several LucasArts games. I still recall discovering the secret Max shaped cave in the first Dark Forces, and in Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 players can fight alongside or even against Max himself. The duo were so popular that they headlined their own Lucasart’s video game, Sam and Max Hit the Road.

Max’s cameo in the first Dark Forces game.

Max’s appearances in Dark Forces have firmly entrenched him in Star Wars lore, and, therefore, according to the transitive property Sam must also be canonical, and thus is fair game for coverage in this series.

Sam & Max by Steve Purcell.

The image i used for this portrait was drawn by Steve Purcell and comes from my collection of Star Wars themed artwork. I did color and crudely edit the image for this post, so I thought I ought to also present the illustration by Purcell in its original form.

Let Slip the Dogs of Star Wars

“Ok, Sam & Max in Star Wars, I’ll allow it, but why focus on them?” It seems like a reasonable question, but here’s the thing: there are no dogs in Star Wars.

“Wait. What? That can’t be right.” I am exaggerating, but not by too much. There are scattered references to dogs in assorted stories, And certainly there are Akk Dogs, Kath Hounds, and Loth Wolves and more. There are no shortage of creatures in Star Wars that are referred to as dogs, but very few, I’d argue, have the traits of what we’d recognize as dogs: floppy ears, wagging tails, wet noses and fuzzy bellies. Akk Dogs are little dinosaurs, Kath Hounds look more like mountain goats, Loth Wolves are wolves, Vulptices and Vupltillas are foxes. Maybe I’m splitting hairs but there are animals in the lore that we would immediately view as cats, birds, fish and puffins. Heck, ducks are canon! So where are the dogs?

Canine Aliens: Chewbacca, Barada and Pirate Captain Brutus.

“WAITAMINUTE! What about Chewbacca?” Excellent point! Chewie is one of the most beloved characters in all of Star Wars and was indeed inspired by George Lucas’ pet dog, Indiana. And that causes this flight of fancy I’m on to veer into interesting territory. When we do encounter creatures coded as dogs, they are most often intelligent. In researching this topic, I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two possibilities. First Star Wars is “space fantasy”, and dogs are just too familiar and mundane, so dog-like creatures in this setting tend towards the alien and weird. That’s why Akk Dogs are lizards and Corellian Hounds are creepy, hairless monsters.

“We named the dog Indiana.”

But perhaps it’s just down to the fact that George Lucas is a dog person. When we think about our pets, it is not uncommon to consider them members of the family and to some degree even project personhood onto them. Across Star Wars lore, there are feline and avian, frog-like and fish-like aliens, but none loom quite so large as the mighty Chewbacca.

There is another final avenue of dog-lore in Star Wars worth mentioning: robot-dogs. Astromechs like Artoo-Detoo and Beebee-Ate are often treated like dogs by their owners, and they very often show the same loyalty of a good dog. There are also models of droids with the shape of an actual dog, which suggests to me that maybe dogs do actually exist somewhere in Star Wars, but we just haven’t seen them yet.

“Don’t listen to him. We’re dogs too.”

The droid players of Star Wars: The Old Republic will most recognize as canine is the Basilisk Prototype Droid Companion B3-S1, aka “Bessie,” the object of the games first “Venture.” After several months of casual play, I recently completed all the stages to fully unlock Bessie myself. Throughout Legacy of the Sith, I’ve largely taken a break from daily areas, and I took the excuse of training Bessie to revisit the quest hubs I’ve literally avoided for years. It was interesting to reacquaint myself with the Black Hole and Section-X again! The long process of completing the Venture was punctuated with fun interactions with Lane Vizla and HK-24. Ultimately, Bessie is just another companion, but her appearance is absolutely distinctive and I’m glad that I can take my very good girl out for walks and adventures now.

Nevertheless, as a companion, Bessie simply does not count as a pet, so I have to place her alongside Chewbacca in the taxonomy of Star Wars dogs. I do think there should be room in the game for a proper tiny Basilisk Prototype puppy, and I’m a little surprised we haven’t seen one in SWTOR yet.

 

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March 21, 2025 · 7:10 pm

Pets of the Old Republic: #11: Hill Nerf Calf

March comes in like a Pritarr and goes out like a Nerf! I couldn’t quite think of a pet from Star Wars: The Old Republic that was truly like a lamb, but I do think nerfs are an acceptable choice for me to illustrate to celebrate the official start of Spring.

Across Star Wars lore Nerfs are traditionally depicted as domesticated farm animals raised for their meat and leathery hides. Since they are native to Alderaan, they are unable to appear on screen in the movies, but they are most famously referenced by Princess Leia as part of a string of insults aimed at Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back.

Nerfs are suggested to be analogous to cows very early in the “Expanded Universe,” and that designation has remained throughout the decades of Star Wars lore. Not all nerfs died on Alderaan; their hardiness allowed them to adapt to different planets and ecologies around the galaxy. Players of SWTOR, of course, can visit them on their homeworld of Alderaan and they are a common sight on the grasslands of the world.

In a the very crowded cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, Han Solo proves he actually isn’t much of a nerf herder.

SWTOR’s depiction of nerfs is consistent with how they are seen in other Star Wars stories, and players can interact with and even occasionally battle nerfs on Alderaan. Nerfs are also associated with the Spring Abundance Festival on Dantooine. During this event, players are tasked with caring for and healing three sick and injured young animals from across the galaxy, including a tiny nerf calf which is stricken with Nerf-Pox. I do suggest handling this task with care since Nerf-Pox is known to also afflict humans. Make sure you have all your shots!

An Opal Vulptilla herds the Arctic Nerf Calf, the Nightlands Nerf Calf and the Hill Nerf Calf in front of the Art: Nerf decoration awarded from SWTOR‘s “…Who’s Scruffy Looking?” Achievement.

The Hill Nerf Calf, which is the subject of this post, can be found by players who pursue the secret Nerf Herder achievement which has our characters learn hidden lore about nerfs and unlock them as pets. Indeed, the only nerf pets available to players come from this exploration achievement. I’ve often referred to the Nerf Herding achievement as my favorite in the game, so much so that I wrote a guide helping players discover it for themselves. In addition to the three nerf pets, players can earn paintings of a nerf to hang in their strongholds and also unlock the absolutely essential “Nerf Herder” title for their characters.

I do want to take a moment to explore the name “nerf.” That nerfs would eventually be explained to be space-cows was hardly surprising and consistent with the notion that they should be creatures that need to be herded. That said, as a kid who grew up during the time of the first movies, the word “nerf” was most strongly associated with “the world’s first official indoor ball.” Nerf balls and footballs are soft-foam balls that excitable children, like myself, could throw around without fear of causing property damage. Cheap, disposable and compact, Nerf balls were common sights around the playgrounds, backyards, swimming pools and camping trips of my youth.

I would be shocked to learn that Leia’s line in The Empire Strikes Back intentionally referenced a Nerf Ball, but calling someone a “Nerf Herder” always struck me as funny, not because I thought Leia was calling Han a hick farmer, but because it seemed to me that she was saying that the only task up to his speed was wrangling harmless, soft foam toys with which even the smallest child could be trusted. It’s a job so easy, even Han Solo can’t screw it up.

For obvious reasons, this could not be official, but it always seemed to me to be the best explanation.

Addendum: Over on Bluesky, Cody Menzies reminded me that MMO-RPG players will be most familiar with the word “nerf” as the term for what happens when the developers weaken or “rebalance” certain classes or abilities. No one likes it when their favorite character suddenly hits with the force of Nerf ball, hence the origin of the term. Now, if my attacks landed on my enemies like full grown Alderaanian nerf dropped from a great height, I certainly would not complain!

Up Next: Man’s best friend?

 

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March 12, 2025 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #10: Proud Pritarr Cub

March comes in like a Pritarr! It feels seasonably appropriate to select a leonine creature for the next pet in this series. There are no shortages of available options to pick from, but the bright red mane and yellow stripes mark the Proud Pritarr Cub as one of the most distinctive feline pets in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Pritarrs are predators found in the jungles of the planet Onderon. Their debut in Star Wars lore was in SWTOR’s Onslaught expansion. Like many other creatures in this galaxy far, far away, the Pritarr share traits with several very different animals from Earth. In addition to the obvious similarities to the king of the jungle, they have large, bat-like ears and seem to have moveable eyes like a chameleon. We know that Pritarrs have ultrasensitive hearing allowing for low frequency communication across great distances, and those eyes suggest their vision is particularly sharp.

Pritarr’s hunting prowess and sensitivity to their environment is considerable, and the clan of Onderonian beast riders known as the Untamed keep Pritarrs close both to detect earthquakes and as guards for their lairs.

The Lucky Pritarr and Kingpin’s Predator mounts, Proud Pritarr Cub and the Taxidermy: Pritarr decoration.

Pritarrs are unique to SWTOR, and aside from the creatures encountered in the wilds of Onderon, players can also earn two differently colored Pritarr mounts: the brown Lucky Pritarr and the blue Kingpin’s Predator. Both mounts and the Pritarr Cub pet can be won in the summertime during SWTOR’s yearly Nightlife event. Players wishing to furnish a trophy den in their Stronghold can acquire three different types of Pritarr taxidermy decorations.

If you want an example of how far SWTOR graphics have come over the years, the Proud Pritarr Cub is a great example. This pet features textures and details that are far and away above those seen on other pets in the game, including some I’ve covered already in this project. It’s neat to see the care and attention the art team gives to even the smollest creatures these days, and makes me excited to see what might (and really should) come in future updates.

Adult Pritarrs bask in the sun on a Onderon lakeside beach.

The Pritarr’s homeworld of Onderon has a long, legendary history in Star Wars lore, debuting in the first issue of Dark Horse’s Tales of the Jedi comic series in 1993. The stories told in the various Tales series set in the earliest days of the Old Republic form the backbone of much of SWTOR’s setting, and over the generations of stories set there, many prominent Jedi have visited the world from the the Qel-Droma brothers Cay and Ulic during the Beast Wars, the Jedi Exile, Meetra Surik in the centuries before SWTOR and in the millennium to follow by Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi and Ashoka Tano during the Clone Wars.

Finally there are two prominent natives of Onderon in greater Star Wars lore worth mentioning, the first is the revolutionary fighter Saw Gerrera who was introduced in the Clone Wars cartoon, but is probably most well known for his important roles in the earliest days of the Rebellion against the Empire in both the movie Rogue One and the streaming series Andor where he was played by the great Forest Whitaker. However, Onderon’s most famous and beloved daughter is most likely Her Imminence, Queen Lina, whose deeds her translator-droid C2-D4 is infamously known for his desire to expound upon. Should he actually be reassembled and avoid interruptions from his current owner, perhaps one day we will hear these stories in full.

Next: March goes out like a…

 

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February 16, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Pets of the Old Republic: #9: Heartglow Mewvorr

Pets of the Old Republic celebrates Valentine’s Day with a pet whose name is appropriate for the occasion if not its appearance: the Heartglow Mewvorr.

Like so many other creatures in the lore of both Star Wars and Star Wars: The Old Republic, the Mewvorr is a hybrid combining bits of many animals from across real and fictional animal kingdoms. The Mewvorr has the skin of a lizard, the carapace and mandibles of a beetle, the armored hide of a dinosaur, the glow of a firefly and perhaps even the purr of a little cat!

Although it is not made explicit in SWTOR, I believe Mewvorrs are the juvenile forms of Mawvorrs, carnivorous predators first encountered by players on their native planet of Voss. In the same way we refer to baby cats as kittens, I imagine the Voss use the term of endearment “Mewvorr” for baby Mawvorrs.

A Crysfang Mawvorr hunting Gormak on Voss

The Gormak don’t seem to regard Mawvorrs quite so fondly as their sibling species on Voss. In fact Mawvorrs react negatively to the Gormak and are said to attack them on sight. Mawvorrs are also known as “Crysfangs” on Voss, and I wonder if this is the name the Gormak have given to these creatures. One look at the needle-like teeth that fill the mouths of both adult Mawvorrs and even tiny Mewvorrs makes the reason for this name obvious.

When the Gormak use Mawvorrs as guard animals, they cybernetically augment them, most likely to keep them in line. I’m often sympathetic to the plight of the Gormak, but in this case, I can’t support them in the practice of animal cruelty.

While most commonly found on Voss in the wild, the Interpreter’s Retreat area and in the Shrine of Silence flashpoint, Mawvorrs are also found on Zakuul, presumably imported there by Emperor Valkorion in a past age.

Glowing Mewvorrs alongside a row of Datacrons. The Venomous Ginx is green enough for now.

There are many varieties of Mewvorr pets for players to collect in the game. The most distinctive of these won’t cost you a single cartel coin. The Heartglow Mewvorr featured here as well as the glowing yellow Goldplate Mewvorr drop as loot in all modes of the Korriban Incursion and Assault on Tython flashpoints. The red-pink Prismatic Mewvorr can be found in the flashpoint Legacy of the Rakata, and the blue Aquatic Mewvorr drops in the Depths of the Manaan flashpoint. All of these pets do not bind on pickup and can also be found on SWTOR’s GTN auction house, as can other varieties of Cybernetic Mewvorrs from the Cartel Market. The most recent addition to the Mewvorr family, the glowing red Flameshell Mewvorr can be earned by achievement hunters in the Interpreter’s Retreat questing area on Voss.

Sadly, there is one color of Mewvorr missing for players who would like to complete the rainbow of Mewvorrs, and that is a glowing green Mewvorr. Perhaps an emerald shelled Mewvorr is lurking in an undiscovered corner of the galaxy.

Finally, players who would like a fully grown Mawvorr to adventure alongside can also find a Mawvorr companion on the Cartel Market and GTN.

 

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February 11, 2025 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #8: Dwedtoof

Before I begin, I must apologize for falling a little behind in this project, but I’m hoping to catch up before the month is over. The next Pet of the Old Republic tied for first place in the vote tally of pets I should cover, and it is, of course, the infamous and adorably named baby Drouk, Dwedtoof, who is as fierce as it is tiny.

Depending on how you acquire it, Dwedtoof can be one of the most complicated and difficult pets for players to earn in Star Wars: The Old Republic. Dwedtoof drops as loot from the “empowered” versions of the Section X world boss Dreadtooth. Every time Dreadtooth is defeated it drops an item called “Dreadful Essence” These are vials of Dreadtooth’s protoplasm and can be injected into Dreadtooth and each stack of the essence increases the boss’s power, up to a maximum of ten stacks. Dwedtoof is guaranteed to drop from Dreadooth at ten stacks, but also has a reduced chance to drop at five stacks.

As Dreadtooth gains power, it becomes a more difficult fight and requires more and more players to overcome the challenge, and I recommend a full operations group of 24 players to successfully take down the Nightmarishly empowered version of Dreadtooth. Given the mechanics of how players must empower Dreadtooth, I think it’s safe to assume that we can never actually permanently defeat, much less, kill this fearsome Drouk. It is well established in Star Wars lore from Kephess to various Emperors that the Sith drive to cheat death leads to endless torment, and at a certain point you’ve got to feel bad for Dreadtooth who is just out for a stroll and probably just doesn’t want to be bothered.

Dreadtooth on patrol in Section X.

Dwedtoof and Dreadtooth are Drouks, large armored and spiked humanoid monsters. In Star Wars lore, Drouks are unique to Star Wars: The Old Republic, and first appeared in the Explosive Conflict operation both as trash mobs and as the pair Toth and Zorn, the first boss encounter of the operation. I am not aware of any background lore regarding Drouks, but I don’t believe they are native to Denova where we first encounter them; I think it’s fair to assume that the Warstalkers under Warlord Kephess brought the Drouks to the wartorn planet as part of their assault.

The Dreadmasters who are responsible for the attack on Denova seem to have been impressed with the creatures enough that they deposited the mighty Dreadtooth in the Section X enclave on Belsavis and used Drouks as guards in their Dread Palace lair.

Beyond their prodigious size and strength, one trait that Drouks seem to share is that they are driven berserk when in proximity to each other. This does raise questions about how Drouks mate, but it also highlights the cruelty of the Warstalkers and the Dreadmasters who turned this natural animosity to their advantage.

Drouk pets: Baby Drouk, Dwedtoof, Blood Drouk and Mountain Drouk.

For pet collectors, there are three other varieties of Drouk pets available to players. The Baby Drouk is offered by the Section X reputation vendor, the Blood Drouk can be found on each faction’s reputation vendors on Oricon, and the Mountain Drouk can be found on the cartel market and the GTN auction house. Dwedtoof, like other pets from operations bosses, is not bound on pick-up and can also be found on the GTN. As I write this, Dwedtoof is not even listed on every server’s GTN, and on Star Forge it is for sale for more than one billion credits. Buyer beware indeed!

Finally, an adult Drouk decoration can be acquired from the Toth and Zorn encounter in the Veteran and Master mode versions of the Explosive Conflict operation.

 

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January 24, 2025 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #7: Lawgriffarl

Lucky number seven in my Pets of the Old Republic series is the Akk Dog. Akk Dogs go back a long way in Star Wars lore and are represented in SWTOR with several varieties of pets, an Akk Dog companion and in the wild as creatures to fight. Akk Dogs are known for their lizard-like appearance and jagged and hardened carapace. In the Star Wars universe, Akk Dogs are classified as “reptomammals” which perhaps means they have more in common with armadillos than dinosaurs. Akk Dogs are native to the planet Haruun Kai, the homeworld of Mace Windu, one of Star Wars‘ most famous Jedi Masters. Like Windu, Akk Dogs are thought to be Force Sensitive, but attempts to test their degree of skill with the Force often end badly for any curious researchers.

The particular Akk Dog I’ve drawn is a breed known in the native language of Haruun Kai as “Lawgriffarl.” has distinctive deep blue eyes and a steel blue hide. It can be acquired by players of both factions in the Combat section of their Fleet hubs for the cost of 50,000 credits. However, characters wishing to adopt this armored puppy must also acquire Valor Rank 23. Those wishing to reach that level will need to commit to a modest amount of PVP, but Valor 23 can be earned with a couple weeks of casual matches.

Akk Dog pets: front row: Hagnoffarl, Lawgriffarl, Gannifari; back row: Ember Akk Dog, Painted Akk Dog.

If you’d prefer to skip PVP, there are other varieties of Akk Dogs available. Two of these, the Painted Akk Dog and fiery Ember Akk Dog can be found on the Cartel Market and sold by your fellow players on the Galactic Trade Network. The Gannifari Akk Dog pet was awarded to players who took advantage of SWTOR’s first round of server mergers in 2012 and is no longer available to new players. The other, the Hagnoffarl, which was originally acquired during the Chevin Grand Acquisitions Race, also in 2012, but these days this gray Akk Dog is now randomly dropped by mobs out in the game world, so it cannot be reliably farmed. Finally, players looking for a sturdier Akk Dog can also find one as a creature companion, again from the Cartel Market or the GTN. When I started this series, Akk Dog were one of the most popular suggestions and I selected the one that players can earn on their own without having to spend Cartel Coins or credits or without having to hope for a lucky drop.

An Akk Wolf with an Akk Dog in the background in the swamps of the Minboosa district on Nal Hutta.

Players will, of course, also battle Akk Dogs in the course of their adventures around the galaxy. While they appear in the Colicoid Games flashpoint and the Xenoanalyst operation, they are most commonly found on Hutta. A larger, wilder, saber-toothed cousin called the Akk Wolf also stalks the swamps of the Jigunna and Minboosa Districts.

The Akk Dog as depicted in 2010 in the book The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force.

Akk Dogs first appear in Star Wars lore in the prequel era comics of the early 2000s, and their depiction has varied widely over the course of their appearances. On the cover of the comic in which the Akk Dog debuts, they seem more insectoid than lizard-like. Over the course of subsequent appearances, they were drawn to be more like a combination of a Komodo Dragon and an armored dinosaur, with long, serpentine bodies. Over time, their appearance has evolved to be more in line with what we see in SWTOR with shorter, stouter bodies and an emphasis on their armor-like hide.

Top: The Bullete as it appeared in the 1977 Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Monster Manual. Bottom: The modern interpretation of the Bulette.

I don’t know if it is intentional, but it seems to me that many common depictions of Akk Dogs bear a striking similarity to one of Dungeons and Dragons’ iconic monsters: the Bulette, a large armored, dinosaur-like creature nicknamed the “Landshark”. The development of many of the original D&D monsters in the 1970’s is weird and fascinating, (and worth discovering for yourself), but outside the scope of this article. Suffice it to say that the Bulette was inspired by Chinese-made, cheap, plastic bootleg toys based on “Kaiju” from Japanese giant monster shows of the 1960s like Ultraman.

Top: A “Patchisaur” miniature toy; Bottom: Two Kaiju from the Japanese TV show Ultraman that may have inspired the toy.

While the connection might be tenuous, you can’t deny that a weird, decades old plastic toy from a dollar store could be confused for an Akk Dog. That fierce, little dino-pup that accompanies you on your adventures across the Star Wars galaxy might very well be a distant cousin to the Zillo Beast or even Godzilla himself. So toss your loyal doggo an extra bone to keep it happy, but be careful because you never know just how big it will grow up to be!

 

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January 1, 2025 · 12:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #6: Snowfallen Wampa Cub

While there is still just a little time left in SWTOR‘s Life Day event, I thought I’d kick off the New Year with a pet (or two!) that can be earned by players who have participated in the event’s main activity: throwing snowballs at each other and any of the NPCs in the game. The pet is the Snowfallen Wampa Cub, and it was suggested by Kal from Today in Tor. This snow-capped cub is the perfect companion for this time of year whether you’re chilling on Hoth or need to cool off on Tatooine.

There are two Wampa pets available to players, the first is the Hoth Wampa Cub which shares an appearance with its larger, surlier relatives. The second is the Snowfallen Wampa Cub which has a snowball for a head and two eyes and a nose made out of coal; it made me laugh the first time I saw it, and continues to bring a smile to my face whenever it comes out during the holiday season. This Wampa is joined by the Snowfallen Gizka which somehow slipped its way into the background of its big buddy’s portrait!

The Wampa from The Empire Strikes Back, Special Edition

The very first Wampa in Star Wars lore made the mistake of trying to make a meal out of Luke Skywalker during The Empire Strikes Back. Concealed by Hoth’s icy landscape, the Wampa cold-cocked Luke and strung him up in its lair for a late night snack. In the movie’s first of three examples of Luke being able to better channel the Force while hanging upside down, the young Jedi retrieved his dropped Lightsaber and delimbed the poor, hungry Wampa and escaped that frying pan into the fire of the frigid night of the ice planet.

Wampas were originally considered to play a larger role in The Empire Strikes Back during the events on Hoth, culminating with an attack on Echo Base after which several were to have been contained by the Rebels only to be inadvertently released to catastrophic results by attacking Imperial troops.

Gravak’k the Gree Test Subject

In Star Wars: The Old Republic, Wampas are most commonly found on Hoth, but other specimens show up on Rishi and  on the snow capped mountains of Copero. There are two named Wampas in SWTOR: the first is Gravak’k, a world boss who appears on Ilum during the Gree event, and the second is Kyramla Gemas’rugam (“Deadly Hairball” in Mando’a) who is the first boss players will encounter in the Blood Hunt flashpoint. In both cases, it seems these Wampas were named by their captors, but there are indications in other Star Wars lore that Wampas might be intelligent creatures and not simply wild animals.

As this post goes live, the Snowfallen Wampa Cub, the Hoth Wampa Cub, and the Snowfallen Gizka can each still be purchased from the “Master of Ceremonies” vendor on either fleet for 60 Snow-Covered Parcels. In addition, decorators can also find Wampa rugs and taxidermied heads and wholes to decorate their strongholds. But if you want a Wampa pet, act fast, the event ends soon!

Bumble the Abominable Snow Monster

The inspiration for the Wampa almost certainly comes from the Yeti, a mysterious humanoid cryptid from the folklore of the Himalayan mountain range of the Indian subcontinent. In western stories, the Yeti is also known more prosaically as the Abominable Snowman and it’s most famous appearance in the pop culture of my youth was in the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated adaptation of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. The Abominable Snow-monster was called “Bumble” and I confess it’s cute, child-friendly appearance in this Christmas special meant that I never really found the Wampa that scary a monster, despite the attempts of the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back to make the Wampa seem more fearsome. Ultimately, the Yeti’s status as a misunderstood soul was further solidified in my mind by its appearance in the Pixar classic Monsters Inc.

It’s hard to imagine a cuter interpretation of the Wampa than the Snowfallen Cub who seems more interested in a good snowball fight than making a lunch out of any galactic hero. I won’t claim having this pet at your side will increase the odds you getting a Snow-Covered Parcel when you throw a snowball bomb, but it won’t hurt to try!

 

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December 17, 2024 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #5: M4-Y7 Astromech

This month I would like to spotlight the first (but not last!) pet in this series that is not a creature made of flesh and blood but rather of circuits and sparks. One of the numerous droid pets in the game, thet M4-Y7 Astromech is a perfect choice on account of its seasonably and Santably appropriate color scheme.

There are many Astromech pets in SWTOR, and it is tradition in the game to award players who log in during the Star Wars “holiday” of May the 4th with a droid companion; until recent years it was an Astromech of varying colors. Other Astromech pets can be found on the cartel market and for sale on the GTN and from the Galactic Seasons token vendor, but this particular version is no longer available.

R2-D2 and T3-M4

Astromechs or Astro-droids are the most iconic robots in Star Wars, and the first of these, Artoo-Detoo, is undoubtably the most famous robot in pop culture. Despite, or perhaps because of being only able to communicate through beeps and whistles Artoo instantly became one of Star Wars‘ most beloved characters. Astromechs in Star Wars lore have many variations including the red, ill-fated R5-D4 from Episode 4: A New Hope, the squat, surly and patched together C1-10P “Chopper” from Star Wars: Rebels and the orange, roly-poly BB-8 from the sequel trilogy.

When it came to establishing the Old Republic, Astromechs would also play important roles. T3-M4 was a key companion to Revan and Meetra Surik in both Knights of the Old Republic games, and players of Star Wars: The Old Republic will, of course, be familiar with the redoubtable and resourceful T7-O1, who eventually joins every character in their adventures across the galaxy.

T7-O1 and M4-Y7

Both T3 and T7 are designed to suggest that they are early iterations of the famous Astromech design, with boxier shapes and fewer attachments and built in accessories. I’ve always liked the fact that T7 seems to be wearing a backpack; it is certainly stuffed with ammo, spare parts and snacks for himself and his companions.

The most striking design difference between Artoo-Detoo and his Old Republic counterparts is that his legs are angled backwards but the legs of the Old Republic droids lean forward, and their third (or fourth) “feet” are attached to the rear of their chassis. This change reminds me of two things, first of all, animals. The design of T3, in particular, echoes the profile of a sitting dog, something very appropriate for Revan’s best buddy. But this change in angle of the droid orientation also brings to mind other associations, specifically that of an Olympic sprinter getting ready to race out of the starting blocks. If R2-D2 seems laid back by comparison, then good ol’ T7-O1 and M4-Y7 are clearly raring to go!

Dewey and Huey

The origin of these droids extend back even beyond the first Star Wars movie. George Lucas has said that part of the inspiration for R2-D2 came from the “service drones” Huey, Dewey and Louie from the little remembered 1972 science fiction movie Silent Running, directed by special effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull. From this starting point, Ralph McQuarrie created several designs that would eventually become the Astro-droids of Star Wars.

There is one last element of the Astromech worth mentioning: R2 units both in the movies and in the Old Republic tend to have a single, large glowing eye, not unlike the unblinking HAL-9000 from Stanley Kubrick’s seminal 1968 classic 2001: A Space Odyssey.

HAL, totally not spying on you

Now, look, I’m not saying that M4-Y7 is plotting to kill you, but if you happen to encounter the Astromech on a flight deck, perhaps it would be wise, especially these days, to be mindful of whether you’ve been naughty or nice this past year.

For my part, I want to wish all my readers a happy, healthy and warm holiday season. I hope everyone gets to ring out the end of the year in good company with good food. Look for the next Pet of the Old Republic on New Year’s Day!

 

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November 19, 2024 · 9:01 am

Pets of the Old Republic: #4. Orosquab

To mark the arrival of Life Day and Thanksgiving, the next featured entry in the Pets of the Old Republic had to be, of course, the most turkey-like of SWTOR’s pets, the Orobird.

Orobirds have a long history in Star Wars: The Old Republic, debuting in the game’s first major update after its launch. The first two Orobirds introduced into Star Wars lore were the Orochick, which could drop as loot from Gargath, a World Boss found on Hoth, and is also now available from the Light Side Token vendor on Fleet, and the Orokeet which hatches from eggs found by players exploring hidden corners of Alderaan, Republic Taris and Imperial Balmorra. The third Orobird pet, the Orosquab, subject of this post, debuted shortly thereafter as a rare reward from the flashpoint Lost Island. The fourth and final Orobird pet, the Crested Orokeet was later added to a vendor in the Cartel Bazaar of both fleets. If you want an Orobirb of your own as a pet, you won’t need to spend a single cartel coin, and if you’re willing to seek them out yourself, three of the four won’t even cost you a single credit.

Players first encountered fully grown Orobirds in the wilds of the planet Rishi during the Shadows of the Empire expansion. In addition four varieties of Orobird mounts can be acquired from the Cartel Market and the GTN for players to roost upon. If you have sufficient reputation with the Underworld Exchange, you can purchase the Fawn Orobird mount for a handful of credits and a pair of Cartel Market Certificates on the Cartel Bazaar deck of the Fleets.

This type of large, flightless bird appears to be very common across fantasy settings from the Axebeak of Dungeons and Dragons and the Chocobo from Final Fantasy, and the reason for that is because they are all based on extinct varieties of creatures colloquially known as “Terror Birds” from the Earth’s distant past. The “Terror” in that name is apt because many could tower over a human and, based on their fossilized remains alone, all must’ve been impressive sights to see! SWTOR‘s Orobirds seem to have been based in particular on species known as the Phorusrhacos and Dromornis.

Phorusrhacos

Although not all Terror Birds are believed to have been meat eaters, I cannot imagine any of them would be safe to encounter outside their enclosure in an out of control dinosaur theme park or by a time traveller stranded millions of years in the past. Indeed their modern descendants should not be trifled with either! The Cassowary of Australia, which seems to be the direct inspiration for the Crested Orokeet is notoriously dangerous to provoke. And even the wild turkeys of North America are prickly and ill tempered. I myself have encountered them both in the dark woods of Vermont and on the mean streets of Boston. I once walked out the front door of my apartment and came upon a half-dozen Turkeys pecking around my front yard. I turned around and went back inside. It was their yard now.

Boston Turkeys

So know that if you adventure in the Star Wars universe with an Orobird at your side, you are protected by one of the fiercest creatures in both a galaxy far, far away and the one significantly closer to home!

Next time: Your plastic pal who’s fun to be with.

 

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