With October now in the rear view, we are just a month and change away from the next installment in the Star Wars franchise. Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in December, once again continuing the main narrative of Luke Skywalker and the battle against The Dark Side. In addition to catching up with the many iconic characters and settings from the galaxy far, far away, there are also a ton of new creatures and planets making their debut in the upcoming blockbuster. One such alien is the mysterious crystalline fox shown in the final trailer, and now we know a bit more about how they got their appearance. According to Star Wars creator creator Neal Scanlan, it's about their environment on the planet Crait.
The theory is they've fed off this planet for so long that their fur has become crystalline. They've taken on the very surface of the planet they live on.
And this, ladies and gents, is why Star Wars is such an iconic and beloved franchise. Because even the diet of background aliens is taken into consideration and explained, giving every single creature a logical origin.
Neal Scanlan's comments to Empire seem to hint that Crait will be a fairly important setting in The Last Jedi. Because while the upcoming sequel is the first time the planet will be shown in live-action, it's had a fair amount of significance in Star Wars lore. The desolate planet was the base for the Rebels in the early rebellion against the Galactic Empire around the time of the original trilogy, and it'll play a similar role for General Leia in the new film.
Because Crait, complete with the crystal foxes, is the secret base for The Resistance in The Last Jedi. Unfortunately for them, it looks like the First Order eventually locates them, which should result in a pretty epic ground battle in the highly anticipated blockbuster. We've seen some clips of this impending battle in the trailers, with the planet's red soil flying as various ships rush towards the conflict. We'll see if the crystal fox attempt to join the skirmish, or simply run for their lives like seen in their brief appearance in the marketing.
Luckily, there isn't all that much time left before our questions are finally answered. The generations of Star Wars fans have been debating the contents of Rian Johnson's film since Star Wars: The Force Awakens was released two years ago. And with The Last Jedi now serving as Carrie Fisher's final appearance in the iconic franchise, the stakes have never been higher.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi will arrive in theaters on December 15th. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies in the New Year.
