There are many pluses to extending the Star Wars world with Disney+ shows. We get more time with our favorite characters, we get to learn more about the Star Wars lore that we’ve seen develop over the years, and we get to travel to new and exciting worlds. But one thing that Star Wars Disney+ shows have particularly excelled at is introducing cute new Star Wars creations into our lives. Just look at the impact of Grogu, a.k.a. Baby Yoda. Happily, Ahsoka has continued this tradition. First, Ahsoka brought us the live-action Loth-cat, which had us melting in our seats. And now, Ahsoka has brought two adorable new species into Star Wars canon, the howlers and the Noti. The howlers and the Noti not only added maximum cuteness to our screens, but they also played a part in Ahsoka‘s plot. Let’s take a look at these newly introduced denizens of the Star Wars world.
Sabine Wren’s Howler Tota Cannonizes the Star Wars Species in Ahsoka
At first, Sabine Wren’s mount on Peridea seemed like a dastardly dark side creature. But it turns out at least this howler, named Tota, was all bark and no bite. Although a bit of a coward, Tota loyally took to Sabine after an unfortunate encounter with bandits. And his sheepish but stubborn demeanor in recompense has probably won Star Wars fans over to the side of the howlers from here on out. Tota’s scenes with Sabine completely stole the show. Not to mention, whether or not the howler brought Sabine to the right place because he wanted water or because he could sense something more than that, he did help her to reunite with Ezra Bridger.
In the Ahsoka series, the howler species present as a reptilian wolf crossed with a horse. Interestingly, these live-action Star Wars howlers bring to mind mythology’s griffins. Although these two creatures aren’t one-to-one in their make-up, Ahsoka has been leaning into its mythological roots. So we enjoy the comparison.
But have howlers appeared in Star Wars before? This cute species has made a few prior appearances but not in canon Star Wars properties. Howlers first appeared in the Star Wars: Jedi Knight games, which belong to the Star Wars Legends world. In the games, howlers appeared much more reptilian, almost resembling dragons. These howlers lived on the moon Yavin 4. Although this implies that more than just purrgil have been able to cross Star Wars galaxies in canon, it does not confirm it. However, the appearance of howlers does continue Ahsoka‘s trend of incorporating Star Wars Legends material into canon. And, we, for one, are enjoying the adorable fruits of that convergence.
The Noti Kept Ezra Bridger Safe After Star Wars Rebels
The second species of absurdly cute aliens that Ahsoka introduced into the Star Wars world are the Noti. The Noti have not appeared before in any other Star Wars properties, but we hope to see more of them on Ahsoka. Although we don’t yet know the full story, it seems like the Noti adopted Ezra Bridger into their community after he became stranded on Peridea.
In Ahsoka, Tota the howler sniffs out a Noti and gives him a bit of a shock. But once calmed, the Noti recognizes Sabine Wren’s Rebellion symbol and reveals that he wears one as well. Suddenly, a whole crowd of Noti appear to excitedly chatter. It turns out they do know Ezra Bridger. The Noti take Sabine back to their village, and there she is finally reunited with Ezra for the first time since he disappeared at the end of Star Wars Rebels. We’re glad such cute creatures could facilitate this happy moment. Of course, the peace can’t last too long, and the Noti are caught up in the crossfire when General Thrawn’s troops show up. Happily, it doesn’t seem like anyone got too hurt in the conflict.
In Ahsoka, the Noti are adorable bug-like aliens. The Noti have rock-like shells on their back, which they can hide beneath at any sign of trouble. They seem to be a joyful and peaceable species. We even learn they do not really use any kind of weaponry. The closest the Noti have is a slingshot. And we love them for that.
Both the Noti and Sabine’s howler seem like great additions to the Star Wars universe. And given that Ahsoka and Sabine both ended up remaining behind on Peridea in the final episode of Ahsoka, there is a good chance we’ll see them again soon..
Originally published on September 20, 2023.
