So theyre slightly altered versions of the Emperor's royal guards. Man cant they think of anything new?
Pretty much and more stylised version of them. They are supposed to have a little more variety than the Emperor's version with different members of the guard using different weapons etc.
And another of the new species which are based on the Puffin. The Porg
Looks like that at least in part the will be animatronic.
In an interview with StarWars.com, resident Star Wars expert Pablo Hidalgo shared some more information about porgs, which will make their debut in The Last Jedi. He revealed their name was coined by director Rian Johnson, and they’re basically the Star Wars version of puffins. For example, they build nests for their eggs, and they can fly. They’re native to the island of Ahch-To, dwelling along the cliffs where Luke and Rey are training.