InReturn of the Jedi, the fight against the Empire takes the heroes to Endor, a forest-dominated moon populated by a group of small teddy bear-looking creatures called Ewoks. These seemingly cute and comical characters eventually become valuable allies during the climax, where they are convinced to aid the rebels in the final battle. They later went on to appear in otherStar Warsmedia that included two television movies-Ewoks: the Battle for EndorandCaravan of Courage, anda cartoon series. These were poorly received at the time of release but have gained a small fanbase in the years since. They even made a cameo inThe Rise of Skywalker.
RELATED:The Most Powerful Mandalorians In Star Wars, Ranked
Some fans love the ewoks. Some think their apparent cuteness and goofy antics detract from the movie. Either way, ewoks have a well-known place inStar Warscanon. But their history goes a little deeper than what is shown inReturn of the Jedi. Their appearance as comic relief is actually quite deceptive, and in fact they have a lot more depth than could be shown in one movie.
5Ewoks Have A History Of Brutality
The Ewoks, for their apparent cuteness, could be quite vicious when provoked. While the ewoks' effectiveness against the empire waspartially a result of their “primitive” methods being underestimated, it was also related to a long history of environmental pressures that impacted their evolution. Although not incapable of being friendly to others, ewoks were faced with a multitude of threats across Endor that necessitated an aggressive lifestyle to survive. Occasionally they found themselves clashing with theDuloks- a closely-related species with a habit of raiding and hunting ewoks, and needed to learn to fight back. But there were also much bigger threats on the moon, like the Tulgah witch Morag who relentlessly pursued ultimate power and vengeance against the ewoks for a prior defeat.
When the ewoks joined the Battle of Endor, their instinctive distrust made things difficult for both sides. Luke and Han were nearly eaten by the creatures, and they were known to treat members of the Empire even worse. This made things very difficult for Imperial survivors of Endor, who were trapped on the moon and disorganized after the Emperor’s death. Captured stormtroopers may have been eaten. Leia was able to prevent thison at least one occasion. But it is still possible there may have been other stormtroopers who were not so lucky.
4Ewoks Were A Commodity In The Old Republic
The ewoks may have had a brutal side of their own, but they were not treated a lot better by the few outsiders who came to Endor. Although some visitors were able to establish friendships with the ewoks, a lot of travelers were actually there tohuntthem. It was actually reasonably common to see venders selling ewok meat. Naturally, this gives ewoks yet another reason to distrust outsiders and be prepared to fight.
3They Were Smarter Than Expected
The ewoks may look primitive at first, but there is evidence inReturn of the Jedithatthey are a lot smarter than they appear. While not as technologically advanced, they are very good at working effectively with the resources available to them. They have a hidden talent for engineering- note the intricate structures that make up their village, which is built to be supported by trees. They even have simple gliders that allow limited flight- well beyond anything stone-age humans could have come up with. While having the means to build advanced technology, they were even capable of developing a crude understanding of how to use certain machines, like speeder bikes. They had to be smart, due to the environmental pressures of Endor.
Related:Star Wars: Things You Didn’t Know About Twi’leks
One notable invention ewoks used was the dual log trap, capable of instantly crushing AT-ATs. What made this particularly interesting was the fact that it was not even built for fighting the Empire. It was actually designed as a precautionary measure against theGorax, a gigantic creature that was known to attack and eat ewoks. This shows another level of intelligence on their part- not only could they find creative solutions to problems, but they could also adapt existing solutions to new circumstances.
2They Traumatized The Empire
When Endor was first selected as the base for the Second Death Star’s shield generator, the empire saw a forest-dwelling race of warriors who fought with bows and spears as a “primitive” species that could easily be ignored. They assumed that anyone who relied on spears and bows could not possibly stand against an army of blasters, tanks, and a planet-destroying battle station. This of course proved to be their undoing, but what a lot of people do not know is the impact they had on the survivors of Endor. Not only was the Empire decimated by the battle, but it also left some huge scars on the ones lucky enough to make it out alive.
The battle of Endor was hard enough. Ewoks were proving extremely ferocious and had a variety of gruesome ways to slaughter their enemies. They even tipped their arrows into a toxin that ensured a slow and painful death for any stormtrooper that was hit. But even worse was after the battle,when the ewoks continued to hunt down remaining imperials. A lot of imperials were stranded on Endor after the second Death Star’s explosion and, unfortunately for them, ewoks had the upper hand due to their familiarity with the forest. This actually left a lot of stormtroopers with severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
1Some Of Them May Have Been Force Sensitive
Not being the most technologically advanced species and living on a single moon would have limited how much the Ewoks could understand about the rest of the galaxy.But that did not stop the force from having a strong presence on Endor. An ewok named Logray learned “magic” while enslaved by Morag the Tulgah witch, and used it both to thwart her plans and escape.
He went on to become a shaman for Bright Tree Village and developed his powers to the point where he was able to end Morag for good. Although the ewoks referred to it as magic, Logray was actually using the force- even if he could not realize just how complex and widespread it is. Logray also managed to pass on his knowledge to at least two other ewoks, Zarrak and Teebo.
