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For other uses, see Ewok (disambiguation).
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"They're kind of cute."
"Did you not see them attacking the stormtroopers? Those little guys are brutal."
"Still cute."
―Luke Skywalker and Han Solo[7]

Ewoks were a diminutive primitive species of furry bipeds native to the forest moon of Endor. They were most notable for helping the Rebel Alliance defeat the forces of the Galactic Empire at the Battle of Endor, allowing the shield generator there to be destroyed, and in turn, the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station.

Ewoks were individuals that stood about one meter tall. They used spears, slings, and knives as weapons; they also used hang gliders as vehicles. Although skilled in forest survival and the construction of primitive technology, the Ewoks had yet to progress past stone-level technology when discovered by the Empire. They were quick learners, however, when exposed to advanced technology with simple mechanical processes and concepts.

Biology and appearance[]

"The Ewoks are fierce warriors. The top of the food chain on a savage planet!"
"Okay, first of all, they live on a moon, not a planet. Second of all—
"
―A Whill and another Whill[8]

Ewoks were sentient humanoids, averaging about one meter in height. Omnivorous, they were covered in fur from head to toe, with brown and black as the most common colors. Most Ewoks had solid-colored fur, though a few sported stripes. Ewoks had large, bright eyes, small humanoid noses, and hands that possessed two fingers and an opposable thumb. Despite their small size, Ewoks were physically strong enough to overpower combat-trained humans.[1]

History[]

Liberating their home[]

"Well, short help is better than no help at all."
―Han Solo reluctantly accepts the Ewoks' help in the Battle of Endor[1]
Leia Wicket

Wicket W. Warrick meets Princess Leia Organa on Endor

When the Galactic Empire began operations on the moon of Endor[9] with an occupation,[10] they razed an Ewok village to erect a shield generator complex, forcing the few that survived to a close neighboring village[9]—the Bright Tree Village[11]—led by Chief Chirpa.[9] Princess Leia Organa, part of a Rebel strike team, met and befriended Wicket W. Warrick.[1] After meeting him, Organa and Warrick saw a pair of Imperial stormtroopers confronting two other Ewoks, but the Rebel princess and Ewok were able to defeat the two soldiers.[12]

Organa was taken back to the Ewok village as a guest. Meanwhile, however, another group of Ewoks captured her fellow rebels, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, Han Solo, R2-D2, and C-3PO. When these Ewoks saw the protocol droid C-3PO, they identified him as[1] the Golden One who they believed had brought balance to Endor millennia before.[13] Despite Wicket and Organa's protests, the Ewok shaman Logray attempted to sacrifice them as a feast in C-3PO's honor. Skywalker's use of the Force to make C-3PO levitate combined with the droid's warnings soon changed Chief Chirpa's mind, however.[1]

EndorParty-ROTJ

Ewoks celebrate their victory in the Battle of Endor

That night, C-3PO told the Bright Tree's Council of Elders the adventures of the Rebel heroes. The Ewoks accepted the Rebels into their tribe and allied themselves to their cause.[1] Multiple Ewok tribes[9] helped in the ground battle to destroy the Imperial shield generator on the forest floor, and their primitive weapons felled the stormtroopers and the scout walkers of the Empire, although they took many losses to Imperial blaster fire. Their assistance paved the way for the destruction of the DS-2 Death Star II Mobile Battle Station and the Rebel victory at the Battle of Endor.[1] Legend claimed it was the first time the Ewoks had returned to combat in generations.[13] Later that night, the Ewoks held a huge celebration that could be heard throughout the forest.[1]

After the Battle of Endor[]

An Ewok Civil War broke out, forcing C-3PO and New Republic Captain Jaxxon T. Tumperakki to travel to Endor on a diplomatic mission to put a stop to the conflict.[14] By two years after the Battle of Endor, many Ewoks had become caf farmers. Additionally, at least one, Peekpa, had found employment with the New Republic as a slicer.[15]

When a galaxy-wide uprising against the First Order erupted, one of the worlds to rise up was Endor. Warrick and his son, Pommet Warrick, witnessed the destruction of a First Order Resurgent-class Star Destroyer by a Holdo maneuver.[16]

Ewoks in the galaxy[]

Despite their primitive technology and their isolated homeworld,[1] Ewoks were not totally unknown in the wider galaxy; during the Clone Wars, "Ewok Jerky" was sold at Power Sliders, a diner on the planet Abafar.[17] Additionally, some Ewoks have been known to have left their homeworld and were seen across the galaxy even before the Clone Wars.[18]

As a manner of recompense for saving Endor, some Ewoks agreed to travel offworld to help Rebel veterans recuperate, working with Doctor Arsad as "therapy Ewoks." Therapy Ewoks were offered to those who had suffered the horrors of war, such as witnessing tragedy, and needed help with their recovery. Those that found this option distasteful were sometimes given the use of a therapy droid instead.[19]

Culture[]

"They're using a very primitive dialect, but I do believe they think I am some sort of god."
―C-3PO[1]
Woklings btm

Infant Ewoks

By the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Ewoks had reached a level of civilization where they engaged in religious, artistic, medical, and even political activities, and spoke in their own native tongue of Ewokese. Nevertheless, they still focused most of their energies on the daily provision of food.[9] They had acquired knowledge of pottery, hunting, the construction of complex wooden structures and the creation of fire. While most of their lives would be spent in the treetops, several members of the tribe would be required to venture out on the forest floor to forage for berries, gather herbs, and hunt. During warm summer months, some Ewoks stayed in fishing villages or hunting and farming lodges on the forest floor. Utilizing ponies and bordoks to haul loads of supplies between settlements, they nonetheless kept their guard up for ferocious predators and other sentient creatures such as the Yuzzums.[5] Existing in harmony with nature,[20] Ewoks lived high among the trees of the forest moon of Endor, in villages built between the closely spaced trees. The canopies of the great trees were filled with watchers who could alert the tribe of approaching gorax or condor dragons, and could use gliders to patrol the lands beyond their local village. Bachelors, on the other hand, often lived on the ground and kept watch for even greater dangers, such as Duloks, who often emerged from the swamps to prey on Ewoks and lantern birds.[5]

The Ewoks were a deeply spiritual people. They revered the surrounding giant trees and believed themselves to be descendants of the "Great Tree," a sacred tree in the forests.[21] The legend of the Golden One told[13] of a deity[1] that allowed the Ewoks to live in light.[13] After C-3PO and his rebel allies arrived and led the Ewoks into the Battle of Endor,[1] the legend told that the Golden One had returned to answer their prayers.[13] The conifer trees where Ewoks lived were also fire resistant, and served as a natural insect repellent.[5]

Ewok Village DICE

An Ewok village during the Battle of Endor, with Alliance-borrowed uplink stations in the walkways

The basic design of a tree village had a "Central Village" of thatched-roof huts on the primary limbs. These huts were high enough above the ground to be out of reach of predators. Suspended bridges connected the gaps between trees, adjoining distant huts. Knotted rope ladders allowed access up or down. Food, kindling, and other provisions would be kept under the floor of the Ewoks' houses, while woven sleeping mats and furs were stored in the lofts above. Hoods, capes, and tools hung on the walls.[5]

In Ewok society, the most important people were the chief, the medicine man, and the Council of Elders, with a different council leading each individual Ewok tribe.[5]

The Ewoks enjoyed singing and playing music during celebrations, festivals, and rituals. During the Ewok and Rebel celebration after the destruction of the Death Star II, one Ewok in Bright Tree Village used a series of Imperial stormtrooper and naval trooper helmets as drums, producing a variety of tones.[1]

Databank-Stormtroopers-vs-Ewoks

Ewoks clash with Imperial stormtroopers to liberate their homeworld

The Ewoks used a variety of weapons that included nets, knives, stone spears, slingshots, bows, arrows, wooden battering rams, rolling logs, and catapults. During the Battle of Endor, they threw large rocks at stormtroopers, used ropes to dismount scout troopers from their speeder bikes, and tripped and crushed the larger AT-STs with logs.[1] Notable hunters slit the throats of Imperial officers with their knives.[9]

In addition, they were at least familiar with the movements of walkers, as evidenced by two of the Ewoks piloting an AT-ST alongside Chewbacca shortly after hijacking it.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

"The Ewoks are something people know about, they really make an impression and that's a good thing. I'm always hoping fans will make the connection, every which way to get the Coast Miwok name out there. We're talking about a people that were here for thousands of years, and they're not now. People should know."
―Lucina Thomas-Vidauri of the Coast Miwok discusses the link between the Ewoks and her tribe[22]
EarlyEwoks Sketchbook

Early Ewok concept sketch

George Lucas intended that a primitive race should overthrow the Empire in what was intended at that time to be the final episode, and had originally planned to use Wookiees, but decided against it after it had been established that Chewbacca was already proficient with technology at that point. His answer was to create a new race called Ewoks, which is "Wookiee" with the syllables reversed and altered to resemble the name of a Native American people, the Miwok.[23]

In the audio commentary for the 2004 re-release of Return of the Jedi, as well as the documentary Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, Lucas also cited the Viet Cong as being the primary inspiration for the Ewoks, particularly their defeat of the Galactic Empire.

The Ewok masks were designed by Stuart Freeborn. At one point during filming, the Ewok actors went on strike and wore t-shirts with the slogan "REVENGE OF THE EWOKS." After their coach driver, who had agreed to let the actors onto set early for their strike, arrived with no actors in his bus, the actors emerged from a hill and began shouting "revenge." Margo Apostolos, who played the Ewok warrior Tokkat in the film, laughed at and recounted the moment as a memorable experience to Star Wars Insider, claiming that their protest got the crew scared as well.[10] The Ewoks are never referred to by name in Return of the Jedi's dialogue; the name only appeared in the script directions, the novelization, the movie's credits, and other spin-off and promotional materials.

Ewoks make an appearance in the 2017 video game, Star Wars Battlefront II. In multiplayer modes, such as Galactic Assault and Co-op, Ewok hunters serve as the Rebel Alliance's infiltrator class and can be selected by players to play as. Battlefront II also features Ewoks in a game mode called Ewok Hunt, in which a group of players are chosen to play as Stormtroopers on Endor, while the rest become Ewoks. The Stormtroopers are required to fend off the attacking Ewoks as they wait for an evacuation shuttle to arrive.[24]

Appearances[]

ABC3PO Ewoks

Ewoks in Star Wars: ABC-3PO

Non-canon appearances[]

Sources[]

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Non-canon sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 1.29 1.30 1.31 1.32 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  2. StarWars-DatabankII Ewok in the Databank (backup link)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 4
  4. Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Ultimate Star Wars
  6. StarWars Wicket W. Warrick in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  7. The Princess and the Scoundrel
  8. "Whills" — From a Certain Point of View
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
  10. 10.0 10.1 SWInsider "Yub Nub! 40 Years of the Ewoks" — Star Wars Insider 217
  11. Star Wars Character Encyclopedia: Updated and Expanded
  12. ForcesOfDestinyLogo-Dplus Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Ewok Escape"
  13. 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 "The Golden One" — Myths & Fables
  14. StarWars Holy Hutch! Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories Annual—Jaxxon 2023 Revealed on StarWars.com (backup link)
  15. Last Shot
  16. Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
  17. TCW mini logo Star Wars: The Clone Wars — "Missing in Action"
  18. Jedi Temple Challenge logo cropped Star Wars: Jedi Temple Challenge — "Episode 2"
  19. Aftermath: Life Debt
  20. SWInsider "Forces of Nature: The Wild Spaces and Wilder Creatures of the Star Wars Galaxy" — Star Wars Insider 216
  21. StarWars Ewoks in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
  22. SWInsider "Stewards of the Forest Moon" — Star Wars Insider 212
  23. Jeffrey Miller. Where There's Life, There's Lawsuits: Not Altogether Serious Ruminations on Law and Life. ECW Press, 2003. English. ISBN 1550225014. "I took the end of Wookiee, the 'ie' of Wookiee, and put it at the head, like Pig Latin, and then started, when I said it phonetically, it sounded like Ewok which is very similar to Miwok which is the Indians that sort of inhabited the area where I live and where my studio is. Matter of fact, there was a Miwok village just outside my office. So I thought that was a nice, nice sort of reverberation of the idea and eventually took the 'i' and one of the 'os' out and it was Ewok." (web archive)
  24. Star Wars Battlefront II

External links[]

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