The Most Hated Star Wars Characters Are Getting Their Own Special
Disney is releasing a new Star Wars Ewok comic in celebration of Return of the Jedi's 40th anniversary.
April’s Star Wars comics were revealed on StarWars.com, and unfortunately, the news confirms that Return of the Jedi’s 40th anniversary will bring a long-running nightmare back to prominence. The Ewoks, a race of forest dwelling creatures that look like teddy bears are coming back in a new limited series. Worse then Gungans and Porgs, Ewoks have been absent from most Star Wars merchandise and media for over 30 years.
While large parts of Star Wars lore was created to sell toys and merchandise, none were more blatant than the Ewoks, and while that’s a rumor, George Lucas could have just used the already established Wookies for the climax of Return of the Jedi. Instead moviegoers got the diminutive Ewoks, led by Warwick Davis’ Wicket, to go up against the Imperial Forces using nothing but rocks, sticks, and very large logs that relied on a very specific type of walker going between two trees.
An upcoming Star Wars comic series from Marvel is the first canonical Ewok story since Disney’s acquisition of the franchise. Depicting a series of campfire tales shared by five Ewoks, the comic promises tales of triumph, defeat, and horror. Long-time fans of Star Wars know that the real horror came in the mid-80’s, when instead of creating more tales of Luke, Han, and Leia, kids were treated with more Ewoks.
Sadly, the first Star Wars media released after the end of the original trilogy was The Ewok Adventure, a 1984 made-for-tv movie set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, which features only Wicket as a returning character. The Ewoks set out to help two children reunite with their parents after a starship crashes on the forest moon of Endor. In practice the film was a fantasy movie set within the Star Wars universe, complete with magic and an almost complete lack of technology.
Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, continues the trend of being more of a small-scale fantasy despite taking place where the Empire’s second Death Star was destroyed. Notably, the sequel stars Wilford Brimley, which is the only highlight of the film. Making matters worse for Star Wars fans desperate for more tales in the galaxy far, far away was the first cartoon of the franchise, Ewoks.
Star Wars first cartoon never even approached the worst episode of Clone Wars or Rebels, once again, starring the Ewoks, though it takes place before the original trilogy. An 80’s Saturday morning cartoon, the series did nothing new and exciting, furthering the theory that George Lucas created the furry aliens just to appeal to children. The only episode of note is one of the last episodes of the second season, which brings the Empire to the forest moon of Endor for the first time, showing why it was the location of the second Death Star.
Gungans, Porgs, Jawas, and Hutts may vie for the title of most hated species for different reasons, but in the vast Star Wars galaxy, nothing comes close to the Ewoks for sheer vitriol upon their debut. To their fan, the Marvel comic series will be available for purchase in April.
