Star Wars: Ewoks Are The Unsung Heroes Of The Franchise & Deserve A Revival
Star Wars has dominated sci-fi cinema for decades, and while the gritty seriousness of "The Empire Strikes Back" or "Andor" remains popular, it's hard to argue that many aspects of the lore are beyond ridiculous. Whether it's the Emperor "somehow" returning in the J.J. Abrams trilogy, to Anakin's (Hayden Christensen) aggressive dislike of sand, Star Wars is not a perfect creative endeavor by any stretch of the imagination. But if there is one element that does not deserve such a negative reputation, it is the Ewoks in "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi."
Fuzzy and ferocious, the little teddy bear aliens were instrumental in the Battle of Endor, which resulted in the demise of the Galactic Empire. But while Leia (Carrie Fisher) and Han (Harrison Ford) would be nowhere without the Ewok forces, these fuzzy aliens became the proverbial punching bag of the franchise. How many times have we heard people claiming they ruined "Return of the Jedi," for instance? And even though the filthy-named jazz quartet playing the same song on repeat in the Cantina is evidently fine, and Grogu eating little blue cookies is beloved, Ewoks continue getting no love.
Well, it's time for that to change. Star Wars fans need to accept the franchise for what it is — sometimes dark, yes, but just as often campy and cuddly. The vitriol against these poor Ewoks has gone on for too long, and it is about time we take a step back and reevaluate our choices: not only have they never hurt anyone, but it's time they either got a new movie or a Disney+ series all about them.
Star Wars fans are not above doting on adorable creatures, so why do we hate Ewoks?
The current era of Star Wars has, at times, struggled to measure up to fans' expectations, but that all changed when "The Mandalorian" aired. Though the Disney+ series is officially about the titular gunslinger played by Pedro Pascal, we all know that, truth be told, it has unequivocally become the Grogu show. From the end of Episode 1, when Din Djarin finds that his bounty is for the creature that would soon be fondly dubbed "Baby Yoda," fans became obsessed. His cuteness and emotional connection to his surrogate father fire on all cylinders. And now, kids love their Grogu plushes as much as adults love their Grogu hoodies.
But how soon this tiny green goblin makes us forget about a similarly cute race of aliens that once inspired the ire of the fanbase. On a concept level, Grogu and the Ewoks have more in common than one might think. One of the main sources of humor and sometimes frustration is the fact that Grogu can't speak Basic — yet. The inability to use the Star Wars form of English is something that the child shares with the Ewoks. This similarity leads to situations where both types of aliens must communicate in other ways. Meanwhile, Ewoks and Grogu are both small in stature, leading them to be helpful in ways that humans aren't.
Perhaps Ewoks were just too early for their time. Now that Grogu is one of the most popular Star Wars characters, it's surprisingly easy to imagine that — just as with the prequel trilogy — what was once hated could now become beloved. And that's only fair, because Ewoks deserve their day in the sun.
Ewoks have tons of established Star Wars lore
"Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" signified the end of the trilogy and the end of the Galactic Empire, but there was still some story left to tell, as the prequel and sequel trilogies have proven.
Years before any of those movies, though, young fan got to enjoy the Star Wars Ewok adventures. These two TV movies were "Caravan of Courage" and "The Battle for Endor," both of which focused on standalone stories involving the Ewoks, with no Jedi or Sith in sight. Though these films may not hold up in the grand scheme of the universe for many fans, there are elements to them that future endeavors could build from.
Narrated by Burl Ives, "Caravan of Courage" kicks off these stories when two siblings are stranded on the forest moon of Endor. After their parents are kidnapped by a monster known as The Gorax, Mace (Eric Walker) and Cindel (Aubree Miller) must band together with the Ewoks to rescue them. Both this movie and its sequel offer quaint little tales in the greater Star Wars universe, and Endor shouldn't be relegated to nostalgic fans — because the setting in these films, and the style of them, has all the makings for a perfect new little Disney+ series.
Enough of the Force-sensitive shenanigans, Star Wars: give us more Ewoks
Star Wars is an expansive universe, and sometimes it seems that even the creatives in charge forget that. Dave Filoni's miniseries "Ahsoka" is perhaps the biggest perpetrator of such crimes. Despite an entire series showing Sabine Wren as a capable Mandalorian with an affinity for pyrotechnics, her live-action interpretation doubles down on making her a Jedi.
It's time that people behind the scenes remember that being a Jedi is not all that Star Wars is about. "Andor" is arguably one of the best Star Wars products in recent memory, and it pulled that off without a single Jedi running around.
Making a series surrounding the Ewoks could be another opportunity for Star Wars to be different, to expand its narrative potential, and to even get a little weird. The Jedi story is done to death and there is no real gateway to get young children into the sci-fi world. Even animated series such as "The Clone Wars" depict mature storylines involving genocide and political machinations. A series about Ewoks would be a great way to introduce the very young to the expansive world. Such family-friendly fare would also be able to involve technology that the short-lived series "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" implemented: using puppets in addition to human characters harkens back to a more nostalgic time that would appeal to parents and their children.
The biggest crime that Star Wars has committed is becoming too self-serious. Star Wars can be for children as much as adults, and the Ewoks would be an adorable way to do so.