Consider the Ewok

The battle for Endor was the decisive victory for the Rebel Alliance in the original Star Wars Trilogy yet it is unimaginable that the Rebels would have secured the victory without the help of the Ewoks, a species introduced in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Leia was the first member of the Rebel Alliance to make contact with the Ewoks. The first meeting was tense and started with an Ewok aiming his spear at Leia, but she was able to de-escalate the situation by offering the indigenous warrior food. Soon after, the rest of the group are captured by the Ewoks and have less luck in making peace. C3PO helped the group avoid death by imitating their God. Under the guise of their sacred deity, the protocol droid convinces the Ewoks to join the Rebel cause.

In an article titled “Understanding Postcolonial Feminism in relation with Postcolonial and Feminist Theory,” Dr. Ritu Tyagi criticizes Western White Feminism for assuming “a false sense of common experiences and goals.” The same could be said for how the goals of the Ewoks are portrayed. It is implied that the Ewoks end goals are the same as the Rebels, painting the Battle for Endor as a fight between the oppressed and the oppressor, between the defenders of freedom and the evil empire. But, as we shall see, this is not the case and the problems the Ewoks face as a people are very different from those faced by the Rebels.

The Ewoks have no good reason to join the Galactic conflict. The species has not advanced past the Stone Age and have no political involvement outside Endor. There is no mention of fighting between the Imperial soldiers and the Ewoks prior to the events of Return of the Jedi. The commitment of the Ewoks’ forces, the refuge provided to Leia and her squadron in the village, and the sacrifices of those lost in the ensuing violence only serve to benefit the Alliance while leaving the Ewoks worse off.

The inclusion of the Ewoks in the Rebellion’s military campaign has many similarities with the alliances made with Native American tribes during The Seven Years War, known more famously in the United States as the “French and Indian War.” By examining these similarities, we can understand how the Ewoks fall victim to a system of oppression, in this case, perpetuated by the Rebel Alliance. It is important to note that there are a plethora of differences between the Ewok and Native American experiences. Native tribes had over a hundred years of contact with Europeans before the onset of the Seven Years War and alliances forged during the war were built on pre-existing relationships. The diplomatic machinations between the Iroquois and the two empires at war were multilayered and the political motivations within the Six Nations were complex and sophisticated. It is not the intent of this writing to simplify or reduce the rich and tragic history of Native Americans but rather demonstrate the overall pattern of Imperial, wartime politics in Return of the Jedi and how it most likely leads to the subjugation of the Ewoks.

There are of course many obvious, superficial similarities. Gabriel S. Estrada argues that the Ewoks are clear racist representations of Native Americans. Estrade states, “The Ewok lack of technology, superstitious worship of C3PO, and attempt to roast Han and Luke, play out classic stereotypes of tribal people as primitive low-tech inferiors.” (Page 77) The Ewoks themselves were named after the Miwoks, a tribe native to the land where Return of the Jedi was filmed. Han and Leia echo the British Officers who had brokered deals, as they too were white foreigners with high ranks bestowed upon them by their military, desperately needing allies. These are easy points to make, however, and as we delve deeper we see more troubling parallels become apparent.

During The Seven Years War, both France and Britain learned that they would need the help of the local tribes to assure a victory. The importance of these alliances cannot be overstated. Britain was on the losing end for most of the war until extra efforts to secure relations with the indigenous forces were made. Having more Native allies gave Britain and their colonists valuable advantages aside from adding more numbers. Military resources would no longer be wasted frivolously on land disputes, allowing for a more focused campaign against the French and their allies.

The Rebel Alliance did what was necessary to gain a battlefield advantage; they used a weaker people to do their fighting for them and in turn, made sure the “inferior” civilization took the brunt of the negative impact of war. This isn’t an attractive deal for the Ewoks, mirroring the deals made during the Seven Years War, they will be coerced into joining the fray.” Francis Jennings, an American historian, wrote of the Native Americans entering the conflict; “The “war-loving Indian savages” most earnestly desired to keep out of the war and let the empires’ own troops fight it out.; only intense pressure, deception, and bribery drew them in.” (Page 172) The Ewoks will find themselves similarly exploited.

Examine how Leia started diplomatic relations with the Ewoks. When the situation became tense she turned the Ewok into an ally by offering him food. Leia, at this point in time, is a battle-hardened warrior who can easily take the furry creature armed with just a wooden spear. It can be interpreted that Leia’s non-violent solution is a testament to her good nature and, as a representative of the Alliance, the moral righteousness of the Rebels. There is a more practical reason for peace then morality. Making peace with the confrontational locals could be a pragmatic military tactic used to avoid wasting time, effort, and resources fighting a strategically unimportant force. Colonists started relationships with the Iroquois by offering food and other supplies that were hard to come by during war. The Ewok that made first made contact ate Leia’s offering with noticeable enthusiasm. One might argue that the Ewok genuinely enjoyed the food item, that perhaps it was delicious. That is very improbable since it was food brought to accompany a military mission. It would have been designed to last for extended periods of time and provide necessary nutrition. In practice, these traits do not lend themselves to good flavor. That Ewok was most likely starving.

This first encounter mirrors the meetings between Britain’s representatives in the New World and the Native Americans.  When the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, William Johnson desperately needed to make an alliance with the Iroquois, he used a similar tactic as Princess Leia. Jennings writes,

“The appeal to self-interest met a more favorable response than the scare tactic. Johnson made it quite clear that he was a big, important man whose favor could mean much to the Six Nations, and he gave presents with a lavish hand, which was not a trifle in time of war when ordinary subsistence pursuits were often interrupted for long periods of time.”

At the time, the Iroquois were suffering food shortages. The occupation of the colonist and the war between empires dealt great blows to their food sources and trading arrangements. The Iroquois were just as desperate for an alliance as the British colonists, but the reasons were incredibly different. The Ewoks might have been suffering similar issues with hunger and scarce food caused indirectly by the war. When the rest of our protagonists meet the Ewoks, they are almost cooked for a feast. Even though the Ewoks are portrayed as primitive, to eat another sentient species could still be seen as an act of desperation.

Ironically, before the rise of the Empire, Ewoks were themselves a food source. Ewok Jerky was a popular dish on some outer rim planets and can be seen in Aurebesh on the menu of a diner in an episode of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. How can the experiences of the Rebels compare to the Ewoks, who were hunted and eaten with enough regularity to appear on a menu? Furthermore, how do we know that our heroes have never eaten Ewok Jerky before? Han Solo spent most of his time before the original trilogy on outer rim planets, it would be lazy to assume he has never at the least encountered the dish before. The Rebel Alliance might represent the most progressive faction in the Star Wars fiction, but even they might have trouble elevating the status of the Ewok to “Comrade” from “Lunch.”

 

Why did the Ewoks agree to fight for their historic oppressors? After Luke’s group is captured and moments away from becoming a feast, C-3PO pretends to be the Ewok deity and discourages them from their initial plans by threatening them with godly punishment. Later, he will tell them the story of the conflict and plead them to join the Rebel cause. It might appear that the Ewoks decided to fight of their own will, yet that conclusion is incredibly optimistic. It is established that the Ewoks believe C-3PO to be their “Golden God.” Even more important is that that he is capable and willing to unleash his wrath for angering him. It is reasonable to conclude that the Ewoks main motivation here is fear. Whether or not this interaction can be described as “coercion” might be debatable, but the fact that the Ewoks were persuaded to die on the Rebel’s behalf through underhanded deception is not.

These early encounters demonstrate the lack of respect shown toward the Ewok race. In negotiations with the Iroquois, Britain’s representatives treated their allies with great condescension and never forgot that they were making deals with “savages.” The Ewoks’ faith in a golden god was used in order to gain favor with the population, yet our heroes never truly consider their belief system with deference. C3PO describes their language as “primitive.” Han-Solo reacts to his new allies with reluctant enthusiasm, as if they are all below him. “Well short help is better than no help at all,” he admitted.

 

So why did the Rebels want “short help” at all? Because of the same advantages that Britain gained during the Seven Years War. Just like the British, Han’s strike force had no chance of victory without the alliance. The Rebels small strike force’s numbers were more than doubled by the addition of the Ewoks. If we use screen time as an indication of battlefield effectiveness, the Ewoks cause significantly more damage to the Empires forces than all other forces on Endor. It also meant they could avoid a time-wasting skirmish with the Ewoks in the midst of a time-sensitive mission. Native Americans also had a more intensive knowledge of the area which was used to enact more effective battle strategies then Britain’s military was able to pursue prior. This plays out when the Ewoks knowledge of their land proves useful when they inform Han Solo of an alternate, more attractive point of attack.

Being that these diplomatic relationships share so many similarities it is probable they share the same consequences. Infamously, Native Americans suffered tragically in the fallout of the Seven Years War. They were the target of racially motivated violence on the ever-expanding frontier of the British Colonies. They lost nearly the entirety of their land, their power, and their entire way of life. None of the treaties, deals, and promises made by the British were honored once the Tribes were no longer strategically important. In Facing the East from Indian Country, Daniel K. Richter explains a major reason for this, “The political dynamics of the contest are revealed by the fact that the entire system of treaties and boundaries negotiated with Native leaders …. had been the work of imperial appointees such as Johnson and Stuart, rather than of provincial officials more in touch with the opinions of the White Colonial population, among whom the program had little support.” (Richter) If one trusts the intentions of our heroes, there is still no evidence that they represented the will of the Alliance.

There are many negative outcomes for the Ewok population if we use America’s colonial history as a reference. Yet, the most likely outcome is also the most severe. Dr. Curtis Saxton, an astrophysicist, using the information provided by Star Wars canon, concluded that the utter eradication of the Ewoks was inevitable in his Endor Holocaust Theory. The destruction of Death Star II will send debris to impact the forest moons surface, causing a mass extinction event. The impact crater has been estimated to be four times larger than the one associated with the extinction of the dinosaurs. (Mosher)

The Star Wars Universe does little to deny or confirm what happened after the Battle of Endor. Logically, we can conclude that all the Ewoks have died because of the Rebel victory. If the Ewoks managed to survive one way or another, this still serves as proof for how little The Alliance cared for this fringe minority group. In the film, we don’t see any effort or contingency plans to save the Ewoks from disaster. Since the destruction of the Death Star could only end with mass destruction on Endor, the fact that the rebels didn’t bring ships to evacuate indigenous life as part of the mission illustrates that they didn’t consider the Ewok at all.

The end of Return of the Jedi focuses on a celebration with the Ewoks and the main cast of heroes, but what do the Ewoks have to celebrate? Their place and status have not improved, tragically their situation is undeniably worse. The Ewok experience and the Rebel experience are incompatible, as is what would constitute a victory. The Ewoks are deceived if they think anything has changed, or that this victory is for them. This conflict was never about them, in truth, Star Wars is a battle between greater powers for galactic conquest. Despite the party, despite the camaraderie of fighting the same battle, despite the triumph, there is no good news for them. What was true before will be true after, no one cares about the Ewoks.

Works Cited

Estrada, Gabriel S. “Star Wars episodes I-VI: Coyote and the Force of White Narrative.” The Persistence of Whiteness . New York: Routledge, 2008. 69-90.

Jennings, Francis. Empire of Fortune. Ontario: Penguin Books, 1988.

Mosher, Dave. “Scientists say the Ewoks in ‘Star Wars’ should have suffered a gruesome fate when the Death Star exploded.” 4 May 2017. Business Insider. 18 November 2017.

“Missing in Action.” Star Wars: The Clone Wars, season 5, episode 12, Lucas Films, 05 January 2013. Netflix, https://www.netflix.com/watch/70300640?trackId=200257859

Richter, Daniel K. Facing East from Indian Country. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Ritu Tyagi. “ Understanding Postcolonial Feminism in relation with Postcolonial and Feminist Theory.” International Journal of Language and Linguistics, Volume 1, No. 2, 2014, pp. 46-50

Saxton, Curtis. “Endor Holocaust.” 28 May 2002. STAR WARS Technical Commentaries. 15 November 2017.

Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Directed by George Lucas, Twentieth Century Fox, 1983