Ewok
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Ewoks are a race of diminutive furry bipeds in the Star Wars universe. The first film appearance of an Ewok is in Return of the Jedi with the character of Wicket W. Warrick, played by Warwick Davis (who later appeared in Willow, the Narnia television miniseries, and the Harry Potter films).
Ewoks were later featured in several television spinoffs in the 80s: The Ewok Adventure (1984), Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985), and an animated children's show (1985-86).
Fan Response
Some fans have complained that the Ewoks are too cutesy and/or are clearly a marketing ploy. One zine fan wrote in 1984,
Lucas' condescension toward his audience and his characters is quite evident throughout Jedi, not to mention his obvious desire to reap merchandising profits. The moment I saw Wicket and the Ewoks, I said to myself, "George has gone into the Teddy Bear business now". Perhaps the best illustration of Lucas' contempt for his audience is his admonition to the Ewok designers in the early stages of their work that "They don't look cute enough. We have to make the audiences love these furry Teddy Bears who are being killed by the bad ol' Empire."[1]
A fan in 1984 is upset about Ewoks, citing this reason:
Here is a can of worms: I found the Ewoks and their civilization (and the backhanded condescension of their presentation) somewhat racist on Lucas' part. On the recent PBS special, Lucas said that the Ewoks originated from an idea he had for a Vietnam film centered around the concept of a "weak," "primitive" people beating a mighty modern power. Gee. How enlightened of Lucas to replace the Vietnamese people with cuddly, carnivorous teddy bears. The Third World was portrayed in a very prejudiced way in RAIDERS as well. But that's nothing new in American films. [2]
A 2013 article on MTV.com reported that "'Star Wars' Fans Still Love To Hate Ewoks 30 Years Later":
A prevailing theory among Ewok-haters is that the creatures were originally conceived as a sure way to appeal to small children and sell plush toys to their parents. But Eric Geller of TheForce.net disregards that assumption. "Call me naïve," Geller said, "I have a hard time believing that somebody who invests as much in storytelling as George Lucas would create something that is so fundamental to the movie...."[3]
The Fanon Ewok
Example Ewok Fanfiction
- Yub Yub Commander by DireSquirrel. Buffy, Star Wars, Stargate SG-1 crossover fic. (2010- WIP)
Some Ewok Fanart
art by John Michals
an Ewok from an issue of Southern Enclave
an Ewok lounges on the title page of the zine, Shadowstar #20, artist unknown
the cover of the zine, Metamorphosis
a fabulously gruesome zine cover for Crossfire Zone #1, "Authentic Ewok, Origin: Endor, Pelt #025"
an Ewok rendition from Southern Enclave by Sandi Jones
back cover of Imperium #7, Rhyderrch Wilson
Resources
- Ewok at Wookieepedia
References
- ^ Sandra Necchi. Letter in Scoundrel #3, 1984.
- ^ from Southern Enclave #4
- ^ Tami Katzoff. 'Star Wars' Fans Still Love To Hate Ewoks 30 Years Later, MTV.com, 23 May 2013.