The original Star Wars trilogy captured the minds of an entire generation of fans that have continued to pass their obsession on to their children. It's tough to imagine how much fan anticipation there must have been toward the third film in the series, Return of the Jedi. After arguably one of the most iconic reveals in film history that essentially was a mic drop from Darth Vader. Leaving both Luke and audiences feeling utterly defeated and amazed all at once, The Empire Strikes Back stuck the landing so well that it practically guaranteed some level of disappointment from the final chapter of the trilogy.
So how did George Lucas and the minds that crafted the original movies decide to help the rebel alliance bounce back and take down the empire? They sent in the teddy bears. That's right, the Ewoks were the cuddly creatures for the job, coming to the aid of the rebels and using their home turf advantage on the forest planet of Endor to bring down the most elite army in the galaxy. While many still find this point of the trilogy to be something of a letdown, it's important to remember that there are no bad ideas; only poor execution.
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For example, take a look at the most recent Sonic the Hedgehog movie. The original trailer that was released for that film featured a truly terrifying version of Sonic that came with human teeth included. Fan backlash ensued quickly, creating an uproar over the internet that spurred a total redesign of the character. The plot elements of the film stayed the same, only the design of Sonic was changed. This is a clear example of poor execution almost ruining a movie, but the change in approach was able to help the movie correct course. The same needs to be done for the Ewoks.
Looking back at Return of the Jedi, it's important to take note of the way that the Ewoks were portrayed in order to better assess how they should be treated moving forward. The Ewoks are basically giant teddy bears with spears that live in their tree villages. They don't appear to move incredibly quickly, and they don't seem particularly dangerous, especially as they tend to look more adorable than formidable when they take out a stormtrooper and make cheering motions. They were clearly designed to sell toys and provide something of a mascot in the final movie of that trilogy.
Here's where a new Ewok story could make some changes and take some liberties. Quite simply, new information about the species should come to light inspired by Gremlins. For example, what if the First Order was motivated by the Empire's humiliating defeat against the bear people that they came back to the moon of Endor and captured some of them for experimentation and to train their troops against them better. First off, this would make sense, as the First Order would want to make sure that they do not suffer such a defeat again. Additionally, as Ewoks are barely seen in the newest trilogy it would make sense that the First Order had something to do with their decline as a species.
The way that Gremlins could really help add some zest to Ewok storylines is by having the First Order start to capture and force the Ewoks into battle training with their troopers. At some point, one of the top brass in the First Order would realize that they could enslave some of the bear folk and use them in future battles. Knowing the sinister tendencies of the Emperor and the First Order, it's not farfetched to believe that they would also try to make the bears even more deadly and weaponize them. In fact, it would make a lot of sense since the Rebel Alliance had established an alliance with the Ewoks that the First Order could even try to use them to infiltrate their ranks. They've already shown their proclivity for messing with science through the use of cloning, so why would they not do the same to make the Ewoks far more dangerous?
Attempting to make the Ewoks more aggressive and lethal could lead to a new serum of sorts. Something that would allow them to appear the very same on the outside but transform into something else or even become rabid when introduced to specific external factors. External factors like getting wet and eating past midnight might be taking things a little too close to actually making the Ewoks the very same as Gremlins, but perhaps making it something more like even taking them off of the moon of Endor that they immediately start to become irate and rabid. Dispersing this type of serum to the entire population of Ewoks through their water supply would make it so that any Rebel forces would be unable to bring their cuddly allies with them to any battles outside of the planet.
Ultimately this is a better way to make the Ewoks more interesting than trying to go back and add details to their backstory that would muddle their continuity with the original films. This is something that the entire franchise should take note of. Leave the past alone, it's time for Star Wars to grow and evolve in ways that would surprise and satisfy the audience.
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