Finally, Star Wars Is Revisiting One of Return of the Jedi's Cut Aliens
Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Ewoks #4
Star Wars has finally brought back a lesser known alien species, one that was originally meant to play a sizable role in Return of the Jedi. As seen in the final issues of Marvel's new and canonical Ewoks series, the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village are grappling with the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and a force of Imperials and bounty hunters seeking weapons left on the forest moon. However, Wicket rallies a surprising group of aliens to help repel these new villains, connected to the original vision for the final original trilogy movie.
As seen in Ewoks #4 by Steve Orlando, Álvaro López, and Laura Braga, Wicket was taken hostage to serve the fallen Empire's "General" Koyatta's guide to a secret weapons cache on the forest moon. However, the cache has since become the home of a monstrous Gorax, a giant creature first seen in 1984's television film Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. However, what's more surprising is the tribe of Yuzzums that come to Wicket's aid while Koyatta and his hired bounty hunters are occupied with the Gorax.
Thanks To Wicket, Yuzzums Have Made An Epic Star Wars Return
Originally Meant To Be Companion Species To The Ewoks
Originally meant to serve as a companion species native to Endor alongside the Ewoks, the cost of making several Yuzzum puppets alongside the Ewoks proved to be too expensive for Return of the Jedi's production budget. As such, the single Yuzzum puppet that was made was placed in the background of Jabba's palace in the original cut of Episode VI. It's also the reason why the Special Edition re-release included the digital CGI Yuzzum named Joh Yowza alongside the Max Rebo Band in Jabba's palace, performing the new song "Jedi Rocks" (admittedly one of Star Wars' most hated background characters).
While native to Endor just like the Ewoks, Yuzzums would often the forest moon on passing starship to start new populations on other worlds. As seen in this new issue, some Yuzzums returned with weapons and tools from other worlds, making them quite a force to be reckoned with against the outsiders who'd come to their world, the Imperials the Ewoks refer to as "The Cruel Ones". As such, it's pretty cool to see Wicket joining forces with Endor's other big native tribe, as was originally intended for Return of the Jedi's Battle of Endor.
The New Yuzzum Alliance Is Only The Beginning For Endor's Ewoks
Expanding The "Forest of the Future"
As established at the end of Ewoks #4, Wicket's alliance with the Yuzzums was just the beginning of Bright Tree's new future. Aligning the two species with a long-term alliance, the final page reveals that Wicket's tribe continues interacting and meeting with other species and groups as they work to be part of the greater galaxy and the "Forest of the Future". As such, this final issue does a great job of giving the Ewoks a bright and hopeful new chapter, one that began with Wicket encouraging his fellow Ewoks to branch out rather than closing themselves out of fear due to their past with the Empire.
Ewoks #4 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
