by Andrew Marshall
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Star Wars: Ewoks TV Series Overview


Introduction

Ewoks (also known as Star Wars: Ewoks) is an American/Canadian animated television series featuring the Ewok characters introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) and further explored in The Ewok Adventure and its sequel Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985).

The series was produced by Nelvana on behalf of Lucasfilm and broadcast on ABC, originally with its sister series Star Wars: Droids (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour), and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks.

Outline

The series focuses on the adventures of Wicket W. Warrick and his friends on the forest moon of Endor before the events of A New Hope (1977) and The Ewok Adventure. Unlike the Ewok films, the characters speak English (called Basic in the Star Wars universe) instead of their native language (though Ewokese phrases and songs are occasionally used). The primary recurring villains are Morag the Tulgah Witch, who had a personal grudge against the tribe’s shaman, Master Logray, and the Duloks, a rival species that is related to the Ewoks.

The penultimate episode, “Battle for the Sunstar”, which was reaired as the series finale, shows the Ewok heroes leaving the forest moon’s surface when they go aboard an Imperial Star Destroyer that has travelled to their system. An Imperial scientist attempts to destroy the Emperor, whose shuttle makes an appearance. The episode has been noted as forming a link with Return of the Jedi, which features the Empire using Endor as its base of operations for the second Death Star.

Cast

  • The Ewok Tribe:
    • Warrick Family:
      • Wicket Wysteri Warrick (voiced by Jim Henshaw then Denny Delk) – The youngest brother of the Warrick Family. He is headstrong and determined and often takes the initiative. Wicket really wants to be a great warrior, which often gets him into trouble. Has dark brown fur and wears an orange hood, but wears a green hood in season two.
      • Widdle “Willy” Warrick (voiced by John Stocker) – The middle brother of the Warrick Family. Originally called Widdle. He is clumsy, gluttonous and overweight, but exceedingly nice.
      • Weechee Warrick (voiced by Greg Swanson) – The eldest brother and the strongest of the Warrick Family.
      • Winda Warrick – The youngest child of the Warrick Family.
      • Deej Warrick (voiced by Richard Donat) – Father to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda and his wife is Shodu. A very respected warrior of the Ewok tribe. Has dark grey fur and wears a purple hood.
      • Shodu Warrick (voiced by Nonnie Griffin then Esther Scott) – Deej’s wife and mother to Wicket, Weechee, Willy and Winda.
      • Erpham Warrick (voiced by Anthony Parr) – Wicket’s great grandfather, once a great warrior for the Ewok tribe and is still looked up to by young Ewoks. Not much is known about Erpham, as he died years ago, but he makes a brief appearance as a ghost when Wicket tries to repair his old battle wagon and instructs him. He was a golden-coloured Ewok with a green hood.
  • Kintaka Family:
    • Princess Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka (voiced by Cree Summer then Jeanne Reynolds) – Younger daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Often the voice of reason and wisdom to her friends, but usually ends up in just as much trouble. She seems smitten with Wicket but no romantic relationship was proven during the series. Has white and grey fur and wears a pink hood with a blue gem dangling near her forehead.
    • Asha (voiced by Tabitha St. Germain) – Older daughter of Chief Chirpa and Ra-Lee. Went missing during Ra-Lee’s death and eventually was reunited with the Ewoks.
    • Chief Chirpa (voiced by George Buza then Rick Cimino) – Widowed father to Kneesaa and Asha. He gives order to the warriors when they are fighting against the Duloks.
    • Ra-Lee – Wife to Chief Chirpa and mother to Princess Kneesaa and Asha. Ended up killed by a hanadak.
    • Paploo (voiced by Paul Chato) – Kneesaa’s cousin, Great Chief Chirpa’s nephew and son to Bozzie. He is close friends with Wicket and Teebo. He sometimes joins in when the young Ewoks go on their adventures. He is older, but often acts with less maturity than the younger Ewoks. Has grey fur, with a white face and wears an orange hood with a feather.
    • Bozzie (voice by Pam Hyatt) – Chief Chirpa’s sister / sister-in-law and mother to Paploo. She can be very bossy and domineering towards the young Ewoks.
  • Teebo’s Family:
    • Teebo (voiced by Eric Peterson then James Cranna) – Wicket’s best friend and the older child of Warok and Batcheela. Fascinated by tales of sorcery and magic becomes his Master Logray’s Apprentice. He is a bit of a dreamer, and sometimes a little clumsy. Teebo often lacks discipline, but this is something he learns to master over time from Logray, and eventually becomes a respectful young Ewok. Has ochre fur and he wears a tan, baggy hood with a feather.
    • Malani (voiced by Alyson Court) – The younger child of Warok and Batcheela. She is a close friends with Wiley, Nippet and Winda. She has a crush on Wicket and desperately tries to impress him. Has beige fur and wears a blue hood with a flower in it.
  • Latara’s Family:
    • Latara (voiced by Taborah Johnson then Sue Murphy) – Has dark grey fur and wears a yellow hat with a pink feather in it in season one; in season two her fur is light brown and cream, and her hat is heather with a greenish-blue feather. She is Kneesaa’s best friend, and dreams of being a great musician with her flute, though her main job appears to be looking after her younger siblings. She has a huge crush on Teebo, though he rarely notices it. In the second season, it’s the other way round.
    • Nippet and Wiley (voiced by Leanne Coppen and Michael Fantini[9]) – Latara’s younger siblings. At times, Latara has to stay home to watch over them.
    • Zephee – The Mother of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. She was seen in three episodes: “The Haunted Village”, “The Travelling Jindas” and “The Curse of the Jindas”.
    • Lumat – The father of Latara, Nippet and Wiley. He was seen in two episodes: “The Travelling Jindas” and “The Curse of the Jindas”.
  • Other:
    • Master Logray (voiced by Doug Chamberlain) – The Ewoks’ shaman, and often the dispenser of wisdom and knowledge about the world of Endor.
  • Others:
    • King Gorneesh – The leader of the Duloks (voiced by Dan Hennessey).
    • Queen Urga – King Gorneesh’s wife and the only female Dulok in the series (voiced by Melleny Brown).
    • Umwak – Gorneesh’s right-hand man, a Dulok shaman (voiced by Don Francks.
    • Morag (voiced by Jackie Burroughs) – The Tulgah witch and evil counterpart of Logray.
    • The Phlogs – A race of giants who live on Endor (though they originated offworld).
    • Baga – A young gentle bordok and Ewok’s personal pet.
    • The Hanadak – A purple monster which is known to live in hollowed-out tree trunks.
    • The Jindas – A race of canid aliens who live on Endor, and are cursed to an eternal nomadic lifestyle by the Rock Wizard. The Ewoks free them from their curse. Notable Jindas include their leader, Bondo, and magician Trebla.
    • The Raich – A tree demon that eats animals and was imprisoned by brave Ewok warriors with a magical hat, made by the Gonster, which was placed on its head, turning it into a tree. He is revived when Wicket takes the hat, but eventually defeated again.
    • The Gonster – A two-headed magician whom Ewoks seek out for spells, potions and traps to defeat monsters. His two heads constantly argue.
    • The Leaf Queen – A plantlike deity or spirit who dwells on Endor and is entrusted to the care of all its plants. Although kindly, she can be roused to great anger if her plants are harmed.
    • Dr. Raygar – An Imperial scientist who wants to steal the Sunstar and use it to overthrow the Emperor. After Kazz eventually learns of his treachery, he is arrested for treason.
    • Admiral Kazz – An Imperial officer tasked with assisting Raygar, who doesn’t know his true intentions. Kazz thinks the Sunstar is a myth and considers the Ewoks not worth bothering over.
    • PD-28 – An Imperial droid assisting Raygar and Kazz. He eventually tires of working for the abusive Raygar and becomes friends with the Ewoks.

Trivia

  • The series is a follow-up (later stated to be a prequel) to the two Ewok films: Caravan of Courage (1984) and The Battle for Endor (1985), which were themselves spin-offs (and prequels) of Return of the Jedi (183).
  • The first season of the series was somewhat sophisticated, but in the second, the writing and visual style were both simplified.
  • Ewoks was broadcast on ABC, originally with its sister series Star Wars: Droids (as part of The Ewoks and Droids Adventure Hour), and then by itself, as The All-New Ewoks.
  • The series ran for two seasons of 13 half-hour episodes between 1985 and 1986 and was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel’s Cartoon Quest.

Star Wars: Ewoks Series

With this season, advertised as The All-New Ewoks, episodes are now shorted the 11-minute format meaning two segments per half-hour (with the exceptions of “The Raich”, “Night of the Stranger”, “The Season Sceptre” and “Battle for the Sunstar”).

Production & Filming Details

  • Developed By: Paul Dini and Bob Carrau.
  • Director(s): Raymond Jafelice, Ken Stephenson, and Dale Schott.
  • Producer(s): George Lucas, Minke Herman (1985), Cliff Ruby (1986), and Elana Lesser (1986).
  • Writer(s): Bob Carrau, Paul Dini, Michael Dubil, Michael Reaves, Linda Woolverton, Sam Wilson, Earl Kress, Stephen Langford, and George Lucas.
  • Music: Patrica Cullen, David W. Shaw, and Patrick Gleeson.
  • Cinematography:
  • Editor(s): John Baktis, Richard Bond, Peter Goodale, Mac Holyoke, Stephen Hudecki, Chriss Hutton, Gordon Kidd, Paul McGowan, Sheila Murray, Philip Stilman, and Keith Traver.
  • Production: Nelvana, Lucasfilm, Wang Film Productions, and 20th Century Fox Television.
  • Distributor(s): 20th Television.
  • Release Date: 07 September 1985 to 13 December 1986.
  • Running time: 22 minutes (per episode, approximate).
  • Country: US, Canada, and Taiwan.
  • Language: English.

Video Link

 

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