The Road to Episode Infinity

Friday, August 23, 2019

Ewok Month Part 3: Caravan of Courage

“Caravan of Courage” was my first Star Wars film. I was not aware of Star Wars until 2nd grade. It doesn’t seem possible, but I turned 5 in 1989 and there was simply no Star Wars merchandise in the toy stores. Six years after “Return of the Jedi” and there was no Expanded Universe yet. That wouldn’t come for a couple more years. So for me, entering kindergarten, there was just “Caravan of Courage” and Ewoks and I was not aware of the existence of Luke Skywalker or Chewbacca or Darth Vader or Yoda.

Anyhoo... I watched “Caravan of Courage” a whole bunch when I was a kid and I wanted to know what it would be like to watch as an adult- as an adult who was a Star Wars fan. A fan who has more knowledge of the Star Wars universe in general.

The first thing that struck me was the voice of Burl Ives as the narrator of this tale. The man is also famous for narrating, “Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer” which was another huge TV film from my childhood. I didn’t notice the connection as a kid, but as an adult it was pure nostalgia in a warm mug of cocoa.

So let’s start in with the Towani family. All we really know is that they crashed on Endor quite recently. Their ship looks small, like Winnebago small, so maybe they were just on a family “road trip” through the stars. The exact details of the crash are not clear, but I sort of pieced together a theory using clues from the film and it has to do with Mace.

Mace Towani is the teenaged son of the family and he’s sort of a giant fuck-up. Mace is not very bright, he’s a pessimist, he makes terrible decisions, and constantly gets him and his family into mortal danger. Taking clues from the film, I think that it might have been Mace’s fault that the ship crashed in the first place. Then he had a big argument with his parents and took off into the forests of Endor. Eric Walker who portrays Mace is a pretty dismal actor and I cannot fathom how the casting director decided on him. Despite all of this, Mace is likable enough.

Now in the first minutes of the movie the Towani parents (Jeremitt & Catarine) are kidnapped by a giant ugly-ass creature known as a Gorax. Cindel is still hiding in the Space Winnebago when she is discovered by the Warwick clan (Deej, Weechee and Widdle). Mace shows up with his blaster and threatens the Ewoks, but they don’t take any shit from anyone, so they capture his blaster and take Mace and Cindel home with them.

So the Warwicks (including the mother Shodu, the youngest son Wicket, and the baby Winda) have some sweet digs on the forest floor away from the treetop village of Bright Tree. Not sure why, but it might have to due with the fact that they watch over many domesticated animals that wouldn’t normally be found in the treetops. These animals including chickens, horses, goats, rabbits, llamas, and even a ferret.

Now, the Warwick family are real nice to Cindel and Mace, giving them food and medicine, even going out into the forest to collect more medicine, but Mace still has a chip on his shoulder, so in the middle of the night he takes off with Cindel and his blaster and tries to get back to his star cruiser. Bad decision because now he’s got a giant Boar Wolf up on his ass trying to eat him and baby sis. Mace and Cindel hide in a tree and the Warwick family shows up the next morning and rescues them again!

Now, the Boar Wolf is terrifying in all its stop motion glory. Worthy of any Sam Raimi monster film. But finally Wicket takes the thing out with some kind of poison dart and the dart must be hella poisonous because the Boar Wolf has got all sorts of smoke streaming out of its mouth.

But this isn’t just any Boar Wolf. This Boar Wolf must be some sort of pet to the Gorax that took the Towani parents because it’s got a life monitor strapped to its neck. Now this is where I start to lose the logic of the plot. Because the way the life monitor should work is that as long as it is being worn by the owner it keeps track of the owner’s vital signs and alerts other people in the “life monitor network” by sending a message to their life monitor if the life monitor owner is in any danger. But for some reason, Mace and Cindel look at their mom’s life monitor and determine that she must still be alive even though she isn’t wearing the damn thing.

Anyhoo… The Warwick family takes Cindel and Mace to Bright Tree Village to meet with Logray, the medicine man. Even though it’s the same Logray character as “Return of the Jedi” the character design is totes different. But Logray uses this weird dreidel which shows images of Jeremitt & Catarine caged up in the lair of the giant Gorax. So the Warwick family being decent people decide to help Cindel and Mace rescue their parents.

Now comes the “Council of Elrond” scene where Logray is going to send off the Fellowship. All the male Warwicks get gifts to help them on the journey including these awesome feathered headbands that will give them +1 to Strength and Dexterity and shit. And Wicket gets this walking stick and Cindel gets a candle and Mace gets this rock which he throws away because he’s an idiot and doesn’t realize that it will come in handy later because that’s how adventures fucking work, Mace! Read a goddamn book why don’t you? But it’s okay because Wicket notices what Mace has done and secretly pockets the rock.

Now there are two other gifts still in the circle for the Hero Ewoks that the regular Ewoks have to convince to come on the journey and this is where shit gets really good because we meet up with Chukha-trok and Kaink!

Now, Chukha-trok is just the coolest Ewok in the world. He’s this fucking bad-ass woodcutter that kind of reminds me of Tormund Giantsbane (Red Bearded wildling from GOT). He has a pretty upbeat demeanor and sings these incredible trail songs as they go along. Mace doesn’t get along with Chukha right away but Chukha-trok is easily loved by everyone he meets, so eventually Mace and Chukha hit it off pretty good.

Kaink, obviously doesn’t have the best character name, but the character design is great! She’s sort of this wandering-loner woodwitch Ewok with a magic staff. I forgot how much of the story she was in and how her magic is so vital to the survival of the party. Obviously a Force User.

Now that the whole party is together they ride off with a train of horses and Wicket’s horse house is fucking awesome because it has this little hut built right into the saddle like a sweet-ass fort for Wicket and Cindel so they don’t have to walk as much and so the film crew doesn’t have to teach Aubree Miller, the five year old that plays Cindel, how to ride a fucking horse.

So that brings us to the part where Mace touches this magic water, but then he gets trapped under the water and can’t get out which terrified me as a kid because no matter how hard he swims the water has him trapped. And every time the ewoks try to put a stick or something into the water the stick just vanishes until Cindel reminds Wicket that he has this bad-ass magic stick that Logray gave to him and, of course, it works!

Then there’s this night time scene where everyone is camped out and these firefly lady-shaped creatures fly out of Cindel’s candle and everyone comes out of their tents to check out the “wisties”. But when Widdle comes out of his tent with his blanky in his hands, he very obviously decides that Wisties are fucking lame and goes back to bed.

Finally, the next morning, the "Fellowship of Eight" finds the Gorax’s mountain home, but they can’t find the entrance because Mace threw out his rock, which was really a compass, but then of course Wicket saves the day again because he has the rock and they get into the cave and leave the children (Wicket, Widdle and Cindel) behind.

Everyone else starts climbing across this giant spider web to get to the other side of this giant pit but of course the spiders come and they are fucking terrifying and they try to eat the Ewoks but Kaink hypnotises the spiders with her staff and saves the day.

Next they find the Gorax’s kitchen table and the Tawoni parents are being held in this giant birdcage. But just what in the hell is the Gorax going to do with the Towani parents? They’ve been in that cage for days. Are they food or does he just like looking at them? So then while Weechee distracts the Gorax everyone else saves the Towani parents from the cage which royally pisses off the giant Gorax.

So everyone tries to escape but Chukha-trok covers their asses by taking on the 70-foot-tall Gorax with his tiny axe. And the thing is that Chukha-trok is so bad-ass that he could have probably take that Gorax.

But then Mace (being Mace) has to go sick Izarina the Wistie onto the Gorax and the Gorax flips out, causing the cave to collapse and this big rock falls on Chukha-trok. So Mace gets down to Chukha and they have this sweet moment where Chukha passes his axe to Mace even though it is really Mace’s fault that Chukha bites the dust. But in the end Mace uses Chukha’s axe to shove the Gorax off of the giant pit so that’s all well and good.

And that is pretty much it. That’s the “Caravan of Courage” in all of its glory. The moral of the story is this… You can call Ewoks teddy bears, but don’t underestimate their ability to fight. They are brave and fierce. They are inventive and resourceful. They live on a planet of countless dangers and they thrive at it. Ewoks may look cute, but they aren’t cute. They wear skulls and other scary shit and they're bad-ass. Okay!?!

Tomorrow I will review the second Ewok film, “The Battle for Endor”. Don’t miss out!

Ewok Month Part 1: Ewoks in Comics

Ewok Month Part 2: The Top 15 Ewoks

Ewok Month Part 3: Caravan of Courage

Ewok Month Part 4: Battle for Endor

Ewok Month Part 5: Aliens of Endor

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Ewok Month Part 2: The Top 15 Ewoks!!!

It's still Ewok Month here at "The Road to Episode Infinity" and today I want to present some of the more famous Ewoks from the franchise. Many Ewoks appeared in "Return of the Jedi" and there are dozens of named Ewoks in the films, TV ventures, comics, and merchandise. There are so many Ewoks that I could not focus on all of them, but here are some really good ones:

#15 Leektar

Leektar is an Ewok easily recognized by his black fur and a decorative skull on his head. Unlike most of the Ewoks known to Star Wars fans, Leektar did not grow up in Bright Tree Village. Leektar is from a village much further South called Red Bush Grove. Leektar was happily married with 3 children, yet was always jealous of his brother, Keoulkeech. Leektar even prayed to a goddess called “The Leaf Queen” to help him surpass the accomplishments of his brother.

Unfortunately, Red Bush Grove was decimated by fire in the days before the Battle of Endor. Everyone but Leektar perished. Leektar made his way downstream until he encountered Imperial Stormtroopers. Leektar joined Bright Tree Village and the Rebels in their fight against the Empire. After the battle, Leektar discovered that his brother Keoulkeech was alive.

Leektar was portrayed in “Return of the Jedi” by actor Malcolm Dixon. He was first given a name in a 2006 StarWars.com databank entry, where his backstory was fleshed out. Leekar has received two action figures and an RPG miniature.

#14 Peekpa

Peekpa first appeared in the 2018 novel “Last Shot” by Daniel José Older. In the years after the Battle of Endor, Peekpa worked as a New Republic slicer. She was a superfan of the Wookiee, Chewbacca, because he had once saved the life of her sister. In the book “Last Shot”, Peekpa is tasked with aiding Han and Chewie on their mission to hunt down the gangster Fyzen Gor.

Peekpa is also featured in the app “Star Wars: Datapad”, a Disney Parks app that will allow guests of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge interact with the attractions of the theme park.

#13 Graak & Graak

Graak is a warrior from Bright Tree Village described as cunning, aggressive and militaristic. He was part of the hunting party that captured a small group of Rebels which included two humans, a Wookiee, and two droids. In “Return of the Jeid”, Graak was portrayed by actor Daniel Rodgers. Graak’s story sounds fairly straight forward, but there is a different Graak presented in the comic, “Ewoks 4: Valley of Evil”

The Graak from “Valley of Evil” is a blue furred Ewok with a shaven face and an eye-patch. He was banished from Bright Tree Village long ago for breaking laws of the tribe. After being banished he met the Lizard Warriors and became their leader. Years later, Graak happened upon two young Ewoks, Wicket and Teebo. Graak capture the cubs and force them into a deadly hunting game where they are the prey.

#12 Nippet

Nippet was Latara’s little sister in the cartoon series “Star Wars: Ewoks”. Nippet was a wokling (a baby Ewok) and was around the same age as her brother Wiley and slight younger in age compared to Teebo’s sister Malani. These three woklings along with three others (Mookiee, Leeni, and Gwig) are seen in the film “Return of the Jedi”. Another wokling named Winda (Wicket’s little sister) appeared in the film “Caravan of Courage”.

In “Return of the Jedi”, Nippet is the most remembered for ducking into her basket in fear when C-3PO started to levitate. Nippet is also the wokling most commonly seen in merchandise including a 2008 Kenner action figure and a 2019 Funko Pop.

#11 Malani

Malani first appeared in the children’s book “The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense”. In this story she was kidnapped by Duloks but was eventually rescued by her brother Teebo. When Malani appeared in the cartoon series “Star Wars: Ewoks” she receives a blue hood with a yellow star shaped decoration. She would keep this costume for the rest of her appearances.

Malani found it difficult to fit in with the other young Ewoks of her tribe. She was slightly older than woklings such as Nippet and Wiley, yet deemed to young to hang out with Wicket, Teebo, Latara, and Kneessa. Malani always had a crush on Wicket, but once ran away from home after she heard him insult her. Wicket would apologize for this slight and their friendship improved after that.

#10 Paploo

Paploo is most remembered as the Ewok who stole a speeder bike during the Battle of Endor to distract the shield generator guards. In the film Paploo is portrayed by Kenner Baker, the same actor who played R2-D2 in the trilogy.

Paploo is the nephew of Chief Chirpa and cousin to Kneessa and Asha. Paploo wears a stone on his hood and is often seen with a battle horn and a club. Paploo has appeared in merchandising several times including and 2018 Funko Pop.

#9 Asha

Asha was the lost daughter of Chief Chirpa. When Asha was a young child, a predatory hanadak attacked Chirpa’s family and his wife Ra-Lee was killed. His eldest daughter Asha went missing during this attack and was eventually presumed to have died.

Asha was not dead, however, but was adopted by a pack of wolf-like Korrina. Asha became an adept warrior and would hunt down Dulak fur traders, who nicknamed her the “Red Ghost” due to her red fur (a rare color among the Ewok species). Years after her disappearance Asha was rediscovered by her sister Princess Kneessa and Asha rejoined the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village.

In the 2015 book “Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!” Asha is described as one of Chirpa’s fiercest warriors. Asha leads her tribe into battle and slays Imperial troops with her knife.

#8 Kaink

Kaink was an Ewok priestess affiliated with Bright Tree Village, however Kaink lived in solitude deep in the forests. Kaink was guardian of the soul trees and legend-keeper for the village. Kaink carried a staff with which she could emit beams of energy and hypnotize animals.

Kaink was first featured in the 1984 film, “Caravan of Courage”. In 1986, Kaink was featured in the safety video for the Disney ride “Star Tours”. In 2010, a Kaink action figure was included in the “Star Tours Boarding Party” collection. A 2016 plush version of Kaink was available in Disney Parks.

#7 Latara

Latara was Princess Kneessa’s best friend as a child. Latara craved attention from everyone, but especially from Teebo whom she had a crush on since she was young.

Latara’s first appearance was in the children’s book “Wicket Finds a Way” in which Wicket searches for a cure for her sickness. Latara also appeared in nearly every episode of the Ewok TV series.

#6 Chirpa

Chirpa was the chief of Bright Tree Village for 42 years of his life. His reptilian staff denoted his head position among the council of elders. When Chirpa was young he fell in love with Ra-Lee. Chirpa inherited this role from his father Buzza. Soon after Chirpa became chief Ra-Lee gave birth to Chirpa’s daughter Asha and later on Kneesa. Unfortunately Ra-Lee was killed in a hanadak attack and Asha went missing for a time.After the disappearance of Asha, Chirpa began training his younger daughter Kneesa for the future role of tribe chief. When Ra-Lee reappeared, she became one of the tribe’s fiercest warriors.

Chirpa was produced as an action figure in 1983 and 2006. In 2009 Chirpa was included in the “Battle of Endor” Lego set. In 2017 he was released as Funko Pop figure.

#5 Kneesaa

Kneesaa was selected at a young age to become the leader of her people, but it was not without controversy. Bright Tree Village has never had a female chieftain and at first the council rallied against Chirpa’s decision to name his daughter heiress. Kneesaa worked to prove herself. She studied her tribes values and traditions, set out on many adventures with her friends, and defended the tribe from danger dozens of times.

Kneesaa played an important role in the Ewoks television series as well as Marvel’s “Ewoks” comic series. In the new Disney canon, Kneesaa has appeared in two episodes of “Forces of Destiny” in which she helps defeat a Gorax and helps pilot a starship.

#4 Logray

Logray was the chief shaman of Bright Tree Tribe. Logray is easily recognized due to his tan striped fur and a headdress made of a large churi bird skull.

In his youth Logray was an apprentice to shaman Makrit. Unfortunately, Makrit betrayed his tribe and tried to sacrifice woklings to a Gorax. Logray, Ra-Lee and Chirpa discovered this plot and saved the woklings.

In the film “Caravan of Courage”, Logray’s appearance is quite different. His fur is black and white stripes and he gains some facial hair. In the Ewok’s cartoon series his beard if even longer.

#3 Chukha-Trok

Chukha-Trok was the woodcutter of Bright Tree Village. Chukha-Trok helped defend the village by building traps. Once Chukha-Trok cleared an entire grove of infected trees to save the village. Once he saved the village from flood by creating a makeshift dam.

In the year before the Battle of Endor, Chukha-Trok was among the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village recruited to rescue the parents of Mace and Cindel Towani, two humans whose family had crashed on Endor. Chukka-Trok was instrumental in this rescue mission and single handedly fended off a giant Gorax. However, Chukka-Trok would meet his end during this battle. Chukka died in the arms of Mace Towani and handed over his woodcutter’s axe to the young human.

#2 Teebo

Teebo was a male Ewok with striped fur and wears the head of an animal as a helmet. In his youth Teebo was good friends with Wicket, Kneessa, and Latara with whom he would share a variety of missions and adventures. He formed a crush on Latara in his youth. Teebo was also protective of his little sister, Malani.

In his teenage years, Teebo became an apprentice shaman to Logray. Teebo tapped into his spiritual side and learned to communicate with animals.

In “Return of the Jedi” Teebo is played by Jack Pervis who also played the Chief Jawa and Chief Ugnaught. Teebo’s appearance in the Ewok cartoon series is drastically different than his appearance in “Return of the Jedi”. In the cartoon series, Teebo is missing his stripes and his headpiece. He is also much shorter. Numerous action figures have been released for Teebo, including one in 1984, 2001, 2012 and a 2017 Funko Pop.

#1 Wicket

Wicket W. Warwick was the third son of Deej and Shodu. From a young age, Wicket would go on missions and adventures with his friends Teebo, Kneessa, and Latara. When Wicket was still a child, his brothers and his father discovered two marooned human children who had crashed on Endor- Mace and Cindel Towani. Wicket joined his brothers and his father on the mission to rescue their parents from a Gorax.

Wicket W. Warwick is the most recognizable Ewok and the one that all Star Wars fans know by name. Wicket was famously portrayed by an 11-year-old Warwick Davis who stole the part from Kenny Baker after Baker fell ill from food poisoning. Davis would reprise the role of Wicket for the films “Caravan of Courage” and “Battle for Endor”.

Wicket most recently appeared in two episodes of the animated series “Forces of Destiny” ("Ewok Escape" & "Traps and Tribulations").