The Empire built its second, more powerful Death Star in the wilds of the galaxy’s Outer Rim. Among the ancient trees of the lush green forest moon of Endor, the Empire built a shield generator to protect the battle station orbiting above.

The Rebel Alliance discovered the existence of the second Death Star and learned the Emperor was personally supervising its construction. Eager for the chance to strike a potentially decisive blow in the Galactic Civil War, the rebels prepared to assault the Death Star with warships and starfighters. First, though, the Alliance sent a band of rebel troopers to Endor under the command of General Han Solo with orders to destroy the shield generator.

Scout troopers spotted the rebels shortly after they landed on the forest moon. Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa pursued the troopers on speeder bikes, zooming through the massive trees at a perilous rate of speed. They prevented the troopers from calling for help, but were separated during the chase.

Leia was knocked unconscious in a fall from her bike and woke up to find herself being prodded by a furry little biped with a spear. She calmed the jittery creature – an Ewok named Wicket -- and made friends with him. When a scout trooper took Leia captive, Wicket distracted him and saved the princess. He then led her to his village in the treetops.

While the commandos continued to the shield generator, Han, Luke, Chewbacca and the droids searched for Leia. They found trouble instead: Chewbacca tripped an Ewok snare, catching himself and his friends in a net. R2-D2 cut the rebel heroes free, but they were captured by Ewok warriors.

To the amusement of the others, the Ewoks believed C-3PO was a deity. They took the rebels to their village and made plans to cook Han, Luke and Chewie at a banquet in Threepio’s honor. After they ignored Leia’s protests, Luke used the Force to levitate C-3PO. This display of divine magic convinced the Ewoks to free the others.

The rebels told the Ewoks about their struggle with the Empire, and the furry warriors agreed to join the fight – and honored their new friends by making them honorary members of the tribe.

Ewok scouts volunteered to take the rebels to the site of the shield generator. Han knew they had to hurry – the Alliance fleet would soon arrive and try to destroy the Death Star.

The bunker was well guarded, but the Ewoks knew of a secret entrance – and engineered a distraction for the Imperials when Paploo stole a speeder bike.

The rebels overpowered the troops and entered the bunker to bring down the shield – but they were walking into a trap. More stormtroopers rushed in and captured them. The Ewoks rushed off to help their friends.

The Empire had dismissed Endor’s Ewoks as harmless primitives. But the Ewoks showed they were canny warriors, ambushing stormtroopers and bringing down Imperial scout walkers. The superior technology and training of the Emperor’s best troops proved no match for the Ewoks’ cunning tactics and knowledge of the forests.

As the rebel fleet battled Imperial warships overhead, the rebel commandos blew up the shield generator. Rebel starfighters could now fly into the Death Star’s superstructure and try to destroy the battle station’s main reactor.

Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles fired the proton torpedoes that destroyed the Death Star, and Luke Skywalker returned from the battle station with word that the Emperor was dead. Rebels and Ewoks danced and celebrated around bonfires through the night.

The Forest Moon was largely spared damage from the Death Star’s explosion, but large chunks of the battle station’s wreckage landed in the oceans of a neighboring moon in the Endor planetary system, known to the Ewoks as Kef Bir. Decades later, Rey would search these gloomy ruins for a Sith wayfinder that had belonged to the Emperor – and Endor’s Ewoks would celebrate the Resistance’s victory at Exegol.