The first contact between rebels and Ewoks came when the Ewok scout Wicket discovered Princess Leia Organa lying unconscious in the woods after falling off her speeder bike. The rebel leader and the Ewok warrior got over their mutual suspicions and worked together to defeat an Imperial biker scout. Then Wicket led Leia to his home, a village high up in the trees.

Searching for Leia, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo ran across an Ewok trap – which Chewbacca unwisely triggered. That left the rebels and droids R2-D2 and C-3PO stuck in a net high above the forest floor. Artoo cut through the net, heedless of the long drop below.

Recovering from the fall, the still-woozy rebels realized they were surrounded by an Ewok hunting party. Han didn’t appreciate having a spear pointed at him, and tried to wrestle it away as Luke counseled his friend to be calm. Then the Ewoks saw C-3PO – and immediately began to bow and chant, taking the golden droid for a deity.

The Ewoks constructed a sedan chair and carried a bemused C-3PO through the woods to their village. The supposed god’s companions weren’t quite so exalted, however – they were tied up and hauled through the woods as captives.

Princess Leia tried to intercede with the Ewoks, explaining that the new arrivals were her friends. But the Ewoks had decided it was their duty to cook their new captives, making them the main course at a banquet in C-3PO’s honor. The rebels escaped this fate when Luke used the Force to levitate Threepio, a display of magic that convinced the Ewoks to free their prisoners.

With the Ewok tribe gathered, C-3PO told the furry warriors the story of the Alliance’s fight against the Empire. After brief deliberation, the Ewoks made the rebels a part of their tribe.

The Ewoks led the rebel commandos to the site of the bunker containing the shield generator – which had to be destroyed before the attack on the second Death Star could begin. The Ewoks also told the rebels a critical bit of news: there was a secret entrance to the bunker.

The Ewok warrior Paploo made a seemingly rash decision when he decided to steal an Imperial speeder bike, zooming off into the woods with scout troopers in hot pursuit. But Paploo’s wild ride made for an excellent diversion, leaving only one trooper behind.

The rebels fought their way into the bunker, but were captured by stormtroopers who’d been expecting an attack. The Alliance’s plan to destroy the Death Star was poised to fail. But the rebels still had allies: the Ewoks joined the fight.

The battle seemed like a mismatch: How could warriors armed with bows and spears stop the Empire’s best troops? But the Ewoks knew every centimeter of the forest, and used this knowledge to their advantage. Stormtroopers hunting the Ewoks were ambushed, knocked down and overwhelmed by the furry warriors.

Scout walkers were tougher opponents, but the Ewoks used techniques they’d employed against large, dangerous animals prowling their woods. They stove in walkers’ armored cabs with swinging logs and tripped up the Imperial machines with log traps.

Chewbacca and a pair of Ewoks took over one scout walker, turning the vehicle’s guns on the Imperials. Disguised as a walker pilot, Han convinced the Imperials to open the bunker’s doors. The rebels then destroyed the shield generator, leaving the Death Star vulnerable to the Alliance’s starfighters.

Lando Calrissian and Wedge Antilles destroyed the battle station, turning the Emperor’s weapon into a ball of fire in the skies above the forest moon. That night, the rebels and their Ewok allies celebrated the Alliance’s great victory.