After the fourth episode of Star Wars series The Mandalorian, the Ewoks' victory in the Battle of Endor can be viewed as even more remarkable. The native villagers of the forest moon fought alongside the Rebel Alliance against the Imperial Navy's ground forces. The decisive battle allowed the Rebels to gain the upper hand in the Galactic Civil War before the Empire soon fell altogether.
Disney+'s The Mandalorian is set five years after Return of the Jedi, the final installment of the original Star Wars trilogy which featured the Battle of Endor. Even with the rise of the New Republic, remnants of the Empire still exist throughout the galaxy. When the Mandalorian takes Baby Yoda to hide out in the forested planet of Sorgan, they learn that the area is inhabited by Klatooinian raiders. The tribe of raiders is threatening an innocent fisherman village, so they ask the bounty hunter for help. The Mandalorian and his new ally, Cara Dune, investigate the raiders, realizing that the tribe has commandeered an All Terrain Scout Transport (AT-ST) to use as their own.
AT-STs were heavily used by the Imperial forces during the Battle of Endor. The bipedal walkers were meant to flank larger weaponry and to quickly clear out ground assaults. AT-STs were piloted by a driver and a gunner, both of which had to be highly skilled. Aside from the blaster cannons, every AT-ST contained a grenade launcher. The vehicle had armor to protect the pilots and was capable of crashing through heavily dense forests to reach targets. Despite the power of AT-STs, the Ewoks that participated in the Battle of Endor were responsible for destroying a handful of the walkers. The Ewoks managed to cause AT-STs to lose their balance by throwing rocks at the armored vehicles. They also developed a series of traps that toppled over the walkers or jammed their cockpits with swinging logs. These efforts from the Ewoks greatly helped the Rebels and their victory but their actions are more impressive now that an AT-ST has appeared in The Mandalorian.
How The Mandalorian Affects The Ewoks' Role In Return Of The Jedi
During the fourth episode of The Mandalorian, the bounty hunter and Cara led the villagers in defending themselves against the Klatooinian raiders. In order to take out the tribe's ongoing threats, they needed to destroy their AT-ST Raider variant. The Mandalorian and Cara managed to lure the walker to the village, hoping it followed into the trap set in the pond. The AT-ST stopped on the edge of the water and relayed heavy fire. Even with two very skilled fighters and a slew of able-bodied forces, the group struggled to take down the AT-ST. This walker, in particular, wasn't even piloted by expert members of the Empire. The fact that a group of small Ewoks who lacked any useful weapons found a way to destroy multiple AT-STs in Return of the Jedi is now more significant.
The Ewoks used non-traditional means but they succeeded in taking down some of the Empire's strongest ground forces. Their resourceful actions in Return of the Jedi just shows that Ewoks have always been underrated Star Wars characters. The Mandalorian proves that the Battle of Endor may have turned out differently if it wasn't for the help of the Ewoks. AT-STs are clearly not easy to destroy as exemplified by the village battle on Sorgan and it's time to finally give Ewoks some credit.
