Lizard Warrior

The Lizard Warriors were a species of sentient reptilians who lived in a desert region of the Forest Moon of Endor. Members of the species had green scales and yellow underhides with yellow spikes running down the spine. Their bodies were humanoid except for a long tail. Lizard Warrior culture valued both martial prowess and hunting skill, and they marked the borders of their territory with totem poles.

Sometime before 3 ABY, an Ewok named Graak was exiled to the Valley of the Lizard Warriors. When he taught his advanced martial skills to the reptilians, they selected him as their new leader. Graak instigated a new system whereby strength and fighting prowess were valued over other attributes. In 3 ABY, the Lizard Warriors captured two trespassing Ewoks, Teebo and Wicket W. Warrick, and made them the quarry of a species-wide hunt. Nevertheless, when Joddar, Graak's lead warrior, was saved by the pair, he promised to escort them out of the valley. When Graak attempted to prevent their escape, Joddar overthrew him and assumed leadership of his people. The following year, the Lizard Warrior Dracos represented his people among the members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic at Bright Tree Village. The Lizard Warrior Dracos trained in military combat for a time under Luke Skywalker.

Biology and appearance
Lizard Warriors were sentient bipedal reptiles whose physiology was largely humanoid. The exception was a long tail, which began thick at its base and tapered to a point. The tail dragged the ground when the reptilians walked or stood, but it projected straight behind when they ran. The species' short legs and stooped posture made them stand slightly taller than an Ewok, although at full height, they could grow taller than an average Human. Their digits sported sharp claws, four fingers per hand and three toes per foot. Lizard Warriors were covered in green scales with a yellow underbelly. Nevertheless, their hides offered little protection from punctures from such hazards as burr balls. Many Lizard Warriors had a row of yellow spikes running from the crown of the head to the tip of the tail, while others had two isolated spikes toward the back of the head. An additional spike grew from each elbow.

The bulk of the Lizard Warrior head was given over to a long, pointed snout full of sharp teeth. Two nostril holes pierced this muzzle at its farthest extremity, and a red tongue lay within. A pair of narrow, yellow or brown eyes on the sides of the head flanked the snout at its base. Ewoks found the Lizard Warriors' appearance unattractive.

Society and culture
"Well, you have won the game and survived the hunt! The totem pole on that rise marks the end of our valley!"

- Joddar, after being saved by Teebo and Wicket W. Warrick

A group of Lizard Warriors lived in a desert valley on the Forest Moon of Endor, where they kept to themselves and rarely interacted with other species. Their region, named the Valley of the Lizard Warriors after its inhabitants, lay several days' journey from the forests of Happy Grove. Thus, the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village who lived there had little knowledge of the species. Nevertheless, Endor's Lizard Warriors spoke Ewokese.

The Lizard Warriors had a martial culture that valued warfare and hunting. The pursuit of game was valued not only as a necessity of life, but as a sport. The species went to battle armed with relatively primitive weapons, such as recurve bows, wooden arrows, and throwing spears with stone heads. Still, some Lizard Warriors had access to more sophisticated arms, like metal spear points and swords. What little clothing they wore was devoted to warfare: a quiver on the back for carrying arrows or a belt around the waist for holding a sword.

The species followed the greatest warrior among them. This did not necessarily have to be a member of the species; in fact, in 3 ABY, Endor's Lizard Warriors were ruled by an Ewok named Graak. Lizard Warriors adhered to a strict code of honor that compelled them to keep their word and repay any act of kindness.

The Lizard Warriors were territorial and demarcated their lands with totem poles: carved wooden posts decorated with such items as cloth, crossed sticks, feathers, bird wings, and skulls. If Lizard Warriors detected strangers in their lands, they ambushed the interlopers from behind rocks and sagebrush. The warriors used a special capturing stick made of a length of wood with a looped cord attached to snag the intruders. Members of the species lived inside caves, the outsides of which were littered with bones. They had access to goods such as bowls, fruits, and jugs of liquid.

History
"That's when I met Joddar and his men and taught them new, deadly fighting skills! In gratitude they asked me to lead them!"

- Graak

The Lizard Warriors of Endor settled in a desert valley and set up their homes in caves there. At some point, they came into contact with the moon's native Ewoks, who named their territory the Valley of the Lizard Warriors after its reptilian denizens. The warrior Joddar eventually attained a leadership position in the culture.

Years before 3 ABY, a one-eyed Ewok named Graak entered Lizard Warrior territory. He had been exiled from his home, Bright Tree Village, by the village chief, Chirpa. After he demonstrated his skill at combat and promised to train the Lizard Warriors in his techniques, Joddar stepped down to allow Graak to assume leadership with Joddar as second-in-command. Under the exile's leadership, the Lizard Warriors adopted a philosophy of survival of the fittest.

In 3 ABY, the Lizard Warriors detected two Ewoks&mdash;Teebo and Wicket W. Warrick&mdash;wandering through their territory. They ambushed the interlopers, captured them, and brought them to their caves. Graak made the tresspassers a deal: if they could reach the edge of the Valley of the Lizard Warriors alive, they could go free. However, they would have to escape the Lizard Warriors, who would hunt them down for sport.

Several low-level warriors pursued and confronted the Ewoks, but their prey survived. Joddar finally joined the hunt and tracked the Ewoks to a swamp at the border of the valley. Before he could kill them, however, Joddar came under attack himself from an Endorian swamp beast. Warrick chased the beast away with a well-aimed beehive and pulled Joddar from the swamp, an act of mercy that saved his life and defied his expectations.

Though confused, Joddar thanked his benefactors and swore them his life. The Ewoks asked only to be led to the edge of the swamp and out of Lizard Warrior territory, and Joddar gladly complied. However, Graak arrived on the scene and refused to let the younger Ewoks go. When he attacked and nearly killed Warrick, Joddar stepped in and stopped him. Joddar rejected Graak's protestations of supremacy and explained that the young Ewoks had taught him compassion, something Graak could never understand. He then ousted Graak from his position and assumed leadership of his people once again. Joddar and his Lizard Warriors parted with the younger Ewoks on good terms; Graak, on the other hand, severed ties with his former underlings and cast off into the desert alone.

After the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Lizard Warriors sent a representative named Dracos to the forces of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, who were gathered at Bright Tree Village. Dracos was present as the Alliance leaders formed the Alliance of Free Planets. Admiral Ackbar later assigned Dracos to train with other Alliance recruits under Commander Luke Skywalker. The Lizard Warrior and the others hoped to eventually learn how to use the Force to become Jedi. Nevertheless, Skywalker was still haunted by the memories of how his father, Anakin Skywalker, had fallen to the dark side, so he refused to teach the recruits anything beyond basic marksmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and meditation.

Behind the scenes
Writer Dave Manak and illustrator Warren Kremer introduced the Lizard Warriors as antagonists to the Ewok characters of Ewoks 4: Valley of Evil. The comic book was published by Marvel Comics in November 1985. The character Dracos, who appears in Marvel Comics Star Wars 92: The Dream (1985), was later identified as a member of the species in the article "The Forgotten War: The Nagai and the Tofs."

The story implies that the Valley of the Lizard Warriors was the reptilians' homeland and that, thus, they were native to the Forest Moon. Nevertheless, later sources point to an origin on another unidentified planet. The roleplaying supplement Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, for example, names only Ewoks and Yuzzums as native to Endor, and the article "Castaways of Endor" adds only Duloks to this list. According to these works and the roleplaying article "Endor and the Moddell Sector," the majority of the sentient species who lived on the Forest Moon were survivors of crash landings caused by the main planet's massive gravity shadow and shield of space detritus.

Appearances

 * Ewoks 4: Valley of Evil
 * Star Wars 92: The Dream