Noa Briqualon

"If I did let them stay, first thing you know, they'd want to be friends."

- Noa Briqualon

Noa Briqualon was a mid-level scout who was stranded early in his career after crashing his ship on the forest moon of Endor, where he learned to adapt to his primitive surroundings. Briqualon was an explorer, who traveled with his friend, Salak Weet.

Crash landing
Noa Briqualon was a Human male who lived during the final decades of the Galactic Republic. During his youth, he spent years as a mid-level scout, and he additionally worked as a trader at some point. Shortly before 26 BBY, Briqualon teamed up with his friend Salak Weet and set out to chart the Moddell sector. On their maiden voyage, the two explorers reached the sector's Monsua Nebula and broadcasted a responder signal, but their star cruiser shortly thereafter crashed onto the moon Endor. It was one of many ships that had been claimed by the moon throughout the millennia due to interference caused by nearby stellar debris and gravity shadows. With a damaged crystal oscillator, the star cruiser was inoperable, and the two explorers hid their vessel beneath a layer of the forested moon's foliage before beginning repairs. Eventually, Weet left on a hunt for a replacement oscillator, but Briqualon remained with the ship.

During his journey Salak was captured by the Sanyassan Marauders and killed. Though he denied it to himself, Noa realized that his friend wasn't coming back, so he eventually made his home in what remained of a hollow tree trunk. Salak's father Jimke Weet funded a four-year rescue search for his son, but the search was eventually called off after Jimke filed for bankruptcy.

The Battle for Endor
Noa eventually met the Teek known simply as "Teek." Teek was a mischievous creature, and the old spacer let him stay at his home, and even carved Teek his own bed out of the tree trunk walls of the house. It was Teek who led the Human Cindel Towani and the Ewok Wicket Wystri Warrick to Noa's house.

The old man at first was angry that the kids should be brought into his house, but soon grew to like them, as beneath his gruff exterior he truly was a kindly man.

When Cindel was captured by witch Charal and taken to the Mauraders' fortress, Noa, Teek and Wicket mounted a rescue attempt. In doing so, they free Cindel and the Ewoks of Wicket's tribe imprisoned there. Cindel pointed out Salak's remains, before showing Noa the crystal oscillator from her family's starship needed for Noa's. After escaping the fortress, the humans, Teek and Ewoks run as fast as they could towards Noa's ship, with the Marauders in pursuit. The Ewok and Teek held the line in the ensuring battle against the Mauraders while Noa installed the oscillator into his ship. Eventually, he succeeded and his ship's turrets turn the tide of the battle. However, Cindel was captured by the evil Marauder King Terak, who demanded "the power". Noa faced him in melee combat (Terak wielded a sword, Noa his walking staff). But when it seemed like Terak would prevail, Wicket used his slingshot to hit the magic ring Terak took from Charal, killing him. Following the battle, Noa and Cindel repaired the starship, bid farewell to the Ewoks, and left Endor.

Later years
After flying the spacelanes with Cindel for some years, Noa eventually retired in the Mid Rim of the galaxy. After his retirement, his companion Cindel became a journalist on Coruscant, as well as an influential player in the New Republic.

Behind the scenes
"Long before actor Wilfred Brimley tried to trick us into eating oatmeal, he played the hermit Noa Briqualon in Ewoks: The Battle for Endor."

- Bonnie Burton

The character of Noa was created by George Lucas for the 1985 television movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Lucas conceived of the movie's plot after watching the film Heidi with his daughter and deciding that Cindel Towani&mdash;who had appeared in 1984's Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure&mdash;should become an orphan and end up living in the woods with a grumpy old hermit. Lucas explained his vision to Jim and Ken Wheat, who took over directing duties for the movie. Noa was played by Wilford Brimley, a veteran actor of several films who later went on to appear in television commercials for products such as Quaker Oats oatmeal. Brimley frequently clashed with the Wheat brothers and eventually refused to work with them; as such, all of his scenes were shot by Joe Johnston, the second unit director.

A rumor persisted that Noa swears under his breath while trying to power up his star cruiser during the film's climax. However, it was debunked in the eighty-ninth issue of the Star Wars Insider magazine, which cited the subtitles of 2004's Ewoks: The Battle for Endor DVD release as proving that the line is in fact "Aw, come on." An article published on StarWars.com suggested that the language spoken by Noa and the other characters in the movie is not in fact Basic, but rather a different language translated into English for the viewers' benefit. The speculation was based on the fact that Wicket W. Warrick is able to speak and understand Basic in the movie but is unable to do so in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, which takes place a short time later.

The American entertainment website IGN ranked Briqualon at #95 on its list of the top 100 Star Wars characters. The reasons for his inclusion were the facts that he was played by "legendary actor and oatmeal pitchman" Wilford Brimley, introduced spectacles to the Galaxy Far, Far Away, protected an orphaned little girl, and attacked a sword-wielding King Terak with a mere walking stick.

Appearances

 * Ewoks: The Battle for Endor
 * Ewoks: The Battle for Endor book-and-record
 * The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure
 * The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure