Quork

The Quorks were a species of sentient, horned, furry humanoids found on the Forest Moon of Endor. They were burly creatures known more for brawn than brains. Nevertheless, they were apt warriors who employed wooden and stone weapons and domesticated devil beasts. The Quorks founded Quork City and were ruled by a king. They were sworn enemies of Endor's native Ewoks.

In 3 ABY, the Quork king Marlox laid a trap for the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village, who came to harvest the sacred wood they used in hang glider construction each year. The Quorks captured one of the Ewoks and later his friends when they came to rescue him. The king compelled two of the Ewoks to construct a glider for him lest their friend be given to a devil beast to eat. However, the Ewoks escaped while the Quorks fought over who would be the first to use the completed flying machine. When Marlox pursued them in his new conveyance, he learned that it had been built to fall apart. The glider collapsed around him, and the Ewoks stole off with the sacred wood.

Biology and appearance
"Almost finished! I just hope these Quorks are as stupid as they look!"

- Wicket W. Warrick prepares to spring his trap for the king of the Quorks

Quorks were stocky, sentient humanoids covered in shaggy fur. This hair was brown all over except on the head, where a white mane framed the hairless, peach-colored face. The hands and feet were hairless as well. Their legs were short and their arms long in proportion to the body. They had four digits on each extremity, each sporting a hard nail. Members of the species stood about 1.5 meters tall on average and were heavily muscled. One Quork, for example, could carry a large bundle of wood one-handed.

In the opinion of Endor's Ewoks, Quorks smelled foul and appeared unintelligent. Members of the species had simian features: Large, wide-set nostrils, a wide mouth, and thick brow ridges covered in scraggly black eyebrows. Their snaggle-teeth were large and sharp, and two short, pointed, yellow or pink horns adorned the top of the head.

Society and culture
"Rope the beast! Get Ewok! Ewok!"

- Quork battle cries

Quorks were quarrelsome beings concerned with personal status and power. By 3 ABY, Quorks on the Forest Moon of Endor had founded a settlement called Quork City, which was under the rule of a king. The city was located on a cliff in a canyon near the grove where the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village gathered the sacred wood from which they built their hang gliders. There, the Quorks constructed hive-shaped homes of stone with open doorways and windows. A few buildings had multiple stories, although most were no taller than ground level. The king ruled from a room where his yellow, stone throne was located. He was distinguished from other members of his species by his golden crown.

Endor's Quorks lived at a relatively low level of technology. By 3 ABY, they had trained a devil beast to help capture prisoners. They constructed tools from stone and wood. For example, they built carts that rolled on wooden wheels. They had knowledge of cloth- and ropemaking. For example, Marlox hung a curtain at the entrance to his throne room, and Quork animal handlers subdued a devil beast with rope. The Quork king had glass victuals and wax candles in his throne room. Fruits were among the items that made up the species' diet.

One technology at which the Quorks were adept was that of war. The species understood the importance of ambushing an enemy and attacking with the element of surprise. Quork warriors signaled an imminent attack with drums made of skin stretched across a hollow base and beaten with cloth-wrapped sticks. The species attacked with spears, which were wielded in close combat and hurled at the enemy. These spears were made from a wooden shaft attached by cord to a stone point. If the aim of a raid was to capture a living being, the Quorks tried to snag their target using rope lassos.

Prisoners of war were marched on foot back to the Quork City. Ill treatment was commonplace, as Wicket W. Warrick discovered when his cries of defiance were met by the butt of a spear. Once within the city confines, prisoners were locked away in a prison that, unlike most Quork buildings, had a wooden door and wooden bars on the windows. There, torture by means of food and water deprivation was an acceptable practice.

The Quorks had sworn their enmity for Ewoks. In their eyes, Ewoks were simply another form of property to be taken at will. For their part, Ewoks held a dim view of the Quorks and considered them stupid and oafish. Nevertheless, the Quorks envied the Ewoks' hang gliders and coveted the expertise to build similar vehicles for themselves. Most members of the species knew Ewokese, although few spoke it with any fluency.

History
A group of Quorks on the Forest Moon of Endor came into contact with the moon's native Ewoks and became the sworm enemies of those arboreal natives. By 3 ABY, these Quorks had established Quork City, a population center situated where the moon's forest gave way to mountains. A Quork named Marlox came to power as their king.

From this base, the Quorks observed that each year, a group of Ewoks flew to the region on hang gliders and collected wood. In 3 ABY, however, the Quorks beat them to the grove and felled the forest first. A group of Quork warriors lay in wait for the Ewoks who would inevitably come. When a group of three did show up&mdash;Kneesaa a Jari Kintaka, Teebo, and Wicket W. Warrick&mdash;the Quorks ambushed them as they investigated the desolate landscape. The Ewoks managed to escape on their gliders, but the Quorks had a devil beast with them. Once unleashed, it engaged the airborne Ewoks and snatched one of them from his glider. With Ewok and sacred wood in tow, the Quorks returned to their home.

Back in Quork City, King Marlox ordered the prisoner to construct a glider from the sacred wood for the Quorks to use. The Ewok refused and was cast into a prison cell, where he would be denied food and water until he complied. When the other Ewoks showed up in the city and attacked, the prisoner escaped. Nevertheless, the Quorks managed to gather all three Ewoks and throw them together into the prison. King Marlox threatened to turn the beast loose on Kneesaa unless the other two Ewoks made him the glider he desired. The Ewoks agreed.

Some time later, Warrick announced that the glider had been completed, but that only the smartest of Quorks could fly it. This sparked a tussle between the Quorks over the privilege of taking the craft out for its maiden voyage, and the male Ewoks escaped during the confusion. The king tried to give chase in his new glider, but he discovered that it had been shoddily constructed by the Ewoks specifically so it would disintegrate upon use. Enraged, King Marlox ordered the release of the devil beast.

The male Ewoks took to their gliders and diverted the creature away from their tethered friend. The Ewok Teebo swooped low and cut Kneesaa's bonds, and Warrick took her aboard his glider. Still being chased by the devil beast, the Ewoks swooped close to Marlox's throne room and caused the pursuing creature to crash into the king's building. The Ewoks escaped on their gliders with the sacred wood in tow.

Behind the scenes
"A mission of honor turns into a&hellip;"Flight into Danger!"

- David Manak

The Quorks feature as the major villains of the comic book Ewoks 3: Flight to Danger, written by David Manak and illustrated by Warren Kremer. The story was originally published in September 1985.

The story leaves the species' origins unexplored. However, other sources imply that species such as the Quorks made their way to the Forest Moon from other planets. One of these, Geonosis and the Outer Rim Worlds, only lists Ewoks and Yuzzums as native to Endor. A later source, "Castaways of Endor," includes Duloks among the Forest Moon's native species. These sources, along with "Endor and the Moddell Sector," explain that several non-native lifeforms established homes on Endor after being shipwrecked there. These crashes were not uncommon, as space travel near Endor was often disrupted by a massive gravity shadow and a large cloud of space debris. Still, until a source explicitly addresses the origins of the Quork species, they cannot be discounted as Endor natives.

Appearances

 * Ewoks 3: Flight to Danger