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- "Oh, I told you it was dangerous here!"
- ―C-3PO
Endor, designated IX3244-A, also known as the Forest Moon of Endor or the Sanctuary Moon, was a small forested moon that was the ninth moon that orbited the Outer Rim planet of the same name. It was the homeworld of the sentient Dulok, Ewok, and Yuzzum species, as well as the Wistie and semi-sentient Gorax races.
Description[]

View of Endor from space
The moon was covered in dense woodlands, tall mountains, and savannas, and home to the sentient Ewok, Dulok, and Yuzzum species.[1][6] The semi-sentient Gorax[25] also dwelled on the moon as well as the Wistie.[14] Some of Endor's trees reached more than 1,000 meters in height.[8] It contained a breathable atmosphere to humans and 8% surface water. It also had two suns: Endor I and Endor II.[1][6]
History[]
Throughout galactic history, offworld raiders occasionally came to Endor to hunt the native Ewok population to make Ewok Jerky, which was a popular snack across the Outer Rim.[6]
Sometime during the reign of the Galactic Empire, the Empire established an outpost on the moon that included a shield generator complex to protect the incomplete second Death Star in orbit of the moon. In order to make way for the complex, an Ewok village was razed by Imperial troops, leading to strained Imperial—Ewok relations.[22] As a result of the repulsorlift field emitted by the SLD-26 planetary shield generator to keep the Death Star in a stationary orbit, Endor was prone to earthquakes, tidal imbalances, and other geological disturbances.[1]
The moon was later the site of the monumental Battle of Endor that saw combat between the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its Ewok allies against Imperial forces who were attempting to protect the shield generator and prevent the Alliance from destroying its superweapon in orbit. After fierce combat on the forest moon, the Rebel Alliance managed not only to destroy the shield generator complex, but also the second Death Star. With the destruction of the Empire's dreaded battle station and the death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine and his enforcer, Darth Vader, the Rebels and Ewoks held a victory celebration on the moon, one of many across the galaxy.[9]
The Rebels set up shields and tractor beams to protect the moon from debris from the destroyed space station.[26] A field of detritus settled into orbit around the moon in the months following the battle.[17] Additionally, the many hyperspace anomalies present in the Moddell sector absorbed the worst of the Death Star debris fallout.[27] Despite that, some debris still rained down on the moon for a decade after the battle, but Endor's ecosystem proved resilient.[28]
In 35 ABY, following the Battle of Exegol, a Resurgent-class Star Destroyer stationed above the forest moon was destroyed through use of the Holdo maneuver. The event was watched by Wicket W. Warrick and his son, Pommet Warrick.[24]
Behind the scenes[]
Endor made its first appearance in the 1983 film Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. The scenes of the forest moon were filmed in the giant redwood forests of northern California, in particular Tall Trees Redwood Grove and other forests near the remote town of Smith River.[6] During the production of the film, Endor was referred to as the "Green Moon of Endor."[29]
The speeder bike chase was filmed at the Owen R. Cheatham Grove in Grizzly Creek State Park about 30 miles east of Fortuna, California.[30] Most of the other location scenes for Endor were filmed in Stout Grove, part of Jedidah Smith Redwods State Park, 5 miles east of Crescent City, California, near the Tolowa village Hiouchi. Scenes requiring explosions were shot on private logging company land in the vicinity because the trees were scheduled to be logged and the State Park would not allow damage to their trees.[31]
Appearances[]
Non-canon appearances[]
- Star Wars Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures – "Free Fall"
LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures – "Return of the Return of the Jedi"
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Exit from Endor"
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Crisis on Coruscant" (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales Episodes I-III
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales – "Gambit on Geonosis"
- A Vader Family Sithmas
LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars – "From Trenches to Wrenches: The Roger Story" (In flashback(s))
LEGO Star Wars: All-Stars – "Yub Nub!" (In flashback(s))
- LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
- LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens
- Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes
- The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
Sources[]
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ Lost Stars
- ↑ Star Wars: The Force Awakens Beginner Game
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 18 (Guide to the Galaxy: Sectors of the Galaxy)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
- ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 97 (Guide to the Galaxy: Moons and Planetoids)
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 Star Wars: Complete Locations
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Last Shot
- ↑
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 55 (Starship Fact File: J-Type Diplomatic Barge)
- ↑ Shattered Empire 1
- ↑ Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 4
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 Star Wars Battlefront II
- ↑
Star Wars: Forces of Destiny – "An Imperial Feast"
- ↑ Star Wars: Galactic Defense
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 Aftermath
- ↑ Star Wars: Alien Archive
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 Star Wars Battlefront
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4 20.5 20.6 20.7
Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 38 (Guide to the Galaxy: Sentient Species of Endor)
- ↑ Whitbrook, James: How 'Star Wars' New Anthology Will Explore Holiday Cheer in the Galaxy Far, Far Away. io9.gizmodo.com. io9. Archived from the original on March 19, 2021.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
- ↑
Wicket W. Warrick in the Encyclopedia (content now obsolete; backup link)
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker
- ↑ The Gorax appearing in "Traps and Tribulations" wears a sash and uses a tree as a crude tool. This shows at least semi-sentience.
- ↑
Star Wars (@starwars) on Twitter: "The Rebel Alliance fleet deployed shields and tractor beams to prevent Death Star 2's meteroric debris from devastating Endor's forest moon." (screenshot)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary
- ↑ Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: Expanded Edition
- ↑ The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
- ↑ Grizzly Creek State Park Visitor Center signage.
- ↑ The Making of Return of the Jedi