Gorax were a semi-sentient species of seldom-seen giant humanoids that inhabited the mountains of Endor. They sometimes attacked the villages of the Ewoks, who were among the sentient inhabitants of the moon.
Biology and appearance[]
The Gorax were humanoids of gigantic proportions. One specimen was over 8.6 meters tall.[5] A Gorax's ocher skin was covered in thick, matted dark fur, except on the face, hands and feet. Its head featured two forward-facing eyes with bushy brows, a mouth full of sharp fangs, and slit nostrils. Its limbs terminated in four fingers, including an opposable thumb. All of these digits ended in sharp nails.[2] In his hand-drawn map of Endor, however, the Ithorian artist Gammit Chond depicted a Gorax with three-fingered hands, and feet with two large toes.[6] Their large, pointed ears offered them highly sensitive hearing.[4]
Gorax had immense strength; they could uproot a large tree effortlessly with both hands.[2]
Behavior and intelligence[]
Gorax lived in mountainous areas and rarely showed themselves.[3] Although notoriously aggressive, cruel, and rather stupid,[7] they displayed a capacity to use objects as crude tools—for example, using an uprooted tree as a blunt weapon. Moreover, some wore crude pieces of clothing, like a sash made of furs and skulls,[2] or a belted loincloth.[6]
History[]
The Gorax dwelled on Endor, a forested moon of the Outer Rim Territories[3] that orbited a planet of the same name.[8] A crash millennia ago was thought to have brought them and Phlogs to the moon.[9] Occasionally, they emerged from their habitat to attack the villages of the sentient Ewoks, who also lived on Endor. The Ewoks of Bright Tree Village posted watchers in the forest canopy above their homes to look out for such marauding Gorax.[3] In fact, Gorax raids were one of the reasons the Ewoks built their villages high in the trees, and why they created a variety of traps, catapults and other large weapons.[7]
When Chief Buzza led Bright Tree Village, a male Gorax lived near Mount Krana. Makrit, the village's shaman at the time, had come to worship the giant, whom he called "Great Devourer." Makrit intended to sacrifice kidnapped woklings in the Gorax's honor, but ended up being eaten instead.[10]
In 4 ABY, the Gorax traps the Bright Tree Ewoks set up as a defense were re-purposed for taking out the All Terrain Scout Transport units deployed by the Galactic Empire during the Battle of Endor.[11] Shortly after the battle, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa helped the Ewoks Kneesaa and Wicket stop a rampaging Gorax by resetting those traps.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Gorax were originally created for the Star Wars Legends television film Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure, which was released in 1984 and included a member of the species as a major villain.[12] The species was confirmed to be canon in the reference book Ultimate Star Wars, which was released in 2015.[3]
In "Survivors on Endor," a walker assault map included in a DLC of the video game Star Wars Battlefront, the players enter a cavern containing giant spiders and what appears to be the lair of an immense creature, complete with an empty cage hanging from the ceiling.[13] This evokes the Gorax lair in Caravan of Courage.[12] A similar cave system can be found in the map for the mode "Ewok Hunt" in Star Wars Battlefront II.[14]
Appearances[]
- The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! (Mentioned only)
- The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear! audiobook (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 4 (In flashback(s))
- Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 5 (Mentioned only)
- The Odyssey of Star Wars: An Epic Poem (Mentioned only)
- "The Kroolok" — Life Day Treasury (Mentioned only)
- "Paploo's Tale" — Return of the Jedi – Ewoks 1
- Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Traps and Tribulations" (First appearance)
- Return of the Jedi – Ewoks 1 (Appears through imagination)
- Star Wars: Hunters (Mentioned only)
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
- Ultimate Star Wars (First mentioned)
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 38 (Guide to the Galaxy: Sentient Species of Endor)
- Nexus of Power (Picture only)
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 16 (Databank A-Z: E-11 Blaster–Cornelius Evazan)
- Star Wars: Complete Locations
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 20 (Databank A-Z: Saw Gerrera–Commander Gree)
- Star Wars: Galactic Atlas (First pictured)
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
- Star Wars Helmet Collection 70 (Databank A-Z: Wicket Warrick–Weequay)
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- "Chewbacca and Other Aliens of the Rebellion and the Resistance" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- "Princess Leia Organa" — Star Wars Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Timelines
- Bright Tree Village in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ The Gorax appearing in "Traps and Tribulations" wears a sash and uses a tree as a crude tool. This shows at least semi-sentience.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Traps and Tribulations"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Star Wars: Alien Archive
- ↑ Star Wars Forces of Destiny — "Traps and Tribulations" says this Gorax was more than five times taller than Luke Skywalker, whose height Luke Skywalker in the Databank (backup link) gives as 1.72 meters.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars Helmet Collection 20 (Databank A-Z: Saw Gerrera–Commander Gree)
- ↑ Lost Stars
- ↑ Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon 38 (Guide to the Galaxy: Sentient Species of Endor)
- ↑ Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader's Castle 4
- ↑ Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure
- ↑ Star Wars Battlefront
- ↑ Star Wars Battlefront II