Sun crystals were precious stones found on Jazbina and the Forest Moon of Endor. The fragile gems had the ability to exponentially reflect and brighten light. Exposure could lead to light addiction and, ultimately, blindness. The stones were highly sought commodities on Jazbina, where they were mined, and on Endor, where treasure hunters had to face the perils of the Black Cavern to obtain them. Miners on Jazbina had to contend with large Tikulini worms in the sun crystal mines and were forced to wear protective eyewear when dealing with the gems. Luke Skywalker was nearly blinded by sun crystals on Jazbina.
Sun crystals were highly coveted by both the Ewoks and Duloks of Endor, and over many years, several adventurers perished trying to take them from the perilous Black Cavern. An Ewok warrior from Bright Tree Village succeeded in this quest in 97 BBY, and this particular sun crystal became a symbol of courage to the warrior's tribe. The Ewoks established a ritual whereby a youth had to maneuver through a set of dangerous obstacles in the crystal's presence and thus prove his or her mettle and earn a badge for his or her Belt of Honor.
While the Ewok Wicket Wystri Warrick was undertaking such an ordeal, the Dulok prince Boogutt cut Warrick's vine and caused him to crash into the sun crystal and shatter it. Both Warrick and Boogutt were rebuked by their elders, prompting them to venture into the Black Cavern to obtain a new sun crystal. Inside, they faced a variety of hazards, including the guardian of the sun crystal, and barely escaped with their lives. Warrick had to sacrifice the newly obtained sun crystal to save Boogutt from the guardian beast, but he was rewarded with a piece of the smashed gemstone for his Belt of Honor.
Sun crystals on Endor appeared as round, multi-faceted gemstones.
Sun crystals ranged in color from white to light blue. Those found on Jazbina appeared in uncut, subterranean crystalline deposits that could be as large as a full-grown Jazbinan. In the Black Cavern on Endor, in contrast, sun crystals were multi-faceted gems with a roughly circular shape about 0.5 meters in diameter.
The crystals reflected and amplified ambient luminosity. In low light, this could illuminate a dark area, but in the presence of a more focused source of luminosity, the crystals intensified the light exponentially. The glow of Luke Skywalker's lightsaber blade was enough to create a blinding glow from a chamber of the crystals on Jazbina.
Exposure to sun crystal light could temporarily blind someone. To avoid this, miners on Jazbina wore polarized eye goggles that improved low-light vision and protected against flashes from the crystals. Sun crystal-induced light blindness subsided with time provided the sufferer kept to darkened areas or wore a blindfold. However, viewing radiant sun crystals sometimes had the additional effect of causing light addiction, as many miners on Jazbina discovered. Light addicts were seized with the urge to experience the intensity of the initial crystal encounter again. This compelled them to induce more crystal flashes or even to stare into the sun. The resulting eye damage often resulted in permanent blindness.
Sun crystals were relatively fragile; a sharp blow or too much pressure could shatter one. Wicket W. Warrick inadvertently destroyed a sun crystal by merely knocking it from a short perch.
The guardian of the sun crystal tried to keep would-be treasure hunters from harvesting sun crystals from the Black Cavern.
Sun crystals were highly sought-after commodities on both Jazbina and the Forest Moon of Endor. During the Galactic Civil War, the Jazbinans mined sun crystal ore and sold it to their major buyer, the Galactic Empire. In exchange, the Empire left Jazbina to its own devices. The income generated made Jazbina a wealthy world, and its people were highly loyal to the Empire even after the destruction of the first Death Star.
Sun crystal mines on Jazbina consisted of long shafts cut into the earth. The mines were sometimes home to predatory mining worms, known locally as Tikulini, but by 1 ABY, most of these had died out. The Jazbinan cell of the Alliance to Restore the Republic used the mines to hide out from King Prepredenko and the local authorities. Luke Skywalker used an abandoned sun crystal mine shaft to search for the missing Princess Syayna.
Adventurers on the Forest Moon of Endor sometimes entered the Black Cavern to obtain a sun crystal. However, the journey inside was so perilous that no more than a handful ever escaped with one. The crystals were guarded by a large, sentient guardian creature who lived beneath the cave floor and attacked any who touched one of the treasures. The cavern itself was hazardous, with a large chasm full of hungry carnivorous running through part of it. The final hurdle for would-be treasure hunters was to exit the cavern before its sentient mouth closed and trapped the adventurer inside.
Several Ewok warriors from Bright Tree Village died trying to procure a sun crystal. One finally managed to escape with one around 97 BBY. In the eyes of the tribe, the sun crystal became a symbol of Ewok bravery, and they set it on a wooden post. Gorneesh's tribe of Duloks coveted this particular crystal and wished to steal it from their rivals.
The Bright Tree tribe sometimes allowed young Ewoks to test their bravery by facing a gauntlet of obstacles in the presence of the crystal taken by the Ewok warrior. If the challenger succeeded, he or she earned a badge for his or her Belt of Honor. To some older Ewoks, such as Kazak, such tests were a mere shadow of the bravery shown by the Ewok who first obtained the crystal, but Chief Chirpa viewed the tests as a sign that the Ewoks had grown more peaceful and civilized over the century since the crystal was found.
In 3 ABY, Chief Chirpa presented Wicket Wystri Warrick with a set of obstacles that included swinging from a vine, hitting a bullseye with a spear, and swinging through a path of spears embedded in the earth. However, Warrick's test was cut short when the Dulok prince, Boogutt, on orders from his father, King Gorneesh, to steal the crystal, cut the Ewok's vine and sent him plummeting to the ground.Warrick's momentum took him directly into the sun crystal, and the crash shattered the relic.
Assuming the accident was the result of Warrick's negligence to check the safety of his vine, Kazak chastised the young warrior and refused to grant him the . When Warrick later overheard the elder say that he regarded the Ewok who originally obtained the crystal from the Black Cavern as truly brave, the young Ewok decided to venture into the cavern himself to obtain a replacement and prove his own courage. Prince Boogutt, also chastised by his elders for the crystal's destruction, followed..
Warrick entered the cavern and found a new sun crystal while Boogutt shadowed him. As the two youths scuffled over the gem, the guardian of the sun crystal sprang from the ground and attacked. The two ran from the guardian's chamber and crossed a chasm via Warrick's skill at vine swinging. As the cave entrance closed, the Ewok managed to escape, but the Dulok was caught by the guardian beast. Warrick jammed the cave's mouth with his newly obtained sun crystal, allowing him to rescue the Dulok prince. As the rivals escaped, the cave slammed shut and smashed the newly obtained gemstone.
Boogutt rejoined his father for another round of scolding, but Warrick was awarded a piece of the destroyed gem for his Belt of Honor.
- The Official Star Wars Fact File21
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia