The Ewok war machine, also known as the battle wagon, was a sizable combat vehicle conceived by the Ewok Erpham Warrick on the Forest Moon of Endor. This weapon was structured with a dual-level design: the lower portion housed a battering ram, while the upper section showcased the skull of a tusked bantha alongside a ceremonial drum. Primarily, the wagon was constructed using logs secured together with cord. The machine's various components were operated via levers and ropes, and a central support peg prevented its collapse. The base was rectangular, supporting four walls and four extended pylons that elevated the vehicle's second story. A wooden ladder provided access to the upper level. The primary offensive component of the battle wagon was its battering ram, essentially a lengthy, robust tree trunk. Movement relied on four stone wheels and required manual pushing, except when traveling downhill.
Erpham Warrick from Bright Tree Village constructed the war machine as a defense against a tribe of Duloks with whom the Ewoks maintained a long-standing feud. When Dulok warriors invaded the forest, intending to destroy the Ewok village's Soul Trees—sacred objects of immense spiritual importance to the Ewoks—Warrick commanded the battle wagon, driving the invaders from the field. This weapon was crucial in securing victory for the Ewoks, confining the Duloks to the swampier regions of Endor. Over the years, however, the Ewoks largely forgot about Warrick's imposing siege engine.
Three generations later, in 3 ABY, Erpham Warrick's descendant, Wicket Wystri Warrick, rediscovered the device. The younger Warrick reconstructed the wagon using his ancestor's original designs, aided by fellow tribe member Malani and the bordok Baga. Upon learning of the restoration, the Dulok king, Gorneesh, ordered his tribe to seize the vehicle. Meeting minimal resistance, the Duloks successfully stole the wagon and used it to attack Ewok territory, again aiming to obliterate the Soul Trees. This assault was thwarted when Warrick dislodged the machine's main support peg, causing its collapse. The Ewok tribe subsequently rebuilt the battle wagon, employing it to resist the forces of the Galactic Empire after the galactic government established a presence on Endor.
The Ewok war wagon, alternatively known as the battle wagon, represented a significant war machine located on the Forest Moon of Endor. Its operational principle revolved around propelling the device toward enemy defenses or vehicles, breaching them with its integrated battering ram. This weapon could accommodate a crew of up to eight Ewoks, and on one instance, it housed thirteen Duloks.
The fundamental structure of the battle wagon comprised two rectangular platforms arranged parallel to each other and to the ground, with their shorter sides oriented toward the front and rear of the weapon. At both the front and rear, the upper platform was supported by cross-beams, which were in turn supported by four pylons extending vertically from each corner. The greater length of the support posts at the wagon's front resulted in an uneven upper deck, featuring an upward-sloping mid-section connecting the lower aft to the higher fore. A square opening cut into the weapon's lower level provided access to the ground below, allowing the occupants to descend and propel the vehicle from within. Both platforms were constructed from slender wooden logs, bound together with cord and coated with varnish. A support peg located inside one of the posts maintained the contraption's structural integrity; its removal would cause the battle wagon to disassemble into its constituent components.
A short barrier, crafted from tied-together logs, stood upright along the wagon's right and left sides. These structures offered protection to the passengers and crew while still permitting them to wield their own weapons and launch projectiles at the enemy. The walls were detachable via a lever in the rear corner of the wagon; when leaned against each other at a right angle, the detached walls formed a makeshift fort. Another wall of logs protected the wagon's front, extending from the base platform to the upper deck. A rectangular gap in this wall allowed the battering ram to swing freely. A crank on the wagon's upper platform, connected to the front wall, raised and lowered it as a ramp, enabling the warriors inside to engage the enemy with melee weapons such as spears.
The battle wagon moved on four large stone wheels, positioned at the four corners of the base platform, with two on each of the weapon's longer sides. Crewmembers propelled the device either from within the opening in the lower platform or from the vehicle's rear. This arrangement allowed the battle wagon to gain increased momentum when pushed downhill. Although primarily a land-based weapon, the wagon could float in water, with only its bottom platform, wheels, and pylons submerged.
The war wagon's main weapon was a massive battering ram constructed from a large wooden log. A cap at the log's striking end served as the point of impact. The ram was suspended from the upper deck by forked structures. Crewmembers operated the battering ram using a lever inside the wagon; when properly aimed, the wagon could break through barriers of stone and wood, and even engage All Terrain Scout Transport walkers.
A cage for transporting prisoners was suspended from a hook at the end of a rope at the back of the battle wagon, nestled within a notch cut from the vehicle's rear. The cage was constructed from long pieces of wood tied together to form a rectangular prism, nearly as tall as the space between the top and bottom platforms. Its size was sufficient to hold a Human or Dulok prisoner. One side of the cage functioned as a door, swinging open to allow captives to be placed inside or removed. A lock at the top of the cage and a padlock on the door prevented escape. A pair of longer pieces of wood extended horizontally from the cage, enabling Ewoks to carry it on their shoulders.
A wooden ladder was attached to the battle wagon toward the rear of its left side, leaning forward into a notch in the vehicle's upper platform. The wagon's upper platform housed a large skull, a drum, and two cranks. The skull, bleached white and large enough to accommodate four Ewoks or three Duloks inside, was positioned at the front of the vehicle. Individuals concealed within the skull could peer out through its eyeholes to serve as lookouts or to guide crewmembers below who were pushing the war wagon. The skull, originating from a bantha species with large tusks, served ceremonial purposes, as did the battle drum located behind it. In addition to the ramp-lowering hand crank on the upper platform, the other crank raised and lowered the cage at the back of the weapon.
Centuries before 3 ABY, the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village were engaged in war with a neighboring tribe of Duloks, who inhabited the swamps of Endor. To aid in the war effort, the warrior Erpham Warrick designed the Ewok battle wagon, using a piece of parchment to sketch out his plans. During its construction, the rest of Warrick's village regarded the project as foolish and mocked the Ewok's efforts. Nevertheless, Warrick persisted and completed the battle wagon on his own.
Warrick's foresight proved valuable when the Bright Tree Ewoks were attacked by a group of Duloks intent on felling the Ewoks' Soul Trees, which were central to Ewok spirituality. Warrick led the counterattack, rallying his people from the roof of the battle wagon and then engaging the Duloks with the siege weapon. The Duloks retreated back into the swamps at the sight of the device, and the Ewoks emerged victorious. Warrick was celebrated as a hero and gained renown from the event; a stone slab was placed within the wagon to commemorate the victory. The village legend keeper, Kaink, acquired Warrick's written plans. Meanwhile, the wagon itself deteriorated as vegetation from the woods reclaimed it, rendering it little more than a rain shelter. The Ewoks, with the exception of Kaink, forgot about the contraption and left it abandoned in the woods.
Decades later, in 3 ABY, three of Erpham Warrick's great-grandsons—Weechee, Willy, and Wicket W. Warrick—rediscovered the battle wagon when a sudden downpour prompted them to seek refuge within what they initially believed to be a small cave. The slab inside revealed the refuge's true nature, however, and the Ewok priestess Kaink, who had also sought shelter within the dilapidated war machine, explained the device's role in the long-ago war with the Duloks, as well as Erpham Warrick's contributions. Wicket W. Warrick vowed to restore his great-grandfather's battle wagon, despite his elder brothers' skepticism.
When Warrick's friends displayed more interest in boisterous behavior that threatened the fragile remains of the wagon, the young Ewok decided to repair the dilapidated device on his own, using his great-grandfather's plans, which he had obtained from Kaink. Nevertheless, the female wokling Malani and Warrick's pet bordok, Baga, provided assistance. The repairs included replacing old and broken planks, cleaning the bantha skull, replacing the skin on the war drum, varnishing the wood, and adding a flower for decoration.
Unbeknownst to Warrick and his companions, their activities attracted the attention of a Dulok scout. A few days before the Ewoks completed the repairs, the scout informed the ruler of his tribe, King Gorneesh, about the refurbishment of the battle wagon. Unable to ascertain the Ewoks' intentions, Gorneesh dispatched the village shaman, Umwak, to investigate. Accompanied by Gorneesh's wife, Queen Urgah, Umwak implored the Dulok oracle, Murgoob, for information on the battle wagon. From the depths of his lair, the ancient Dulok recounted the tale of the Duloks' defeat decades ago, caused by the Ewoks' use of the siege weapon. Murgoob admitted that the wagon terrified him, but he suggested that if the Duloks could steal the contraption, it might enable them to seize control of the forest from the Ewoks once and for all.
The scout led Gorneesh and Umwak to the construction site, where Gorneesh proposed a cautious approach: they would wait until the repairs were finished and then overpower the Ewoks to take the machine. Several weeks after initiating the project, Warrick declared the repairs on the wagon complete. That night, Gorneesh, Umwak, and Dulok warriors rolled the weapon through the forest with the sleeping Warrick inside. Although the Ewok awoke from the jostling and escaped into the forest, the Duloks reached their village and began planning their attack.
Warrick's warning to his village was ignored; because the wagon had been built by two children with only a bordok to assist them, the villagers dismissed the battle wagon as a credible threat, even under Dulok control. The next day, Warrick sought solace at the Soul Tree of his great-grandfather Erpham Warrick. The elder Warrick's ghost comforted the boy, reminding him that the village had also scornfully dismissed the weapon during its original construction. At his great-grandfather's urging, Wicket W. Warrick vowed to reclaim the battle wagon from the Duloks.
Meanwhile, the Duloks struggled to operate the war machine, their first attempt resulting in the device ending up in a river. When Umwak beseeched Murgoob to help the Duloks with the weapon, the Dulok Oracle suggested that the tribe use it to destroy the Ewoks' Soul Trees, thereby crushing the Ewoks' will to live. Nevertheless, Murgoob refused to emerge from hiding to participate in the assault. Warrick observed the exchange and exploited Murgoob's seclusion by impersonating the elderly Dulok. As Gorneesh's troops loaded the battle wagon with weapons for the impending attack, the disguised Warrick convinced them to roll the machine in the wrong direction and back into the river. As Warrick hurried to warn Bright Tree Village once more, the real Murgoob, finally outside his hut, apprehended the young Ewok. Warrick found himself imprisoned in the wagon's cage.
Loaded with Dulok warriors, King Gorneesh, Queen Urgah, the shaman Umwak, and Murgoob, the war wagon set off. The Duloks first attacked a group of picnicking woklings, whom Warrick warned about the impending Dulok assault on the Soul Trees. The young Ewoks fled to alert the village, so by the time the Dulok war party reached its target, a line of Ewoks led by Chief Chirpa and the shaman Logray met them, determined to defend the Soul Trees to the last. Undeterred, Gorneesh ordered the Duloks to accelerate the wheeled weapon to ramming speed.
The battle wagon crashed through barricades of logs and boulders, the Duloks hurled spears at lines of Ewok fighters, and the wagon's battering ram scattered other Ewok defenders. Only a single Ewok kept pace with the battle wagon, the wokling Malani riding on the bordok Baga. Although Gorneesh dismissed her as no threat, she managed to leap onto the battle wagon, where a wild swing by a Dulok warrior missed the wokling but broke open Warrick's cage. The two Ewoks then leveraged their intimate knowledge of the wagon's workings to pull various levers, flatten the wagon's walls, activate the battering ram, and eject unsuspecting Dulok warriors and Murgoob from the device. On the battle wagon's top platform, agile dodges and further removal of wagon components, such as the ladder, allowed Warrick and Malani to send all but Gorneesh and Urgah over the edge. With no other recourse, Warrick pulled the war wagon's main support peg. As the Ewoks jumped clear of the contraption, it collapsed directly in front of Erpham Warrick's Soul Tree—with Gorneesh and Urgah trapped in its wreckage.
The Bright Tree Village Ewoks held a celebration to commemorate the victory, but Wicket W. Warrick considered the battle wagon to be destroyed beyond repair. Nevertheless, his fellow Ewoks rebuilt the war machine without Warrick's knowledge and presented it to him as a surprise. The memory of his experience rebuilding the wagon and battling the Duloks remained vivid in Warrick's mind even into adulthood, when he recalled the events as one of the greatest adventures of his youth.
By the time of the Dulok theft of the battle wagon, the Galactic Empire had established a presence on Endor. At some point after Bright Tree Village recovered and rebuilt the machine and before the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Endor in 4 ABY, the Ewoks clashed with the offworld invaders. During an encounter with Imperial forces, the Ewoks used the battle wagon to fight stormtroopers and AT-ST walkers. The shaman Logray manned the wagon's bantha skull, Wicket W. Warrick fired a bow and arrow from the top platform, Teebo attacked from the weapon's front ramp, and Paploo and another Ewok guarded a stormtrooper prisoner in the device's cage. The wagon was still in use at the time of the Battle of Endor, when the Ewoks presented the weapon to the Human Rebel Alliance operatives Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2.
The toy manufacturer Kenner introduced the Ewok battle wagon in 1984 as both a vehicle and a playset. Early drafts of the toy's box art depicted the battle wagon being overturned under fire from an AT-ST walker's guns, but Lucasfilm rejected this design in favor of a version where a tree deflected the Imperial vehicle's blast. While the instruction manual for the toy identifies it as part of Kenner's Star Wars: Ewoks line, the box art labels it as part of the Star Wars: The Power of the Force series instead. Catalogs and prototype proof sheets indicate that the company originally intended to release the vehicle for both lines.
A 1985 television commercial for the Ewoks toy line prominently featured the battle wagon. A group of Duloks led by Gorneesh had trapped Logray in a wooden cage. However, Wicket W. Warrick led Chirpa and Paploo into the Duloks' territory from a vantage point within the eye socket of the battle wagon's ceremonial skull. Although the Dulok scouts fled, the shaman Umwak cast a magic spell that animated nearby trees to attack the siege weapon. However, the bewitched plants proved no match for the war wagon's battering ram. Umwak then caused a groundquake to create a chasm between the Duloks and Ewoks; nevertheless, the wagon's front ramp lowered, allowing the Ewoks to cross the ravine. The defeated Duloks retreated, allowing the Ewoks to free the Ewok shaman.
The siege weapon appeared in "Wicket's Wagon," an episode of the Ewoks animated cartoon series that originally aired on November 9, 1985. Due to the lengthy animation production process, it remains unclear whether the cartoon series' producers drew inspiration for the siege weapon from Kenner's toy or vice versa. Writer Jon Bradley Snyder has cited "Wicket's Wagon" as a highlight of the series due to its "great animated sequences," and authors Robin Pronovost and Daniel Wallace have listed it as a prime example of Dulok villainy. Dragon Picture Books, a publisher based in the United Kingdom, released a storybook adaptation of "Wicket's Wagon" in 1987. Tales from the Endor Woods, a 2004 DVD compilation, also included the episode. Several discrepancies exist between the animated battle wagon and its plastic counterpart; for instance, the cartoon device used three forked pieces to support its battering ram, while the toy used only two.
Later reference works mention or describe the battle wagon. Indeed, The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia included two separate entries on the siege weapon, once as the "Ewok battle wagon" and again as the "war wagon." Stephen J. Sansweet in Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive questioned the commonly asserted connection between the battle wagon's tusked skull ornament and the bantha species, given that banthas are native to the planet Tatooine. Nevertheless, this article adheres to the majority of sources that identify the skull ornament as originating from a bantha.
Kenner's battle wagon playset experienced a second life in 1992 as part of the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves action figure line, which was based on the feature film directed by Kevin Reynolds. Kenner redecorated the wagon to align with the medieval English theme of the film. For example, the new battle wagon included a catapult that fit on its upper deck in place of the bantha skull. The catapult itself was also a repurposed Ewok weapon from the Star Wars license.