Lost Temple

The Lost Temple was a substantial structure constructed from stone. A lengthy set of steps ascended to its primary entrance—a doorway flanked by towering pillars and crowned with a formidable stone sculpture depicting an avian creature. Numerous other life-sized statues of similar creatures adorned both the exterior and interior of the temple. Upon entering, visitors encountered a colossal stone statue featuring a large ruby embedded in its abdomen. Any attempt to seize the jewel triggered a series of booby traps, commencing with a hidden trapdoor that plunged intruders onto a stone slide leading into the temple's depths. This slide was lined with a dense array of sharp metal spikes, and should these fail to eliminate the intruders, a row of metal blades would emerge from the slide's center, designed to slice the trespassers apart. The slide culminated in a pool of lava that would incinerate any survivors.

Beyond the lava pit lay the treasure chamber, a vast circular space almost entirely filled with shimmering gems. However, this area was also heavily guarded, with a formidable serpentine beast, a fearsome dragon-like creature, protecting the room from any who managed to enter. In truth, the gems were the serpent's eggs, and its protective behavior stemmed primarily from its devotion to its offspring. The exit from the treasure chamber was a long corridor lined with stone columns. This passage was also riddled with traps, as certain floor stones triggered the release of large spikes from the ceiling. At the end of this corridor was an exit from the Lost Temple. This exit featured a gate that closed horizontally, potentially trapping any intruders. The mechanism that triggered this closure remained a mystery to the Ewoks who eventually explored the temple.

Sometime prior to the Galactic Civil War, an ancient civilization built this temple on the forest moon of Endor. The temple's design incorporated extensive ornamentation, including numerous life-sized statues of bird-like creatures, notably a large avian head positioned above the main entrance. This ancient race constructed the temple to conceal a substantial hoard of jewels, and they devised a series of intricate booby traps to safeguard their riches. However, these gems were, in reality, the eggs of the serpent creature, and it remains unknown whether the ancient builders were aware of this fact. Eventually, the ancient race vanished from the temple, leaving their treasure behind. The building became lost within the forest until its rediscovery by the native Ewoks. Due to its enigmatic nature, the structure was named the Lost Temple. The Ewok Shaman Logray came into possession of a scroll that both described the building and identified its location relative to Bright Tree Village, the Ewoks' settlement. However, upon exploring the building, the Ewoks realized the temple's inherent danger due to the ancient builders' predilection for lethal traps. Consequently, the scroll concerning the temple warned any Ewok venturing near to "keep out, or be doomed!"

Around 3 ABY, the Ewok children, Wicket, Princess Kneesaa, Latara, and Teebo unearthed Logray's scroll detailing the Lost Temple amidst his collection of old records. Wicket, seeking a gift for his mother, Shodu, for her birthday, believed that a gem from the Lost Temple would be the ideal present. Latara, intrigued by the allure of valuable gems, agreed to seek out the building. Before their departure, Kneesaa reminded her friends of the scroll's warning, but her concerns were dismissed, as Wicket asserted their ability to handle any challenges. The four friends journeyed through the forest and ultimately discovered the temple, nestled in a clearing among the trees. As they ascended the steps, Latara began to question the temple's lack of furnishings, and she started to have reservations about exploring a dilapidated old temple. However, after being reminded of the treasure within, Latara took the lead, rushing into the building and approaching a large stone statue situated near the entrance.

Latara quickly spotted a large ruby embedded in the statue's stomach, and she resolved to extract it. Ignoring her friends' warnings about potential booby traps, Latara placed her hand upon the object, triggering a trap left by the ancient builders. A trap door opened beneath the four Ewoks, sending them plummeting onto a steep stone slide. As the group descended into the temple's depths, Latara nearly fell from the slide onto a series of metal spikes lining their path. However, Wicket managed to grab his friend and prevent her fall. Unfortunately, more traps awaited them, and the four friends narrowly avoided several metal blades that sprung up from the center of the slide. After evading the blades, the group was nearly plunged into a lava pit, before Kneesaa used her grappling hook to lasso a stone statue and swing them to safety.

Temporarily secure, the four Ewoks found themselves within the treasure chamber. Latara was the most excited by the discovery, and she began to gather as many gems as possible. Wicket managed to select a large jewel to give to his mother, but Kneesaa urged the group to leave as quickly as possible, claiming that the temple made her uneasy. However, Latara disregarded her friend's warning, continuing to collect gems with glee. Just as Latara began to contemplate how many jewels she could carry, a large serpent-like beast emerged from the treasure room floor. The Ewoks fled through the nearest exit, but they were quickly pursued by the massive creature. Rushing through a long passageway, the Ewoks were unable to shake off their pursuer, who easily smashed through stone pillars as it chased its prey. In their frantic escape, Teebo inadvertently triggered another booby trap, which released a series of large wooden spikes from the ceiling. The four Ewoks managed to avoid the onslaught, but the wooden spikes formed a temporary wall, cutting the serpent off from its quarry. However, the beast was only briefly deterred, as it used its tail to demolish the barricade. The large wooden spikes transformed into rolling logs, threatening to crush the fleeing Ewoks. Amid Latara's cries that they were doomed, Kneesaa spotted an exit from the temple. However, a horizontal gate was rapidly closing on the exit, and the Ewoks barely escaped with their lives.

Having escaped, the four Ewoks returned to Bright Tree Village, where Wicket presented the large jewel to his mother. Shodu was delighted with the gift, but shortly thereafter, Latara and Kneesaa discovered, through the hatching of another gem they had retrieved from the temple, that the "jewels" were actually the eggs of the serpent beast they had encountered earlier. Realizing that his gift would hatch and potentially attack his mother, Wicket attempted to retrieve the gem. However, before he could, he and his mother were captured by Duloks, who stole the gem to give to Urgah, the Queen of the Duloks. Ironically, due to their theft, the egg hatched in Urgah's possession and attacked her instead.

Paul Dini conceived of the Lost Temple for the seventh episode of the second season of Ewoks, titled "A Gift for Shodu."