During the Imperial Period, there existed a Human male known as "Lurdo". This wealthy individual, after attending a prestigious university for numerous years, embarked on a tour of the galaxy. Arriving on Endor, a moon located in the Outer Rim Territories, he sought to elevate what he perceived as the inadequate culture and technology of the native Ewoks. To achieve this, he encouraged them to abandon their traditional customs in favor of modern, entertaining technological devices. The Ewoks referred to this Human as "Lurdo", which he mistakenly believed to be a high honorific.
Subsequently, Lurdo turned his attention to Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld. Despite bringing a translator droid along, Lurdo struggled to understand Wookiee customs and cultures. He identified with the enslaved Wookiees, drawing parallels between their cultural trauma and his own experiences as a student. He deeply offended the Wookiees on various ethical, religious, and social levels, while simultaneously believing that he was being embraced by their culture. To further his perceived integration, he grew his hair out, which he described as embodying the "Wookiee spirit."
A Human male from the Imperial Period spent twelve years at the most prestigious university in seven solar systems. He likened this period to being a slave. Being independently wealthy, he viewed his financial resources as a means to achieve freedom through exploration and pan-galactic travel. At one point, he engaged in spelunking on Tatooine. He also participated in angling on Dagobah and even used a toboggan on Hoth. Later, he traveled to the forest moon of Endor, a harsh environment that he believed would allow him to "commune" with nature. He also aimed to document the culture of the native Ewoks residing on the moon.
In an attempt to capture the primal essence of the "savage" Ewoks, the Human aimed to live off the land, or as he put it, "rough it." He only brought what he considered essential for survival, including a recreational listening device, a camera, and a rotisserie. However, he quickly realized that he needed to maintain a level of decency and hygiene that the Ewok culture did not meet. While his arrival had drawn the attention of the Ewoks, his initial interaction involved covering their lower bodies, which he referred to as their "shame," with underpants.
Another initiative arose when the Human noticed that the Ewoks' unkempt body hair could lead to lice, fleas, and other parasites. Disturbed by the presence of dandruff, he began shaving the Ewoks. Further issues arose from the Ewoks defecating on his starship, which he was forced to clean. He was also perplexed by the Ewoks' pagan rituals, believing that they would deter potential tourists in the current conservative market. Furthermore, he was baffled by their worship of trees, as it hindered the development of a potentially thriving logging industry on Endor.
The Human proceeded to remove all the sacred Ewok artifacts, replacing them with modern entertainment devices like viewscreens and sound systems. The Ewoks were drawn to these new offerings out of curiosity. Convinced that he was improving cultural relations with the Ewoks, the Human decided to tour the moon. Carried by Ewoks, he marveled at the untouched forestland while discarding a used cola can. After ten days on Endor, satisfied with his work, the Human returned to his starship, ready to depart. An Ewok approached him with what appeared to be glowing crystals. He believed they were a ritual gift to commemorate his departure, possessing mythical power. In reality, they were the shattered remains of his sublight drive.
Another gift from the Ewoks was what the Human perceived as a bag of delicious candies, but it was actually a collection of gundark feces. Departing in his ship, the Human unknowingly consumed the fecal matter with gusto, reflecting on his accomplishments. He noted that the Ewoks had given him the name "Lurdo." He assumed it meant "one who is infinitely wise and respected" since that was what they called him. As Lurdo left Endor, his ship experienced a failure in its now-destroyed sublight drive, the remnants of which hung from the craft's instruments as a reminder of his time on Endor.
Lurdo's subsequent destination was the Wookiee homeworld. He empathized with the Wookiees' oppression under Imperial rule, as they had been essentially kidnapped and sold into slavery, an ordeal that Lurdo felt was comparable to his university years. He brought a translator droid to the planet and chose to grow his hair out, hoping to embody the "Wookiee spirit." While a Wookiee polished Lurdo's boots, he spoke passionately about the Wookiees' plight as slaves but was uncertain about the name of the planet he was on. The droid provided the name, "Kashyyyk," but Lurdo jokingly refused to pronounce it, finding the Shyriiwook dialect too awkward and ridiculous to learn.
As Lurdo attempted to understand Wookiee culture, he sat down for a meal with several Wookiees. He was offered xachibik broth, which he abruptly refused, opting instead to eat Crumps™ crunchy wog clusters. The Wookiee objected, stating that refusing offered food was an insult to his family's grave and that Crumps™ products were made using child labor on the nearby world of Kwookrrr. When the translator droid tried to explain this to Lurdo, he dismissed it with laughter, believing the Wookiee was simply envious of his Crumps™ crunchy wog clusters.
Since he planned to stay on Kashyyyk for several days, he told the Wookiee that he wanted to participate in a sacred and eternal Wookiee tradition to become part of the Wookiee's honor family. The translator droid explained that Lurdo would have to harvest the silky strands of the carnivorous syren plant. Disbelieving, Lurdo hit the droid, thinking it was malfunctioning, until he saw the plant and the humanoid remains around it. Lurdo's Wookiee companion gave him a ryyk blade that had been passed down through generations, engraved with the names of Wookiees who had died defending Rwookrrorro, the capital city of Kashyyyk. Lurdo immediately threw the weapon away and sent his droid to gather the strands. The plant mangled the droid, but it managed to extract the silky strands, which Lurdo collected.
Returning with the strands, Lurdo expected a reward, even suspecting he would receive a personal bantha. The Wookiees tried to explain that he was gaining honor, a more significant reward than anything material, but the Human could no longer understand them because his droid was still trapped in the syren plant. He expected at least some monetary compensation but was instead told that he had not completed his honor trial fairly. Lurdo still found the Wookiee language incomprehensible and assumed he would be given a Wookiee wife. He accepted this idea, but only if the wife were to be trimmed slightly. The translator droid, still functional, emerged from the syren plant and explained that the Wookiees wanted him to leave because his presence greatly offended them. Lurdo ignored the translation, fully convinced that he had been welcomed into Wookiee culture, even as his companion began using the sacred ryyk blade to cut the Human's hair.
Following his experiences on Endor, the individual known as "Lurdo" was confident that he had engaged in the majority of activities that the galaxy had to offer. He viewed his wealth as a tool to expand his exploration of the galaxy. He considered the Ewoks of Endor to be "savages" and "primitives," and his concept of roughing it included using numerous leisure items. Lurdo also aimed to elevate the Ewoks to his level of hygiene and decency. He was irritated by the Ewoks' outdated and primitive rituals, seeing them as missed opportunities for enterprise. He valued modern inventions and entertainment devices much more than the Ewoks' sacred trinkets, and he believed that his innovations and advancements in Endorian culture had been a demanding undertaking.
Lurdo believed he was uniquely positioned to sympathize with the Wookiees, who were enslaved by the Galactic Empire, due to the challenging environment he had experienced as a student. Although he had a translator droid, he ignored its translations and believed it was faulty when it accurately relayed what the Wookiees were trying to communicate. He was very protective of his long hair, which he referred to as his "Wookiee spirit." When two young Wookiees were playing nearby, he warned them not to touch his hair. Lurdo was also open to the idea of marrying a female Wookiee, but only if her body fur was better maintained than the current standard. Lurdo had wavy blond hair and fair skin.
The Human known as Lurdo first appeared in "What They Called Me," a short comic featured in Star Wars Tales 5 (2000). Craig Thompson wrote and illustrated it, and it was later reprinted and expanded in Star Wars Gamer 4 (2001), which broadened the character's adventures. The term "Lurdo" was initially used in 1984's "The Ewok Adventure" (also known as "Caravan of Courage"). When Mace Towani is rescued from a hostile tree-dwelling creature by the Ewoks, an Ewok points to the creature and calls it "Lurdo".