On the moon of Endor, lived an Ewok named Nanta, who belonged to the Bright Tree tribe. During the events of 4 ABY, Nanta participated in a scouting mission. This mission led to the discovery of a group of rebel outsiders ensnared in one of the tribe's net traps. The Ewoks, surrounding the trapped individuals, proceeded to disarm them. In this process, Nanta managed to seize the bowcaster of the Wookiee, Chewbacca. Subsequently, Nanta and his fellow Ewoks prostrated themselves before the protocol droid C-3PO, mistakenly identifying him as the deity known as the Golden One.
As a young Ewok, Nanta struggled with traditional skills such as crafting spears and identifying the local flora of Endor. Instead, he found himself drawn to the mysteries of the cosmos. During a plant identification lesson led by Logray, Logray recognized Nanta's potential as a storyteller. Inspired, Nanta began to write stories on a small tree near the village.
The scouting party escorted the offworlders back to Bright Tree Village, where they eventually became integrated into the tribe. The Ewoks then pledged their assistance in the fight against the Galactic Empire on Endor. The following day, the Ewoks guided the rebels to an Imperial shield bunker, which the offworlders planned to infiltrate. However, the rebels were captured in an Imperial ambush. In response, the Ewoks launched an attack on the Imperial forces stationed at the bunker. During this fierce battle, Nanta suffered a fatal wound from a blast fired by an All Terrain Scout Transport. Romba, a close friend of the Ewok, knelt by his side, embracing Nanta as he passed away.
Nanta was a member of the Bright Tree tribe, an Ewok community residing in Bright Tree Village on the [forest](/article/forest] moon of Endor. In 4 ABY, he accompanied a scouting party, led by the warrior Teebo, on an expedition from the village into the surrounding forest. The party stumbled upon a group of offworlders entangled in one of the Ewoks' net traps. Concealing themselves in the undergrowth, they observed as the captives struggled to free themselves from the suspended net, eventually falling to the forest floor. Nanta and the other Ewoks then emerged from their hiding places, encircling the offworlders. At spearpoint, the Ewoks disarmed the group, with Nanta attempting to wrest the bowcaster from the Wookiee Chewbacca. The pair engaged in a brief struggle over the weapon until the Jedi [Luke Skywalker](/article/luke_skywalker] instructed Chewbacca to relinquish the bowcaster, at which point the Wookiee allowed Nanta to take possession of it.
Subsequently, the offworlders' protocol droid, C-3PO, rose to a seated position for the first time in the presence of the Ewoks, who promptly mistook the droid for the deity known as the Golden One. Nanta and the other Ewoks, falling to their knees, repeatedly bowed before C-3PO while chanting. When the droid's companion, Han Solo, made a move to lunge at him, the Ewoks reared up, weapons at the ready. Following this encounter, the scouting party escorted the offworlders back to Bright Tree Village. C-3PO was carried aloft on a wooden throne, while the others were bound to wooden frames and transported in a similar fashion. Upon arriving at the village, the offworlders were eventually freed and integrated into the tribe after C-3PO recounted tales of their fight against the Galactic Empire.
Chief Chirpa proclaimed that the Bright Tree tribe would support the offworlders, members of the Alliance to Restore the Republic, in their conflict with the Empire. The following day, the Ewoks revealed to the rebels the location of a concealed entrance into an Imperial shield bunker that they were searching for on the moon. The rebels then infiltrated the bunker, only to be ensnared in a trap and escorted back outside to a large assembly of Imperial forces. An army of Ewoks then emerged from the surrounding bushes, launching an assault on the Imperials and enabling the rebels to join them in a battle.
During the intense fighting, Nanta and Romba, a [warrior](/article/soldier] and close companion of Nanta, charged together through the undergrowth as an All Terrain Scout Transport unleashed a barrage of fire. One of the blasts struck the ground near the pair, sending both sprawling. Nanta sustained a fatal wound from the impact, briefly convulsing on the ground before succumbing to his injuries. Romba, regaining his footing, attempted to assist Nanta, but the other Ewok remained motionless. Addressing Nanta in Ewokese, Romba shook the fallen Ewok, but when he received no response, the warrior knelt beside him and began to grieve, embracing his dying friend. The Ewoks and rebels would ultimately triumph over the Empire on Endor, destroying the bunker and subsequently destroying the Death Star II superweapon it had been protecting in orbit above. Ultimately, Romba transformed his story into a ballad, "The Ballad of Nanta".
During his time with the scouting party, Nanta wore a brown hood and carried a spear.
Nanta made his debut appearance in the 1983 original trilogy film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi. Within the current Star Wars canon, the character's identity was revealed in an interview with author Joe Schreiber in the "Red Five" section of Star Wars Insider 150, which was released on June 10, 2014. The name originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where it was first used for a 2012 Hasbro figure of the Ewok. Prior to this, fans had nicknamed the fallen Ewok "Corpsey". Author Benjamin Harper expressed regret for not confirming whether the Ewok's name was "Lana" in the 2008 book Obsessed With Star Wars, as Harper believed that this was what Romba says as the other Ewok tries to pull Nanta from the ground.