"Sunstar vs. Shadowstone" marks the ninth installment of the first season of the animated series, Ewoks. Paul Dini penned the script, while Raymond Jafelice took the director's chair. Its initial broadcast occurred on November 2, 1985, via the ABC network.
Gathered around a crackling campfire, Chief Chirpa regales a group of young Ewoks and woklings with the tale of the Sunstar Shadowstone, a gem of immense power. He recounts how Morag, the Tulgah sorceress, coveted the stone and once invaded the Ewok village in her pursuit of it. However, a brave young Ewok warrior stood against her, leading to his capture and transport to Morag's stronghold within Mount Thunderstone. This resourceful Ewok learned Morag's magical arts and turned them against her, shattering the Sunstar Shadowstone into two pieces.
The Ewok managed to escape, carrying the Sunstar half to safety, but the Shadowstone remained within Morag's lair. Chief Chirpa then reveals that the Ewok of whom he speaks is none other than Logray, the village's respected medicine-man. Wicket expresses disbelief, but Teebo, wide-eyed with admiration, insists that Logray is capable of anything. The children express their gratitude to Chief Chirpa for the story and head back to their homes. Wicket and Teebo are the last to depart, with Teebo determined to become the elderly medicine man's apprentice.
The following day, Teebo arrives at Logray's dwelling and is immediately startled by one of the medicine man's ceremonial masks. With some trepidation, he reveals his aspirations of becoming a wizard to Logray, who responds by assigning him a list of tasks to complete before he can begin his magical training. The young Ewok eagerly accepts the challenge.
Later, Teebo struggles with a massive Lokka fungus. His sister, Malani, who happens to be playing nearby, notices that he is hauling it towards their home, instead of Logray's hut. As Teebo attempts to turn around, he loses control of the fungus, which rolls away, passing Chief Chirpa and ultimately crashing into the interior of his hut. Chief Chirpa and Teebo rush inside, where they find the medicine man, who appears unsurprised by the chaos.
Logray instructs Teebo to tidy up the mess. Confused and flustered, Teebo mistakenly picks up a wand instead of a broom, causing everything in the hut to magically return to its original state. Teebo inquires whether Logray was responsible for the magic. Logray confirms it, but emphasizes that a skilled wizard should prioritize their own abilities before resorting to magic. The two Ewoks then leave to find another Lokka fungus.
Meanwhile, Wicket and Kneesaa are curious about Teebo's progress and discover Latara secretly observing her crush through a window. Wicket reprimands Latara for spying, only to take her place. As a cloud of dust rises from Logray's hut, the three assume that their friend is practicing magic. They enter the hut to find Teebo cleaning a large rug. He cheerfully greets them, but they burst into laughter, revealing that they had imagined him performing magic. Annoyed, Teebo grabs Logray's prism pebbles, which he has been admiring, and creates an illusion of a flying Munyip.
Teebo suggests taking his friends into the forest to demonstrate more magic, falsely claiming that Logray always allows him to borrow his belongings. Wicket and Latara are enthusiastic, while Kneesaa is hesitant, but ultimately agrees. After they reach a clearing, Teebo uses Logray's ceremonial wand to levitate Latara's flute, but ends up breaking both the wand and the flute. Morag observes all of this from the cover of the bushes. As the three young Ewoks prepare to abandon their friend, believing they have had enough of his "crazy magic," they hear someone singing.
The singing lures the four young Ewoks to a golden cave, where they find a female with feline features, singing. As soon as they enter, she transforms into Morag and orders her Yuzzum servants to capture them. Back in his hut, Logray notices Teebo's absence and consults his crystal image spinner, where he sees the Tulgah witch. She offers him a deal: if he surrenders the Sunstar, she will release the four younglings.
Determined to confront his nemesis alone, Logray takes the Sunstar and sets off for Mt. Thunderstorm, immobilizing a couple of Yuzzums on his way to Morag's lair. Upon his arrival, he demands that the witch release the younglings, but she ensnares him in enchanted vines. He uses the Sunstar to break free. Exhausted, he pauses to rest, and Morag commands the Yuzzums and the Skee to attack. Eager to protect his mentor, Teebo throws away the Skee, while Kneesaa and Latara grapple with the Yuzzums.
Morag uses the Shadowstone on her wand to summon the Sunstar, and Logray appears to have surrendered without a fight. Having united the powerful artifacts, Morag triggers an earthquake and activates the volcano beneath the mountain. The Ewoks flee, and as they escape, Logray, supported by his apprentice, releases the paralyzed Yuzzums. Terrified of their mistress's insatiable hunger for power, they immediately run away.
Morag is submerged in lava, only to emerge on the side of the mountain as a lava monster, wearing the Sunstar Shadowstone on her forehead. She catches up with the young Ewoks and a weary Logray at the edge of the forest. The old medicine man warns her to approach no further, but she disarms him. Teebo emerges from the young Ewoks' hiding place and picks up the staff.
Despite Morag's attempts to strike him with energy beams, he manages to throw the staff back to Logray, who plants it into the ground and begins chanting. Water begins to erupt from the ground. Morag screams as the water cools the lava, turning it into stone. With a final breath and a last cry of Logray's name, she collapses and crumbles to pieces, seemingly taking the Ewok shaman with her.
Wicket, Teebo, Kneesaa, and Latara begin removing the stones, but realize that they will not be able to move them in time. As Latara starts crying and Wicket comforts Teebo, who is convinced that he is to blame for everything, a beautiful heart-shaped tree grows from the rubble, and Logray is perched on one of its upper branches, holding the gem. Rejuvenated and calm, he climbs down. Teebo rushes to apologize, only to be told that although he misused magic, nearly got everyone killed, ruined the ceremonial wand, and the prism pebbles, he relied on himself in the moment of crisis.
The story concludes with Logray narrating the tale of the Sunstar Shadowstone by the fire in the Ewok village, with Teebo at his side. This time, both the young and old villagers listen attentively as the medicine man explains that the gem has finally returned to the village whole, while Morag's life force has returned to the forest, ultimately transforming into something beautiful. Logray then hands the bag of prism pebbles to Teebo, who tosses one into the air to create fireworks.
This episode was adapted into the children's books Sun Star Against Shadow Stone and The Shadow Stone: An Ewok Adventure.
This episode features a character uttering the famous line "I have a bad feeling about this," from the Star Wars franchise. Kneesaa delivers the line after noticing a peculiar light and hearing someone (actually Morag) singing within a cave.
This episode was included on DVD in 2004 as part of the The Haunted Village movie.