In 1997, the edgy science fiction magazine, Sci-Fi Universe, ran a cover story with the headline: “Fifty Reasons We Hate Return of the Jedi.” And yes, the Ewoks were pretty high on this list. The point is, even 14 years after the release of Jedi, it was fairly common in geek circles to dismiss the Ewoks. Even Dune director and hardcore Star Wars fan Denis Villeneuve still feels that the Ewoks ruined everything. “It turned out to be a comedy for kids,” Villeneuve said of his dislike of the Ewoks as recently as 2024. The basic complaint, whether in 1983, 1997, or today, is that the Ewoks are cutesy, silly, and overall, undercut the weight and importance of what was initially the final chapter in the Star Wars saga. George Lucas was seemingly even a bit embarrassed about the Ewoks, because in 1997, the infamous ending “Yub Nub” jam was replaced by a new orchestral, classier, less Ewok-ish composition from John Williams.
And yet, the Ewoks abide. Despite not appearing in any other live-action Star Wars movies outside of Return of the Jedi (really!), the memory of the Ewoks is very near and dear to a huge swath of the fandom, which is why the return of the Ewoks in the new Star Wars: Visions episode “The Duel: Payback” will, for many, feel like a long-awaited redemption.
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Star Wars: Visions Season 3.
Of the nine new shorts in Visions Season 3, “The Duel: Payback” is perhaps the second most hardcore, the first being the trippy and unflinching Stormtrooper tale, “DARK.” Like its 2021 predecessor, “The Duel,” the tone and style of “The Duel: Payback” is gritty, exciting, and both literally and thematically, a story about the shades of grey within the Star Wars galaxy. There are several other episodes of Visions Season 3, which one might call “cute” or even “cutesy.” But “The Duel: Payback,” with its demented Cyborg Jedi and hardcore battle sequences, is not among the softer Visions episodes. And yet, it is the only episode that features Ewoks.
In a kind of sideways homage to Return of the Jedi, a band of Ewoks assists the lone ex-Sith warrior Ronin as he teams up with another former Sith to battle a corrupted, twisted Jedi, intent on revenge. The Ewoks in “The Duel: Payback” employ many tactics that they busted out in Return of the Jedi, though here, they are decidedly more effective. The mostly grey animation style of “The Duel: Payback” also makes these Ewoks seem more menacing, and you’re reminded of the fact that prior to Luke using the Force to levitate C-3PO, the Ewoks were planning to cook and eat Han, Luke, Chewbacca, and, seemingly, R2-D2. (Eating droids? Oh, Ewoks, you are nasty!)
Don’t mess with the Ewoks.
“The Duel: Payback” picks up on the deadly, savage nature of the Ewoks, but, refreshingly, doesn’t redesign them or make them look scarier or something. These are attack Ewoks, to be sure, but they’re still cute as hell, even though they’re absolutely tearing through the opposition. The status quo of both installments of “The Duel” seems to take place in a kind of twisted alternate timeline of Star Wars, in which the Jedi seem to still exist, the Sith “Rule of Two” may not have ever existed, and all the familiar vehicles and tech are pretty much the same.
So, this means these are canonical Ewoks. They’re not reimagined. The context is simply different, and the style is more extreme. You wouldn’t want an 8-year-old thinking these are the only versions of the Ewoks, but if that same 8-year-old did see these Ewoks, and they knew about Ewoks already, they wouldn’t be confused at all.
Overall, “The Duel: Payback” probably presents the coolest versions of the Ewoks ever. Obviously, none of this could have existed without Return of the Jedi, but with this Visions short, director Takanobu Mizuno and artists Takashi Okazaki from Kamikaze Doug have raised the bar well beyond “Yub nub,” and there’s probably no going back.
