Endorian Holocaust?

[JSpaceman]

This frightens me. A lot. Just the fact that anyone even surmised the idea...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endorian_Holocaust

The Endorian Holocaust is the theorized devastation of the fictional forest moon of Endor after the destruction of the second Death Star (in Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi) by the impact of falling debris. It has not been established to have occurred in any canon sources, but rather has been proposed by individuals in fandom as a scientifically inevitable consequence of the events portrayed.

The second Death Star was a sphere of machinery on the order of nine hundred kilometers in diameter, and it was located very close to Endor's forest moon when it exploded. Furthermore, given its close proximity and the moon's relatively Earthlike gravity, it was likely that its geostationary orbit was being artificially maintained. Much of the debris from the explosion would have subsequently rained down on the moon, producing a meteor storm of titanic proportions. The relative tranquility of the region immediately around the former shield generator in the brief celebratory scenes set there after the Death Star's destruction has been attributed to active deflection of debris from this area by Rebel forces, but the Holocaust's ecological effects are predicted to be drastic enough that this would provide only temporary respite even there.

If the Endor Holocaust occurred, it would certainly have lead to the extinction of Ewoks on the forest moon of Endor. However, it has been established in Star Wars comics and novels that some Ewoks had been removed from Endor in the past for use as pets or slaves, so it is possible that the species itself survived even if the holocaust occurred as predicted. It should also be noted that the Return of the Jedi novelization has stated that the Emperor had issued orders that if the Rebel strike force on Endor's moon successfully disabled the shield generator the Death Star should immediately destroy the moon itself, so once the shield generator was disabled (with significant Ewok assistance) the fate of Endor was likely sealed.

Some Expanded Universe sources maintain that Endor was not significantly affected by the destruction of the Death Star and life continues there as normal. One other suggested it was destroyed, but the author have taken pains to paint it as Imperial propaganda, and thus supposedly unreliable, despite it being the scientifically mandated result. Pro-Holocaust debaters speculate that the well-established pro-New Republic bias in most of the literature was responsible for the apparent coverup. Another rationalization involves a rapid and strenuous effort so the planet can regain a semblance of normalcy for its later appearances, though it is not clear where the supposedly resource-strapped Rebel Alliance will find the tools to do so.

An issue of the Star Wars Tales comics, an Imperial veteran of Endor makes an apparent reference to the holocaust theory, after telling the story of his unit's trouble with the Ewoks in bar. Another charcter dismisses it as a myth, saying that most of the Death Stars mass was obliterated in the explosion, and the that the Rebels "took care of the rest."

In the 'Jedi Academy Trilogy', by Kevin J. Anderson, the character of Kyp Duron visits the site of Darth Vader's funeral pyre on Endor. There is no indication given in the planet has suffered any cataclysm.

"Inside the Worlds of Star Wars Trilogy" describes how the Rebels managed to use shields and tractor beams to protect their strike team on Endor, but by possible implication (supported by the title of "The Aftermath of Victory") dooming the rest of the forest moon to the ecological disaster.

The two Ewok telefilms are set on a non-devestated Endor, but it is unclear whether the events depicted occur some time before or after Return of the Jedi.

The core of this argument is one between the inevitable consequences of G-canon versus C-canon. The Pro-Holocaust people use the position of G-canon, and without a mechanism, C-canon cannot override G-canon in direct contradiction. The anti-Holocaust insist that C-canon can override G-canon just because the film didn't show the debris actually hitting Endor, and that it would be uncharacteristic for the Rebel characters to callously celebrate amid a friendly population doomed by their actions.

Some also argue "author's intent", that Lucas did not intend for Endor to die. The pro-Holocaust argument holds that under suspension of disbelief, author's intent did not count, under the assumption that even a non-scientist like Lucas can hardly have thought blowing up his 900km sphere right next to Endor in a manner that clearly produced a fragmentation pattern could possibly be good for it.

The debate continues among die-hard Star Wars fans on the internet, sporadically.

[rocketman70]

HUH?

[thelunarbee]

Funny you should mention this. I think the Ewoks are far more endangered as being hunted to extinction. Back before Christmas, I was doing some shopping and I saw these coats that look suspiciously like they might be made of Ewok hide. They looked really warm.

[rocketman70]

Man, I knew people hated the Ewoks and all, but this is ridiculous.

[thelunarbee]

Originally Posted by rocketman70

Man, I knew people hated the Ewoks and all, but this is ridiculous.

Honestly, back in the day, I liked the Ewoks. I had no idea I was supposed to hate them. So even today I don't really hate them.

[rocketman70]

Originally Posted by thelunarbee

Honestly, back in the day, I liked the Ewoks. I had no idea I was supposed to hate them. So even today I don't really hate them.

I gotta admit, when I was a kid, I liked the Ewoks. Maybe I should post this in the dirty secrets thread.

[thelunarbee]

Originally Posted by rocketman70

I gotta admit, when I was a kid, I liked the Ewoks. Maybe I should post this in the dirty secrets thread.

Haha. Yeah, I was kind of thinking the same thing.

[postfeminist]

*looks in and gawks at the geeks...ducks out before anyone sees her...*

[bjk15]

i never liked the ewoks, even as a kid, but that was more because my younger sister loved them and that movie they had of their own, so naturally i had to hate anything she liked... or something. so what the theory really is saying is that the 'rebels' are still "the man" and they'll still screw over the fair share of people, all right, i could buy that, the jedi are gone and all, so yeah...

[rocketman70]

Originally Posted by bjk15

i never liked the ewoks, even as a kid, but that was more because my younger sister loved them and that movie they had of their own, so naturally i had to hate anything she liked... or something. so what the theory really is saying is that the 'rebels' are still "the man" and they'll still screw over the fair share of people, all right, i could buy that, the jedi are gone and all, so yeah...

Ack, those Ewok movies sucked! I don't know why they bothered!

[ideoplastic]

The binary thread was met with so much of your mockery, yet you post this merely days later...

[The Mad Hater]

I had every Ewok action figure they sold. I only played with the one, though...the one that did all the running around and blowing stuff up with the rebels all cute like. yeah, I liked the Ewoks. I hope they don't die.

[purple_octopus]

Ewoks suck. They were Lucas' marketing strategy to suck in little girls and sell more toys. They suck almost as bad as Jar Jar Binks from Episodes 1 & 2. When we used to play Star Wars, the ewoks always died.

Die ewoks.... die....
::evil grin::

[patio]

HA

I read that as "endocrine holocaust" and thought maybe you were refering to the effect of nuclear holocausts causing tumors in the endocrine glands.

[despondent]

Originally Posted by JSpaceman

This frightens me. A lot. Just the fact that anyone even surmised the idea...

Why can't these people use their analytical skills on something more constructive? Surely people this talented would have figured out how to create a real, working, destructive, and affordable light saber that could be had by the general populace.

[sayer_of_nay]

One of my favorite movies of all time but ummm...please oh please get a freaking life.

secret:its a movie

[rocketman70]

Originally Posted by sayer_of_nay

One of my favorite movies of all time but ummm...please oh please get a freaking life.

secret:its a movie

Right, I'm thinking that's why he started the thread. The fact that someone actually came up w/ this theory amuses/puzzles me. Hardcore star wars geeks are indeed one of a kind.

And then there are those weird music geeks!

[sayer_of_nay]

Pity the fool who is a hardcore wierdo music Star Wars freak.

Wait a sec...I used to jam out to the Return of the Jedi soundtrack on my Fisher Price turntable with my Han Solo Boba Fett action figure.

[hp1]

Save the hate for Jar-Jar, he/she deserves it.

[purple_octopus]

Originally Posted by sayer_of_nay

Pity the fool who is a hardcore wierdo music Star Wars freak.

Wait a sec...I used to jam out to the Return of the Jedi soundtrack on my Fisher Price turntable with my Han Solo Boba Fett action figure.

I still have my Star Wars record tote, and a 12-inch Boba Fett. If you can get your mom to bring you over, I'll set up my Tatooine playset.