For my English 100 class at UW we have to somehow contribute to a discussion on our topic in a public forum. I wrote my research paper on the Endor Holocaust. Here is a rough draft. Feel free to rip it apart, give positive/negative feedback.

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My favorite scene in the original Star Wars trilogy is the celebration scene at the end of Return of the Jedi. The Ewoks and the Rebels celebrate in the Ewok Village the destruction of the Death Star, the death of Emperor Palpatine, and the beginning of the end of the Galactic Empire. It is a storybook happy ending—Darth Vader’s suit is burning and Yoda, Anakin, and Obi-Wan are all one with the Force. But how happy is this ending? The Ewoks inhabited the forest moon of Endor. They assisted the Rebel Strike in destroying a shield generator that provided a deflector shield around the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi. The Rebels proceeded to destroy the Death Star and paved the way for the victory over the Galactic Empire (Endor). Scholars and Star Wars enthusiasts alike are debating over whether or not fallout from the destruction of the Death Star would cause an “Endor Holocaust” and lead to the extinction of the Ewoks. Although astrophysicist Curtis Saxton and his followers, the Saxtonites, believe the Endor Holocaust is inevitable at the end of the Return of the Jedi, it was not the intention of the creators of Star Wars for the destruction of the second Death Star to lead to the extinction of the beloved Ewoks.

            The forest moon of Endor is the gravesite for both Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine, two of the most important Jedis from the Dark Side and leaders for the Imperials (the bad guys). The Imperials were using Endor as a secret building site for the second Death Star. The original Death Star was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance at the end of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. A shield generator located on the surface of Endor provided a reflector shield around the Death Star. This reflector shield was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance during the Battle of Endor with the assistance of the Ewoks (Endor). The destruction of the Death Star lead to the beginning of the end of the Imperial Alliance. Obviously, Endor and its furry inhabitants were a very important part of the original Star Wars films. No Star Wars fan wants to have their childhood dreams of a happy ending at the end of Return of the Jedi shattered by the idea of the entire race of cuddly and loveable Ewoks becoming extinct in an Endor Holocaust. 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word “holocaust” as “a sacrifice wholly consumed by fire; a whole burnt offering; a complete sacrifice or offering; complete consumption by fire, or that which is so consumed; complete destruction, esp. of a large number of persons; a great slaughter or massacre” (Holocaust). When considering any of these definitions, the word “holocaust” means that there was some sort of intent to sacrifice or completely destroy something or someone. “Sacrifice,” “slaughter,” and “massacre” are all words that imply intent. Therefore, to claim that the possible extinction of life on Endor is a holocaust would imply that someone intended for this to happen. Certainly the Rebel Alliance would never intend to wipe out an entire innocent planet. They are the good guys. The Imperial Alliance never intended for the Death Star to ever be destroyed. They had an advanced protective shield around it and it was meant to be bait for the Rebel Alliance (Endor). In either case, neither party intended to wipe out the forest moon of Endor. Thus, holocaust would be the wrong term to describe this hypothetical situation.

Curtis Saxton’s web page about the Endor Holocaust on the Star Wars Technical Commentaries web site argues that the destruction of the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor would have lead to the extermination of life on the forest moon of Endor, including the adorable Ewoks. Curtis Saxton is a theoretical astrophysicist who works as a postdoctoral researcher. He has also contributed to reference books in the licensed franchise of Star Wars (Saxton Home Page). Saxton sites only canonical evidence to support his claims. Canonical evidence includes only the films and their adaptations. Any other forms of unfilmed Star Wars fiction may be considered “official” if it is subordinate to canon and is consistent with all other official works. His claims are based on the theoretical atmospheric conditions of Endor after the explosion, the Death Star’s low orbit to Endor, debris from the explosion, and a “nuclear-winter effect” that would happen as a result.  The atmosphere of Endor would be filled with smoke and fallout, causing a nuclear-winter effect. A nuclear-winter is when atmospheric dust blocks light from the sun from reaching the surface, causes a plummet in temperature, and makes a planet unlivable. This nuclear-winter would be similar to what scientists believe may have happened to our own planet after the impact of an asteroid hit the earth’s surface and caused the mass extinction of major life, including the dinosaurs (Saxton).  He argues that debris from the explosion, radiation, and the Death Star’s low orbit of Endor would cause the extinction of all life on the moon (Saxton). This would be the case based on the evidence he has provided, perhaps Saxton is just a debbie-downer who was trying to stir controversy in the Star Wars world.

Gary Sarli wrote an essay rebutting Saxton’s ideas called “The Truth about the ‘Endor Holocaust.’” Gary Sarli is a contributor to the Star Wars Role Playing Game from Wizards of the Coast. His argument is that Saxton’s conclusions are not supported by canonical evidence and an “Endor Holocaust” could not have happened. Sarli also uses the film as his main reference for countering Saxton’s claims. He recalculates the size and orbit of the Death Star, and refers to movie set blueprints and official reference material for official data. Any post Return of the Jedi canon that shows Endor does not show any evidence of this Endor Holocaust (Sarli).

Saxton claims that at the end of Return of the Jedi, there is visible evidence of debris and clouds caused by the fallout from the Death Star. Sarli’s argument is that any clouds in the atmosphere would have been caused by the fireworks that were dropped by Rebel star ships. According to Sarli, there is no visible evidence of any catastrophic damage near the Ewok village in the celebratory scene at the end of the film. By the time of this scene, it is nighttime and it was daytime during the battle of Endor. The Ewoks and Rebels are celebrating not only the destruction of the Death Star, but also the death of Emperor Palpatine. It would have taken at least several hours for word of the Emperor’s death to travel to Endor. During these hours, no visible damage occurs. This provides evidence about the size and proximity of the Death Star to Endor that is contrasting to Saxton’s calculations (Sarli). After watching this scene in Return of the Jedi again, I have to agree with Sarli. You can see the Rebel planes dropping fireworks in celebration of the massive victory for the Rebel Alliance, but there is no falling debris—no large explosions from large pieces of the Death Star plummeting to the surface of Endor. So where did this massive star destroyer go?

Sarli discusses a theory about what happened to the debris from the Death Star that was contrived by the Star Wars franchise to quiet any rumors of an “Endor Holocaust.” The Glove of Darth Vader, a book written after the original films were released, discusses the idea that there is a wormhole located near Endor that transported anything that entered it’s path to the other end of the galaxy. This theory could be used to explain where all of the debris went after the destruction of the Death Star, and it also supports that the destruction of the Death Star may have actually caused the formation of the wormhole (Sarli). In my opinion, however, it seems like a very convenient theory that was created by the Star Wars franchise to quell any thoughts that would make their film seem imperfect—or to quiet the extremists with too much time on their hands.

            Another way that the Star Wars franchise has tried to explain the “Endor Holocaust” is by claiming that this idea is merely “foul propaganda spread by Imperial loyalists” (Baker). Even though Sarli and other Star Wars fans argue with all of their might in numerous nerd forums against the tragic idea of an Endor Holocaust, Saxton’s writing has undoubtedly been influential in the Star Wars world.  The Endor Holocaust has been integrated into comic books as Imperial propaganda with the purpose of making the Rebel Alliance appear to have intended to trick the Ewoks into helping them when they knew that the destruction of the Death Star would cause the extinction of life on Endor (Baker). Luckily, true Star Wars fans know that the Rebels would never do something so malicious, and the Imperials are known for being manipulative and evil.

            Saxton is a credible individual in the world of astrophysics, so I believe that if his calculations are correct, the Endor Holocaust is possible and probable. However, his calculations may not have been correct (Sarli). Sarli quotes a Star Wars Insider column that says “sometimes science needs to be thrown out the window…it’s only a movie.” I agree with the columnist. The Return of the Jedi was intended to be a joyful conclusion to an epic trilogy. Saxton, his followers, and Sarli, for that matter, should leave it at that. It is a fantasy film that has been beloved by people of all ages for over thirty years. George Lucas intended for the Rebels and their Ewok friends to live happily ever after. In the end, the good guys defeat the bad guys, and the audience is happy.

Thanks for reading this. May the Force be with you.

Yeah this is really long, I wouldn't expect anyone to actually read it.