We rank the 50 most memorable Star Wars deaths ever

15. Ewoks

When Did They Die: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi

Who Were They: A small race of tree-dwelling teddy bears on the forest moon of Endor

How Did They Die: Blasted, stomped on and generally ravaged by Imperial stormtroopers

Remember when we talked about asymmetrical warfare? There’s nothing more asymmetrical than recruiting a race of teddy bears to help you take down the galactic government. And that’s precisely what the Alliance when a small group of special forces landed on Endor’s moon to take out the second Death Star’s shield generator.

Even if the Ewoks involvement was more a matter of convenience than anything else, it still shows off another small wrinkle of advantage the Rebels had as they fought their oppressors.

The Empire maintained a very strict policy of racism when it came to the plethora of other, non-human species in the galaxy. In their eyes, they were simply inferior to humans and weren’t worth much more than the value that could be derived from enslaving them. Which is what made the Ewoks so successful against the stormtroopers that attempted to ambush the Rebels. The Empire simply didn’t think highly enough about any given non-human race and thus were not prepared when they came up against log traps, rock slings and primitive clubs.

The Ewoks paid for all their cunning, however. Scores were killed by the storm trooper’s blasters and AT-ST walkers. Yes, even in the throes of death the Ewoks were adorable, but their sacrifice was instrumental in the Alliance’s eventual victory in and around Endor’s orbit.

Next: 14. AT-AT