Graak (lawbreaker)
- "Keep your peace-loving ways to yourself, Chirpa! I was born to conquer!"
- ―Graak
Graak was an Ewok male who was banished from Bright Tree Village for disobeying its law too many times. During his exile, he met a group of the Lizard Warrior species, and after he taught them fighting skills, they asked him to be their leader. In 3 ABY, the lizards captured two young Ewoks, Wicket Warrick and Teebo, and brought them to a cave where Graak was located.
After trying to escape, the Ewoks were quickly recaptured by Graak. Warrick revealed to Teebo who Graak really was and why he had been banished. He explained to the Ewoks that the only way they would be permitted to go free would be for them to survive being hunted by Graak and the Lizard Warriors. Even though Graak refused to give them weapons of any kind, the Ewoks were able to fend off the warriors. They found the end of the valley that Graak and the Lizard Warriors occupied and prepared to go home to Bright Tree Village.
Graak, however, had been awaiting them, and he began to fight with Warrick. He was able to overpower the young scout, but just before he could defeat Warrick, he was interrupted by the leader of the Lizard Warriors, Joddar, who threatened Graak with a spear; Joddar had turned on the Ewok after Warrick and Teebo had taught him compassion. He then told Graak that he would be allowed to stay in the valley if he wished, but no longer as his leader. Graak declined and went his own way.
Biography
A naughty Ewok
- "You have disobeyed the law for the last time, Graak! We do not fight except in self-defense!"
- ―Chief Chirpa
Years before[1] 3 ABY,[3] Graak lived on the Forest Moon of Endor as part of an Ewok tribe. He disobeyed the Ewok law enough times that he was arrested and brought before Chirpa, the Chief of Bright Tree Village. Chirpa pointed at Graak, chastising him for fighting in instances other than self-defense. Graak insisted that he was born to conquer, and that Chirpa could keep his peace-loving ways for himself.[1]
Chirpa told Graak that his desires would not be fulfilled in Bright Tree Village, and banished him from there to the Valley of the Lizard Warriors. He invited Graak to live as he wished there, mentioning that heaven should help him. He was then led away by an Ewok armed with a spear. Graak's tale would eventually be told to the Ewok Wicket Wystri Warrick. Around that point, Graak met the Lizard Warrior Joddar along with Joddar's men. He taught the Lizard Warriors fighting skills, and in gratitude, they asked him to become their leader.[1]
Capturing the Ewoks
- "Teebo! Look! He's...."
"Yes..an Ewok, just as you both are!" - ―Wicket Warrick and Graak
In 3 ABY,[3] Warrick and fellow young Ewok Teebo were attempting to walk home from a mission when they were captured by Joddar's men, who took them to a cave where Graak was located. Warrick and Teebo were both surprised to see a fellow Ewok there, which Graak acknowledged. Teebo expressed his delight to see Graak, and Warrick asked who the warriors were. Graak told the scouts to rest and enjoy his hospitality, and that their questions would eventually be answered. The Ewoks thanked him as he walked away.[1]
Joddar began to converse with Graak, asking if they were ready to begin. Graak cut him off, warning him not to give them away, but it was too late, as Warrick had heard Joddar say Graak's name. Knowing Graak's past, Warrick convinced Teebo to sneak away from the cave. However, as they ran away, Graak used a whip-like weapon to recapture the Ewoks, laughing at their attempt to get away. Warrick then revealed to Teebo Graak's exile, and their captor claimed that he was honored that Warrick knew of him. Warrick shot back that Chirpa had never spoke of Graak with honor, which reminded Graak of what he had only ever perceived as cowardice from Chirpa.[1]
The Ewok hunt
- "Yes! Survival of the fittest! Prepare for the hunt, my Ewok friends!"
- ―Graak
Graak recounted his banishment, remembering it as though it had occurred just the previous day. Following his story, he told the Ewoks that due to their passing through his valley, they would need to obey his laws. He told them to prepare for the hunt and proceeded to explain it: the Ewoks would be hunted as though they were animals. They would only be allowed to go free if they reached the end of the valley safely. In order to keep the hunt fair, Graak allowed the Ewoks a head start to a totem pole that stood close by. Warrick, also in the interest of a fair hunt, asked if they would receive weapons to defend themselves with. Graak laughed, claiming that peace-loving people had no need for weapons.[1]
After reaching the pole, Warrick and Teebo were barraged with spears by the Lizard Warriors. Graak watched as two of the warriors chased them near a cliff. As the warriors prepared to attack Teebo with their spears, Warrick rolled a tree trunk at them that caused them to fall into the river below. The Ewoks then tried to run away, with Graak ordering the Lizard Warriors to chase after them. Warrick and Teebo were able to launch burr balls[1]—a type of berry[4]—at them, which caused the lizards enough pain to run away. Graak cursed the Ewoks, explaining to Joddar that they were more cunning than he expected. Joddar vowed that he would stop them or die trying.[1]
Joddar was unsuccessful, as he was nearly eaten by an Endorian swamp beast, with Warrick and Teebo saving him. Warrick explained to him that part of their choice to save him was to show that not all Ewoks were like Graak. In order to repay them, Joddar pointed the Ewoks towards the end of the valley. He bid them goodbye, warning them to be wary of Graak. Indeed, as they ran toward the edge of the valley, Graak, who had been hiding behind a bush, again used his whip-like weapon to trip them up, catching and choking Teebo by his neck. He explained that while together, the Ewoks may have had a chance against him, when split apart, he had the advantage. Warrick asked him to let Teebo go, maintaining that they were finished with his hunt.[1]
Graak vs. the Ewoks
- "You see, that is why you will never win! You play by the rules!"
"Then I'll play…by your rules!" - ―Graak and Warrick
Graak pointed out that that was the Ewoks' weakness—they always played by the rules. As though to prove him wrong, Warrick picked up a two-pronged stick and knocked Graak off his feet, pinning his neck against the ground and choking him. Graak begged him to stop, with Warrick only doing so after Graak gave his word that he would allow Warrick and Teebo to leave. However, after being released, Graak immediately broke the truce and threw a handful of dirt in Warrick's eyes. While the young Ewok attempted to regain his vision, Graak told him that he should have finished him when he had the opportunity, and that the difference between them was that he had a "killer instinct."[1]
Just as Graak was about to smash a large rock on Warrick, Joddar arrived and poked his back with a spear, ordering him to stop. He told him that the Ewoks were free to go due to their surviving the hunt, but Graak felt that Joddar had gone too far. He rhetorically asked Joddar if he was not his leader, but Joddar suggested that perhaps the young scouts would do a better job than Graak, as they had taught him something that Graak never had. Graak scoffed, asking what the Ewoks could have taught. Joddar responded that he had learned compassion, and how to help others in need. He told Graak that he would allow for him to stay in the valley, but Graak declined, saying that he cared not for weakness and that he would go his own way, which he did. Graak shared his name with[1] the Ewok spirit Graak.[5]
Personality and traits
- "You should have finished me when you had the chance! But then… that is the difference between you and me… you lack… the killer instinct!"
- ―Graak to Wicket Warrick
Graak felt that he was born to conquer, which resulted in his breaking Ewok law to the point that he was banished. He regarded Chief Chirpa as cowardly, and the Ewok council as a group of "buffoons." During his exile, he was able to convince the Lizard Warriors to take him as their leader for his teaching them fighting skills. After he captured Warrick and Teebo, Graak pretended to be hospitable, asking that they relax and enjoy the food. Graak was willing to hunt young Ewoks even without supplying them with weapons to defend themselves, citing their desire for peace as reasoning for their not needing such tools.[1]
Regardless, the Ewoks were able to escape the hunt, which Graak had dubbed the "survival of the fittest," surprising the criminal. At the end of the hunt, Warrick assumed that Graak would relent as they had survived. However, Graak refused to play by his own rules, pointing out that the fact that the Ewoks did play fairly was the reason that they would never win. He further proved that he would not follow any type of rules when he went against his promise to give up after Warrick held his neck to the ground, instead throwing dirt in the Ewok's eyes. He felt that his "killer instinct" was a trait that the Ewoks lacked.[1]
When Joddar intervened to save Warrick from Graak, Graak was surprised, and scoffed when Joddar explained that the Ewoks had taught him compassion. Afterward, Graak walked away, saying that he cared little for weakness and would go his own way. He was an Ewok male with blue fur[1] who stood taller than 1.32 meters.[2]
Skills and abilities
- "That's when I met Joddar and his men and taught them new, deadly fighting skills! In gratitude they asked me to lead them!"
- ―Graak
Graak was able to teach fighting skills to the Lizard Warriors. While he was skilled enough in battle to capture the Ewoks on multiple occasions, they were able to defeat him as he underestimated their abilities.[1]
Equipment
Graak wore purple clothing with an orange cape. The portion of the cape that draped over his head had white horns, and his wrists had orange cuffs on them. He also wore a black eye patch over his right eye and a belt on his waist. He used a whip-like weapon to successfully capture Warrick and Teebo twice.[1]
Behind the scenes
Graak appeared as the main antagonist in the fourth issue of the Ewoks comic series, which was written by David Manak, illustrated by Warren Kremer, and published by Marvel Comics[1] on July 30, 1985. Earlier that year, Graak was mentioned in the thirty-first issue of Marvel's Marvel Age magazine, which previewed Ewoks 4.[6]
Appearances
- Ewoks 4 (First appearance)
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 1.28 Ewoks 4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ewoks 4 depicts Graak as being taller than Teebo, who stood 1.32 meters tall according to Star Wars: Head-to-Head Tag Teams.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1
"Star Wars Publications Timeline" – Star Wars Insider 23 dates the events of the Ewoks comic series, which include the events of Ewoks 4, to three years after the events of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which corresponds to 3 ABY according to The New Essential Chronology.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "SWGcite".
- ↑ Galactic Campaign Guide
- ↑ Marvel Age. Vol. 1 No. 31, Marvel Comics Group, October 1985. ISSN 8750-4367.