The latest update to arrive in Star Wars Battlefront II has resurrected an oft-forgotten chapter in some of the franchise’s oldest lore.
Billed as a return to “classic Star Wars locations,” a ton of new content first seen in George Lucas’ Original Trilogy has steadily been making its way to the multiplayer shooter, with one major talking point being the Ewoks. Yavin 4, Hoth, Mos Eisley, Jabba’s Palace and the Death Star II are just some of the iconic locales players can revisit as part of the so-called Age of Rebellion, with a certain forest moon of Endor also included in the list.
Perhaps most interestingly of all, though, is developer DICE’s decision to make the satellite’s native race of sentient teddy bears playable. Ewok Hunters join the Rebel forces in their quest to overthrow the Galactic Empire, with the aggressors themselves receiving fresh reinforcements in the form of a new unit, the ISB Agent, itself clearly inspired by Star Wars Rebels’ Agent Kallus.
Rebels, of course, is already considered canon with the wider Star Wars universe, and while that’s certainly true of the Ewoks, too, certain offshoot media has, until now, been considered wholly removed from the series in all but name.
As spotted by ScreenRant, the Wistie Pouch ability available to players to take control of the newly-introduced hunter is a direct reference to Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure. Similarly to the infamous Holiday Special, Caravan of Courage has never been considered part of Star Wars canon, though with Battlefront II very much a part of Disney’s new vision, it appears that lines are being redrawn, so to speak, on what is and isn’t considered as such. Chances are this is simply little more than an Easter egg though and one that will surely go unnoticed to all but the most hardcore fans.
Star Wars Battlefront II is available now for consoles and PC and continues to receive regular new content. See here for a rundown of all the latest updates.