Where are they now? Star Wars ten years on: The Ewoks of Endor « closetsinmyhead

Looking down from the observation deck of 'Teebo's', it is hard not to be overcome with the sheer beauty of the place. Endor unrolls before me like a three-dimensional green carpet. The immense and ancient redwoods stand proud and timeless all the way to the horizon. "That's where I wanna put the new multiplex. I just have to find the right palm to grease." Teebo is beginning to go grey around the face and looking at his luxurious head-fur I can't shake the feeling he's wearing a piece. And his millions of tourist credits have translated into a considerable paunch.

Since the great Battle of Endor, everything has changed on this beautiful forest moon. Teebo was one of the first to cash in on the newfound fame and the associated tourist trade. Starting with the original 'Teebo's' – a simple bar and guest house – he has moved onto this towering hotel atop which we are sitting. His business interests also include a sports complex, paintball field and "The Generator", Endor's leading nightclub. Rumour has it that he also has more than a finger in the vice pie of the moon. Gambling is legal only in the state-owned casino precinct, where many a couple comes to wager away their life savings and to get married by a C3-PO impersonator. The galaxy's oldest profession is illegal throughout Endor, but that doesn't stop Teebo from offering me my choice of dapples or chestnuts.

Later at 'The Birdsnest', Wicket W Warrick is flooring the audience in his one-ewok comedy show, Leg Before Wicket: "So this wookiee comes up to me and says, 'rrrwwaaarrrooow,' and I say, 'sorry, I'm trying to cut down." Backstage, after the multi-species guffawing has died down, he tells me how his rise to stardom was not easy. "Learning the Common language was really hard: "Ewoks have different mouth parts to most, and I can't pronounce the letter that looks like a  'd' in the mirror; it just comes out as a 'd'. Makes duying deers in dars a real ditch. But I get by, they say I have a wicket sense of humour." Three sell-out seasons in a row says he's right, and his forthcoming tour of Kashyyyk is set to break new records, such is the pocket-sized comedian's appeal on that vastly hairy planet.

Elsewhere, Logray, the former medicine man, is also riding the tourist wave. His key role in the previously primitive society was initially eroded by the arrival of medical droids and antibiotics. But tenacity and vision meant he could find a new niche in this brave new world. "This is the only place in the galaxy where Ewok Wacky Weed is legal, and I had a good share of the crops." Whatever his gold chains and scale coat may imply, his business on Endor is strictly legitimate. Three years after the battle he sold his coffee and weed shop and started building 'The Vines', a health and relaxation resort some distance from the main population. Here, rich travellers from all over the galaxy come to be pampered with serene forest views, massages and quality pharmaceuticals. Glancing at the room service menu I can choose between three different varieties of weed, an invigorating hot-vine rub, and Numb, a substance milked from a rare species of mountain caterpillar. Considering I am on work time, I choose the rub. A young ewok comes to the door with a bag full of gear and a badge that says, 'Hendar'. I lie down on the portable massage table and he grinds the purplish vines into my back, neck and legs. At first it is just a silky, tingling situation. After a few minutes, though, my whole body feels like my mouth does after a particularly good curry. I feel my sinuses clear and my hearing becomes more acute. By time Hendar finishes I want to bench press a bantha. I give him a generous tip (with the company's money) and he disappears smiling into the night.

However, not everything is easy on Endor and another battle is on the cards. As with many a 'discovered' holiday location, not all the locals are thrilled about the 'progress'. Chirpa, chief at the time of the battle, just wants to go back to the old ways, before tourists, deforestation, and democracy. "Kids these days are not learning to swing on vines. Some of them can't even speak Ewok. It's disgusting. Our life was so peaceful, so simple. Now look at it; it's a circus. And if that *****d Teebo gets his way, we'll lose half the western forest. My ancestors have lived in those trees for thousands of years, now he just wants to cut them down." The proposed multiplex would include 6 high rise residential and office towers, a cinema complex and shopping centre. So far it has been blocked by the city council, but most, including Teebo himself, feel it is a matter of time. "Everyone has their price," he smiles, "everyone has their price."