Rakazzak beast

Rakazzak beasts were massive eight-limbed creatures that were tamed and ridden by the sentient Yuzzum native to the moon Endor. The Yuzzum used them to hunt ruggers and other rodents in the tall grass of the moon and the sentient Ewoks also found on Endor lived in treetop villages high enough to be safe from rakazzak beasts.

In 4 ABY, the Ewok Wicket Wystri Warrick rode a rakazzak beast while leading a group of Yuzzum to confront a group of Imperials at an Imperial weapons cache. During the confrontation, Warrick leapt down from the creature and ultimately managed to best the Imperials.

Biology and appearance

Rakazzak beasts were a type of gigantic^[4] spider-like creature that was considered swift and scary.^[1] They had six long, four-jointed legs with a single protrusion on the first joint and two on the second joint and then a further two protrustions between the second and third protrustion, which was the longest section of each limb. The last section of each limb split in two with two small fingers at the end of each segment.^[2]

The beasts also had a pair of smaller limbs hanging from their underside which had at least two joints but did not reach the ground when the creature was stood. A rakazzak beast's body had four segements, each of which consisted of two loops joined in a figure of eight shape. The front segment had a beak like mouth and a pair of orange eyes on long stalks, which were the same purple color as the rest of the beast's body.^[2]

History

Rakazzak were found on the forest moon Endor,^[2] where they were tamed by the sentient Yuzzum species native to the moon's grasslands. Yuzzum used the beasts to hunt rodents hiding in the tall grasses^[3] including ruggers.^[1] Members of the sentient Ewok species lived in treetop villages on Endor that were high enough off the ground to keep them safe from rakazzak beasts.^[5]

The Ewok hunterer-gatherer Wicket Wystri Warrick considered rakazzak beasts dangerous monsters and counted them among his rivals on Endor^[4] but rode on one after recruiting a group of Yuzzum to aid him in defeating a group of Imperials on Endor shortly after the Battle of Endor^[2] in 4 ABY.^[6] While on the beast, Warrick carried a stun-stick and led the Yuzzums, including one riding a second rakazzak beast, to an Imperial weapons cache that the Imperials were trying to reclaim.^[2]

There, he confronted them and demanded they cease hostilies and leave, arguing with the Imperial officer Tern Koyatta and convincing his allies that he was dishonest. After Koyatta's allies turned on him, Warrick fired his stun-stick and disarmed them before leaping down from the rakazzak beast and demanding no further violence. The defeated Imperials then left Endor and the Yuzzum and the Ewoks of Warrick's Bright Tree tribe began working together.^[2] Rakazzak beasts were mentioned present in an entry on Yuzzums in an artist's journal, which was restored, expanded, and displayed by the Graf Archive^[3] at some point no earlier than 34 ABY.^[7]

Behind the scenes

Rakazzak beasts were first mentioned in the current Star Wars canon in the 2015 reference book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know.^[8] Rakazzak beasts then appeared in the fourth issue of the 2024 Star Wars: Ewoks comic book series, which was written by Steve Orlando, illustrated by Laura Braga and Álvaro López,^[2] and published on January 29, 2025.^[9] The beasts originated in the Star Wars Legends continuity, where they first appeared in The Adventures of Teebo: A Tale of Magic and Suspense, a 1984 storybook written and illustrated by Joe Johnston.^[10]

Appearances

• Ewoks (2024) 4 (First appearance)

Sources

• Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (First mentioned)
• Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
• Star Wars: Alien Archive
• Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills
• "Chewbacca and Other Aliens of the Rebellion and the Resistance" — Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and references

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