Star Wars: 10 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About The Empire
9. The Empire Was Defeated By The Ewoks
One of the more divisive moments in Star Wars history occurred during Episode VI - Return of the Jedi.
As the Empire's forces look to have foiled our heroes' attempts to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star, the little furry Endor natives known as Ewoks arrive to save the day.
For many, though, the idea of a bunch of teddy bears defeating the technologically superior Imperial army on their own seemed like a silly step too far. But that's not actually what went down here when you really analyse the ground section of the Battle of Endor.
By spreading out the Imperial forces and unleashing everything from flying logs to many a rock from the sky, these Rebel allies simply acted as a distraction to buy Han Solo and the rest of his strike team enough time to blow up the shield generator and join the fight.
Even George Lucas himself has confirmed in the film's DVD commentary that the Ewoks' purpose was just to distract the Empire here.
So, the next time someone balls up their fists at the thought of these primitive aliens defeating the Emperor's stormtroopers and AT-STs, gently remind them that they weren't solely responsible for this Rebel victory - their clever distraction just played a crucial part in it.