Ewok Nationalism?

Nationalism can be defined as a peoples sense of historical events, cultural identity and sometimes greatness.

George Lucas has often said the Ewoks were influenced by the Vietnam War. Vietnam won the war because they had nationalism. American Imperialism could not defeat a people who were willing to die for their land who were fighting in their jungles. Nationalism could not be defeated!

I don't see how this has much to do with Ewoks. The Ewoks did not fight because of Nationalism. They fought for their "God" C3P0.

The only thing Ewoks really had in common with Vietnam was both armies were primitive while fighting against some of the best armies.

Seldon

 

The Ewoks were in Viet Nam?

 

No wonder America got its butt kicked- the Ewoks were there to smack the G.I.s with rocks and sticks. No one can defeat the Ewok Nation fighting machine. The Empire was defeated, so the US army didn't stand a snowflakes chance in Hell!
GO EWOKS!

P.S. We'd better hope they don't enter a strategic alliance with the Jawas- then nothing could stand in their way...
<--- scardey face, in case it doesn't work again

 

I was asking a serious question here.

 

Ewoks weren't in viet nam.

 

Thank you.

 

I don't think the qeustion was right to begin with.

The issue was a bit more complex than straight "Imperialism vs Nationalism." The political situation in both the US and Vietnam were much more complex than that at the time, and only grew moreso as the war progressed.

To simplify things so much as to say that the Viet Cong & North Viatnamese Army won solely because of nationalism seems inappropriate. Which is why Lucas's quote doesn't make any sense in that context.

And re: "Nationalism can't be defeated!" See WWII, specifically the defeat of Japan and Nazi Germany.

But in any case, what Lucas was probably talking about was general things. Using militia versus professional armies, relying on ambush tactics, superior utilization of the environment, the advantage of popular support, the difficulty diffrentiating between civilians and militia, et cetera.

Although your right, the actual battle doesn't bear much semblance at all. At a long shot, we might say the closest thing would be Tet Offensive.

 

I had an Uncle in Vietnam and he never said anything about fighting Ewoks.

 

Come on guys, be serious. You know what he means.

Anyways, I can kinda see how the Ewoks were influenced by the VC, but then again, the VC were not the only ones who had a high nationalistic pride. One of the major causes of WW1 was nationalism. Well, a lot of wars are fought because of nationalism.

Anyways, I don't think the Ewoks were fighting for Endor, but rather they saw the Rebels as their best chance for "liberation". So they jumped on the ship while it was in port. I just don't see how the Ewoks were oppressed, which is why i have liberation in quotes.

 

Japan lost WWII because of the atomic bomb, it had nothing to do with nationalism!

Germany lost because it had too many enemies invading. This had nothing to do with Nationalism.

The Big wars of Nationalism were
The Russians invading Afganistan and losing.
The Americans in against the North Koreans.
The Americans vs. the North Vietnmise.

These situations are some what similar to the Great Empire vs. the little Ewoks.

But the Ewoks never really displayed a nationalism toward Endor.

 

I was refuting your statement that "Nationalism cannot be defeated," Seldon. It wasn't nationalism that was key to the people that defeated Japan and Germany, you're right. My point was that as faschist states, both were in a period of hyper-nationalism, and were defated. Thus, nationalism can be defeated.

Secondly, that's a very limited, and contemporary list.

Thirdly, as I said, to contribute the entire outcome of the Vietnam war to mere "nationalism" is gross oversimplification of history.

This, is why, fourthly, the Ewoks weren't supposed to show any nationalism. Because that wasn't the thing about Vietnam that influenced Lucas in his creation of them. But really, would you want to take up ten or twenty minutes while they went through some kidn of patriotic ballyhoo?

 

Although your right, the actual battle doesn't bear much semblance at all. At a long shot, we might say the closest thing would be Tet Offensive.

Negative. The amount of asses that were kicked during the Tet Offensive greatly exceeds the amount that were kicked in the shield generator battle.

 

I think the case of Vietnam was used by Lucas (if it's indeed true), the point was probably made because the US military had more advanced equipment than a typical VC guerilla. The stormtroopers had laser guns, the Ewoks had spears and rocks.

As for nationalism, think about Ewok Society as a hunter gatherer theocracy, with C3PO as the God

 

"hey, hey! we did not lose veitnam, okay, it was a tie!"

kevin kline as otto, fish called wanda

 

People often complain about how the awesome stormtroopers were beaten by the little teddy-bears. However, I always remind them that the turning point in the battle was when Chewie hijacked the AT-ST, and used the Imperials' technology against them. Before that, the Stormies were in charge.