Fftssfft

Fftssfft

Fftssfft, also known by theEwoks as "dandelion warriors," were asemi-sapientbotanicalspecies characterized by their thicket of sharpyellow quills. They grew in ameadow on the surface of theForest Moon of Endor, east of the moon'sGreat Forest. Like all vegetal species, the fftssfft had roots that conveyedwater and nourishment to the rest of their bodies, but they were also able to move about. They protected their grasslands with great ferocity—when they detected movement on their territory, they used the strange quills that covered their heads by hurling them at trespassers. Their reason for killing, however, was purely territorial, and the fftssfft would usually remain immobile in the absence of intruders.

The Ewoks ofBright Tree Village, who lived to the West of the grasslands, usually avoided crossing the territory of those they had nicknamed "dandelion warriors." However, in3.5 ABY, the ffsstfft fought off what they perceived as a home invasion, when theGupinMring-Mring set foot on their territory. Shortly afterwards, anEwok namedWicket Wystri Warrick—who was in search of astar urchin quill that would help him cure his dyingfatherDeej Warrick—into the dandelion warriors' high grasses and freed the Mring-Mring, which provoked an aggressive response from the plant-like beings. The Ewok and his new Gupin companion escaped unhurt from the incident.

Biology and appearance[]

Asemi-sentientspecies, the fftssfft belonged to the nativeflora ofEndor,^[1] a lushmoon orbiting agas giantplanet of thesame name.^[4] Those animated plants grew in ameadow^[2] located in the leading edge of the Endor grasslands, to the East of theGreat Forest. Being botanical creatures, the fftssfft drew all the sustenance they needed directly from the soil of their meadow through their roots.^[1] However, while most plants grew in a permanent site, some were capable of movement when they needed better soils or light,^[5] and the fftssfft were among them.^[2]

From a distance, the fftssfft appeared to be ordinary, over onemeter tall^[1] plants withblue^[3] or green stems sporting yellow inflorescences. In theeyes of uninformedEwoks, a race of diminutive beings native to Endor, they looked beautiful and hardly dangerous when observed from afar. However, when they needed to defend their territory, the fftssfft emerged from their lethargy. Theireyes flashed open, theirlimb extended from their thick body-stems, and they started walking towards the intruders.^[2] On closer inspection, one could see that the fftssfft were roughlyhumanoid in structure, with a tall stem as a torso, a head that bore a tufty corolla, two shoots used as arms and two spindly roots used as feet. Their "faces" featured a pair of glowing red^[3] or pink eyes^[2] and a beak-like appendage. When the fftssfft remained immobile in the grass, they wore their petals down like a conical hat or anumbrella. But as soon as they adopted an alert posture, the quills rose on their heads, forming anegg-shaped thicket of spines.^[3]

Their fighting skills, however, did not rely on their ability to walk, since they were slow movers. Once they were close enough to their victim, the fftssfft would stop and lower their heads to aim the target before firing off a bundle of their petals.^[2] Those yellow petals were in fact sharp quills that could injure or even kill those whom they hit. One out of every one hundred quills was envenomed. That "star urchin quill" would break open when it struck flesh, taking a distinctive starburst shape and releasing its venom into the victim'sblood.^[1]

Society and culture[]

The fftssfft were very territorial creatures, and they defended their growing land with ferocity. However, they only attacked other beings when they felt their territory was threatened,^[1] and they would usually stand still when nobody came around. They were sentient enough to make ropes and use them to bind their enemies.^[3] The fftssfft also possessedtheir ownlanguage, which required no phonatory organs. It consisted of hissing sounds produced by forcing air through tiny pores in their stems.^[1] Thebear-like Ewoks feared the fftssfft and christened them "dandelion warriors" in reference to their bellicose attitude.^[3] Because of the dandelion warriors' fierce presence in the grasslands of Endor, few Ewoks ever crossed the area to reach the neighboring land of theGupins.^[1] However, despite their redoubtable natural defenses, the fftssfft suffered from predation by other species like the brutishGrass Trekkers from theDesert of Salma.^[1]

History[]

In the year3 ABY,^[6] the land of the dandelion warriors was visited by aGupin namedMring-Mring, a gnome-likechangeling who had beenexiled from his people'sfortress. The angry ffsstfft caught the trespasser and tied him with a rope to atree stump that stood in their meadow. Shortly afterwards, the dandelion warriors detected another intrusion, when the EwokWicket Wystri Warrick set foot on their territory in search of a star urchin quill he needed to cure his ailingfatherDeej Warrick. While Warrick tried to untangle the captive Gupin, the ffsstfft reacted and moved into attack position, ready to hurl their sharp quills at both outsiders. However, the trespassers escaped the encounter unharmed.^[3]

Ffsstfft in the galaxy[]

Although the ffsstfft were only semi-sentient,^[1] some had found their way offworld by the time of theGalactic Civil War. They took part in theBig Game, a dailygladiator fight staged by AdministratorSimon Greyshade to amuse the guests on the luxuryspace station known asthe Wheel. In that context, the ffsstfft were considered to be among the best warriors inthe galaxy, on par with much bigger races such as theCatumen, theWookiees or theBitthævrians.^[8]

Behind the scenes[]

The fftssfft made their first appearance inTo Save Deej, the fourth episode in theEwoks animated television series. In the episode, which was written byBob Carrau, they were only referred to as "dandelion warriors."^[3] Their native name was only revealed inCastaways of Endor, an article written byDaniel Wallace and illustrated byRobin Pronovost forHyperspace.^[1] In2013, they were briefly mentioned in Part 1 ofViva Space Vegas! The History of the Marvelous Wheel, a series of articles written byAbel G. Peña andRich Handley for the officialStarWars.com blog.^[8]

In real life, "dandelion" is the vernacular name of theTaraxacum officinale, a wild plant with yellow flowers and a characteristic "puff-ball" seedhead.^[9]

Appearances[]

• Ewoks — "To Save Deej"(First appearance)
• To Save Deej picture book
• Wicket and the Dandelion Warriors: An Ewok Adventure

Sources[]

• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded
• The Essential Guide to Characters
• "Creatures of Endor" onStarWars.com(original site is defunct)
• Castaways of Endor onHyperspace(article) (content obsolete and backup link not available)(First identified as Fftssfft)
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia(as dandelion warrior," "urchin)
• Warrick, Deej in theDatabank(original site is defunct)
• Viva Space Vegas! The History of the Marvelous Wheel:Part 1 onStarWars.com(original link is obsolete)
• Welcome to theStar Wars Jungle onStarWars.com(backup link) (original link is obsolete)

Notes and references[]