The following contains spoilers from Stranger Things Season 4, Episode 3, "The Monster and the Superhero," streaming now on Netflix.
Stranger Things is deeply rooted in '80s nostalgia, with every season supplying clever Easter eggs of famous sci-fi and horror pop-culture iconography. So it is no surprise to see Season 4 continue this trend with a nod to a long-forgotten Star Wars animated series. In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, Will and Jonathan are seen absentmindedly watching the animated Star Wars: Ewoks show, which was released during the mid-'80s.
About 20 minutes into Stranger Things Season 4, Episode 3, "The Monster and the Superhero," it cuts to a television set in the Byers' living room that is playing the opening title screen for the show. The various Ewoks of the series are smiling around a back-drop of Endor and the title Ewoks is boldly centered between them all. The camera then quickly pans to Will and Jonathan half-heartedly watching the show after a traumatic event at the skating rink between Eleven and her high school bully, Angela.
While it may seem fake due to the quality of the animation and the art style, Star Wars: Ewoks is, in fact, one of the first Star Wars animated series to ever air on television. The show aired from 1985 to 1986 for two seasons, with the stories following Wicket, the fan-favorite Ewok from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, and his friends going on adventures across Endor. The animated series is actually a prequel to the original Star Wars trilogy, with the storylines taking place before Star Wars: A New Hope.
The Star Wars: Ewoks animated series has mostly been forgotten due to critically poor reception for its low production value and bland story-telling. There were also some odd continuity issues with all the Ewoks curiously speaking plain English as opposed to their native language, as they did in the films, but criticism aside, the show was at least bold enough to make some direct connections to Return of the Jedi. Some may fondly remember the episode "Battle for the Sunstar," which alludes to the Empire utilizing Endor as a base of operations.
This particular show may have been lost to time, but the Duffer Brothers certainly haven't forgotten about the fuzzy old Ewoks. It wouldn't be surprising to see an uptick in the show's viewership on Disney+ in the coming weeks as curious Easter egg sleuths and nostalgic '80s babies stumble back upon the animated series due to this brief appearance.
Again, it isn't surprising that Stranger Things made another loving tip of the hat to the Star Wars universe, but pulling out the old Star Wars: Ewoks VHS is certainly digging up some ancient history from the galaxy far, far away. And who knows? Maybe this is just the beginning of a major Star Wars: Ewoks revival.
Stranger Things Season 4 is streaming now on Netflix.
