One Super-Specific Return Of The Jedi Question Just Got Answered With Star Wars’ New TV Short

As the third installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, Return of the Jedi tied off a lot of loose ends. Still, not all questions had been answered by the end of the Ewok dance party, and there's one that has gone unaddressed on screen since the movie first debuted back in 1983. Just how did Leia go from wearing her Alliance-approved camouflage gear to wearing a lovely dress and hanging out in the Ewok village? Luckily, the new series Star Wars: Forces of Destiny has the answer for us. Check out Leia back in action on Endor:

In "Ewok Escape," we find Princess Leia in that brief window of time between when she was separated from Han and Luke and when they were all reunited in the Ewok village. Apparently, Leia and Wicket ran into some trouble before they made it back to his home, as they discovered a pair of stormtroopers menacing (and mocking) a couple of Ewoks. After Leia and Wicket team up to save the day, Leia has apparently proved herself worthy of honor, and the Ewoks rewarded her with a new outfit. Thanks to Forces of Destiny and writer Jennifer Muro, we now know what happened that Leia changed from her commando gear into the dress.

Of course, it's still not clear why the Ewoks had a Leia-sized dress lying around, although who knows? Maybe Ewoks are just super fast when it comes to sewing clothes for different species. Whatever the reason for the perfect fit, I'm glad to have the answer to the mystery of the Endor dress. As somebody who loved all things Ewoks, Endor, and Princess Leia as a kid, "Ewok Escape" was pretty much perfect for me.

This isn't the first Star Wars movie question that has been answered by a Forces of Destiny short. The very first mini episode aired a couple of days ago, and it addressed a particular plot point that had never been resolved with Rey and BB-8 in The Force Awakens. There are still plenty of other shorts still waiting to debut in Forces of Destiny, bringing in characters from Star Wars movies and TV shows alike. In fact, we already know that "Ewok Escape" won't even be the only time we see Leia in action on Endor. She's slated to join forces with a certain Star Wars Rebels character to help the Ewoks even more in the Return of the Jedi era.

Forces of Destiny writer Jennifer Muro spoke with CinemaBlend about why it's important for the Star Wars universe to exist on large and small screens alike, and these shorts seem to be bringing together the best of both worlds. New shorts will continue to debut throughout the week on the Disney YouTube channel, so be sure to check them out. Check out our summer TV premiere schedule as well for what you can watch now and in the coming weeks.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).