From: dsblack@iastate.edu (Vilkata TDK)
Subject: Re: ENDOR: Planet or moon?
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames IA
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 07:01:27 GMT

In <BxJGuo.30w@usenet.ucs.indiana.edu> ssquier@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (Sean Alan Squier) writes:

>In article <1992Nov2.140934.22885@tolten.puc.cl> IIC2912@malloco.Ing.puc.cl (IIC2912) writes:
>>jpurcell@vax1.umkc.edu wrote:
>>: a planet.  Plus, I nver did see a star that Endor was orbiting...but that
>>: doesn't mean much, I guess, but as it goes, mayby it's worth $0.02.
>>
>>C'mon. There MUST be a star. We see day and night in the forest moon.

>Hey, good point!  They do have day and night, rather like earth
>(meaning daily, meaning like Earth-days!..) Geez, this group is so
>literal..(I love it =-) )

>Besides, no one has mentioned hte most reliable source of all...

>......  S T A R   T O U R S  ........

>Hell, what more could you need than an actual trip to the moon itself?
>But even this contradicts itself...During the preshow and the ride
>itself, we are told we are taking a trip to the ENDOR MOON, so I've
>always believed in the missing planet of Endor...BUT, on the way out
>we pass all the 'travel posters', which, after working at WDW for 2
>summers, I have collected.  There is one for Hoth, one for Bespin, one
>for Tatooine, one for some planet beginning with a 'Y'(Yavin?), and one for
>ENDOR!!  So, did the moon just assume it's old bosses name, since
>everyone probably got tired of saying MOON all the time??  Or were the
>poster people just lazy??

This has probably been discussed to Death, but please don't flame me.
According to the movie (characters mention it from time to time) and the books,
the forest...um, OBJECT... is a moon.  The forest place is a moon that orbits
(orbited? see below) Endor, and the Death Star, of course, orbits this moon.  
So the moon isn't actually called Endor (tho people get the idea if you call it
that, even characters in the movie, I believe), it's Endor's moon.  I think 
(I'm not totally sure of the details, but it went something like this) one of 
the books (the novel, maybe a magazine with an interview, etc.) said (I think
I'll throw in yet another parenthetical expression to confuse y'all even more;
go back and read it without the parentheses; it makes sense--really!) that 
Endor, the planet, was destroyed.  I don't remember if it was a natural 
disaster, like say a comet, or the Empire.  So I think the moon is now 
actually/technically a planet, as it orbits its sun, but not a planet.  And it
wouldn't orbit the place where the planet once was (for long), because with no
other object of mass there, it would stop that orbit (but still orbits the sun;
that's a different orbit).
Anyway, everyone associated still called it a moon, because it was recent
enough that everyone knew about the original planet, and it would be confusing
to call it a planet and then make references to the original planet.
Another interesting point: I seem to recall Endor (the planet) having TWO
moons.  I think the second was smaller than the forest moon, and I don't think
it was mentioned or shown in the movie.

Anybody know for sure if this info is right, and if so, where the H#$$ I got 
it, anyway?  
-- 
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|    V I L K A T A     T . D . K .         ------dsblack@iastate.edu------    |
|         If you know what my name refers to, email me!  I forgot!            |
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Organization: Sophomore, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA