To the imperial troops the indigenous culture of the Ewok simply get in the way of the progress of the Empire. In Star Wars the storm troopers stationed on Tattooine show no regret in massacring the also cute Jawa traders, a race of dwarfish Arthur Daley's, who sell second-hand, suspect droids. The parallels between the Ewok and Jawa cultures mistreatment by the Empire and the disastrous interactions between European Colonial power and indigenous cultures here on Earth are hard to avoid. The Rebel alliance values diversity, uniqueness, individualism, empowerment and the collective. The Empire values uniformity, imperialism, militarism and unquestioning obedience.
Uniformity leads to fascism.
Umberto Eco has made the claim that we as a culture are returning to a more medieval epoch. The continuing popularity of Star Wars is one indication of this. Star Wars is at heart a medieval adventure, filled with all kinds of sentimentalism. It is at the same time a yearning for a better future, whilst pining for the chivalry and romance of a past era. This can be seen in the Regal monikers, such as Lord Vader and Princess Leia.