Fftssfft Fftssfft , also known by the Ewoks as " dandelion warriors " , were a semi - sapient botanical species characterized by their thicket of sharp yellow quills . They grew in a meadow on the surface of the Forest Moon of Endor , east of the moon ' s Great Forest . Like all vegetal species , the fftssfft had roots that conveyed water 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 of Bright Tree Village , who lived to the West of the grasslands , usually avoided crossing the territory of those they had nicknamed " dandelion warriors . " However , in 3 . 5 ABY , the ffsstfft fought off what they perceived as a home invasion , when the Gupin Mring - Mring set foot on their territory . Shortly afterwards , an Ewok named Wicket Wystri Warrick — who was in search of a star urchin quill that would help him cure his dying father Deej 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 . A semi - sentient species , the fftssfft belonged to the native flora of Endor , a lush moon orbiting a gas giant planet of the same name . Those animated plants grew in a meadow located in the leading edge of the Endor grasslands , to the East of the Great Forest . Being botanical creatures , the fftssfft drew all the sustenance they needed directly from the soil of their meadow through their roots . However , while most plants grew in a permanent site , some were capable of movement when they needed better soils or light , and the fftssfft were among them . From a distance , the fftssfft appeared to be ordinary , over one meter tall plants with blue or green stems sporting yellow inflorescences . In the eyes of uninformed Ewoks , 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 . Their eyes flashed open , their limb extended from their thick body - stems , and they started walking towards the intruders . On closer inspection , one could see that the fftssfft were roughly humanoid 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 or pink eyes and a beak - like appendage . When the fftssfft remained immobile in the grass , they wore their petals down like a conical hat or an umbrella . But as soon as they adopted an alert posture , the quills rose on their heads , forming an egg - shaped thicket of spines . 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 . 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 ' s blood . 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 , and they would usually stand still when nobody came around . They were sentient enough to make ropes and use them to bind their enemies . The fftssfft also possessed their own language , which required no phonatory organs . It consisted of hissing sounds produced by forcing air through tiny pores in their stems . The bear - like Ewoks feared the fftssfft and christened them " dandelion warriors " in reference to their bellicose attitude . Because of the dandelion warriors ' fierce presence in the grasslands of Endor , few Ewoks ever crossed the area to reach the neighboring land of the Gupin s . However , despite their redoubtable natural defenses , the fftssfft suffered from predation by other species like the brutish Grass Trekker s from the Desert of Salma . History . In the year 3 ABY , the land of the dandelion warriors was visited by a Gupin named Mring - Mring , a gnome - like changeling who had been exiled from his people ' s fortress . The angry ffsstfft caught the trespasser and tied him with a rope to a tree stump that stood in their meadow . Shortly afterwards , the dandelion warriors detected another intrusion , when the Ewok Wicket Wystri Warrick set foot on their territory in search of a star urchin quill he needed to cure his ailing father Deej 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 . Ffsstfft in the galaxy . Although the ffsstfft were only semi - sentient , some had found their way offworld by the time of the Galactic Civil War . They took part in the Big Game , a daily gladiator fight staged by Administrator Simon Greyshade to amuse the guests on the luxury space station known as the Wheel . In that context , the ffsstfft were considered to be among the best warriors in the galaxy , on par with much bigger races such as the Catumen , the Wookiees or the Bitthævrian s . Behind the scenes . The fftssfft made their first appearance in " To Save Deej " , the fourth episode in the " " animated television series . In the episode , which was written by Bob Carrau , they were only referred to as " dandelion warriors . " Their native name was only revealed in " Castaways of Endor " , an article written by Daniel Wallace and illustrated by Amy Pronovost for " " . In 2013 , they were briefly mentioned in Part 1 of " Viva Space Vegas ! The History of the Marvelous Wheel " , a series of articles written by Abel G . Peña and Rich Handley for the official StarWars . com blog . In real life , " dandelion " is the vernacular name of the , a wild plant with yellow flowers and a characteristic " puff - ball " seedhead .