Teek (Teek)

Teek was a male member of the Teek species and a native of the Forest Moon of Endor. He was a playful, mischievous being, the only companion of a stranded Human scout by the name of Noa Briqualon, with whom he shared a cabin on Endor. Briqualon spent most of his time attempting to repair his damaged starship and was generally hostile toward outsiders who stumbled upon his home. However, in 3 ABY, a Human girl named Cindel Towani and her Ewok companion, Wicket Wystri Warrick, stumbled upon the house of Teek and Briqualon—Teek was quicker to warm up to the guests than Briqualon, but they both eventually formed a bond with the two children.
Several days after their first encounter, Towani was kidnapped by the Sanyassan warlord Terak, and Teek and his friend aided Warrick in her rescue. Teek proved vital to the recovery, using his superior speed to great effect, and after they rescued Towani, he helped fight Terak's warriors in the woods. He was ultimately left behind when Briqualon and Towani departed on the starship, which the old Human had finally repaired, although he found a home with the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village.
==Biography==
===Wicket and Cindel===
Teek was a male member of the species of the same name from the Forest Moon of Endor. Teek eventually became the companion of Noa Briqualon, an old Human scout who had been stranded on the moon ever since his starship crashed there. The two lived together in a small cabin near where Briqualon's starship lay for years before 3 ABY.
In 3 ABY,Star Wars: Behind the Magic Teek stumbled upon two lost companions in the woods: a female Human child named Cindel Towani and an Ewok named Wicket Wystri Warrick. The two had been captured by a Sanyassan Marauder warlord named Terak but had managed to escape. However, the Sanyassans were determined to find Towani, thinking that she would help them unlock the secret of a piece of technology they had stolen during an attack on her village, an assault that killed her family. Teek tried to reach into Warrick's pocket but accidentally woke him up, prompting the Ewok to throw a stick at him; Teek dashed away. He then came back, laughing as he tossed nutsThe Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure at Warrick's head, which bothered him. Despite Warrick's apprehension, Towani did not let him hit Teek with his stick and decided to follow him, finding him amusing and hoping that he would lead them to food.
Teek mimed eating, indicating he understood, and led them to Briqualon's cabin, losing them multiple times due to his speed. Once there, the two children searched the house, playing with some of the items therein and amusing Teek. Mistakenly assuming the house to be unoccupied, they decided to stay, and Warrick began cooking food for the three of them. However, when Briqualon returned home, he was furious at his bemused friend for allowing strangers into the house and demanded that the children leave.
===Nothing but trouble===
Once they had left, Briqualon further scolded Teek. He then noticed the food in the oven, offering some porridge and muffins to Teek. Towani and Warrick made camp nearby, and disobeying Briqualon's instructions, Teek brought them some of the muffins. He then sprinted back inside, twiddling his thumbs as though he had not left. The old scout eventually had a change of heart and allowed Towani and Warrick to stay for one night only, during which Towani had a nightmare that Sanyassans were coming for her. Despite Towani's fragile mental state, Briqualon maintained that they would have to leave come morning, and a disappointed Teek accepted the decision.
The children accepted Briqualon's terms and left in the morning, which he feigned being a delight and riddance of trouble for him. He offered Teek to choose a new bed from two he had fashioned, pretending as though he had always intended them for him. When the guests came back later with fruit out of which they could make pies, however, Briqualon reconsidered and allowed Warrick and Towani to stay with him and Teek as long as they proved themselves useful and helped out around the cabin.
The next day, curious as to where Briqualon continued to disappear, the two guests followed the bearded Human as he set off to work on the starship, despite Teek's best efforts to dissuade them. Briqualon discovered them, told them his story, and allowed them to stay in his house as long as they needed. However, in the early hours of the morning, Towani was kidnapped by the NightsisterThe Illustrated Star Wars Universe Charal, and after searching the surrounding forests, Warrick and Briqualon left to rescue the young girl. Teek, though apprehensive at first, eventually sped off to assist them.
===Terak's Keep===
The trio arrived at Terak's Keep, where Terak was holding Towani. When they reached the moat around the huge building, they opted not to swim across, as the waters were infested with vicious beings. Instead they used Briqualon's grappling hook to climb atop the great wall, where Teek and Warrick incapacitated the patrolling guard and helped the larger Briqualon up onto the wall. The three of them searched the castle for Towani and discovered she was imprisoned, along with a group of Ewoks, in a nearby cell. To get by the guards, Teek stole a guard's uniform, which the trio used to disguise themselves. They reached the dungeon where Towani was being kept, though two additional Sanyassans, playing cards, sat close to Towani. Teek slipped one of the men's cards into the Sanyassan's sleeve; when the other player noticed, a fight ensued, leaving the two Sanyassans dead and Teek with the keys needed to free Towani and the Ewoks.
With the Ewoks freed, Teek and a group of rescued prisoners made their way back out of the Keep. However, Terak heard them escaping and sounded the alarms. Teek and the others eventually reached a dead end, but Briqualon used some explosives to blow a hole in the wall. The Sanyassans, led by Terak himself, soon reached the group, who were swinging across the moat on Briqualon's rope one by one. As Briqualon and Towani left, the young girl spotted a crystal oscillator, the only remaining part Briqualon needed to get his ship running; the old man took it. Although the guards fired at them, Teek, Briqualon, Towani and the Ewoks escaped. However, Terak sent dozens of his men after the group.
The escapees reached a forest, although Terak's soldiers, aided by Charal, tracked them. Briqualon led them to his ship, but it would take him several minutes to power up the vessel. Teek was sent to scout the area and to discover how far away the Sanyassans were while the Ewoks assembled a powerful catapult near the ship. Teek found Terak's men; however, he inadvertently led them back to Briqualon's ship, though he did fend off one Marauder by biting their finger. The Sanyassans clashed with the Ewoks in the forest, and although Teek did not join the effort against Terak's warriors, he dealt the warlord a blow when he rubbed two stones together. The resulting flames caused Terak's two massive blurrg beasts to retreat.
Teek took control of one of the cannons on Briqualon's starship and fired back at the marauders. Through the efforts of Teek and his companions, Terak's warriors were driven back to the Keep, although the warlord himself remained to fight with Briqualon. Teek, perched high in a tree, watched in horror as Terak stood over a helpless Briqualon with his sword raised. However, the furry creature intervened and saved the life of his companion by jumping on Terak's head, unbalancing the Sanyassan, who flung Teek into nearby foliage. Through the efforts of Teek and Warrick, who inadvertently unlocked the dark magic in the warlord's ring, Terak was turned to stone.
===Goodbyes===
With Terak defeated, Towani and Briqualon decided to leave Endor, although Teek opted to stay behind and live with the Ewoks. Briqualon said his emotional goodbyes to Teek, who was saddened that he would not see his companion again. Teek was also sad at the loss of Towani, although she vowed to return and see him and Warrick again. The starship successfully took off, and Teek, alongside Warrick, saw their friends leave the moon for good, waving all the while. He joined the Ewoks of Bright Tree Village and lived with them.
Shortly after the Battle of EndorStar Tours in 4 ABY,The New Essential Chronology the Star Tours travel agency began offering tours of the forest moon. Teek boarded a StarSpeeder 3000 at one point and was featured in a safety video that showcased the vessel's under-the-seat storage.
==Personality and traits==
In appearance, Teek had scruffy gray-white fur and peach-colored skin, along with a pair of close-set brown eyes and two oversized buck teeth, and he often spoke through giggles. He was less than a meter tall, and due to his fast metabolism, he had extremely quick speed.
Teek was friendly and hospitable toward others. When he first met Towani and Warrick, he led them to his home and offered them food and shelter, even though Briqualon was far less accommodating. When Teek was worried for the two children, he sneaked muffins to Towani and Warrick, despite Briqualon's orders that he specifically not do so.
Teek was mischievous, though not harmful, and he spent much of his time laughing and giggling with others, something that Briqualon discouraged. He displayed a sense of mirth, such as when he threw nuts at Warrick, and he often ran off haphazardly without considering the consequences of his speedy gait.
==Skills and abilities==
Teek was extremely quick, and when at full speed, he often looked as if he was a mere blur. He used his speed as both a source of amusement and as a weapon of sorts—he once used his speed to tie a Sanyassan to a tree on Endor. He could also play a type of flute, which he used with Towani, Briqualon, and Warrick when they played music and danced together in Briqualon's house. He was fairly intelligent but not particularly strong, and he was not Force-sensitive.
==Equipment==
Teek carried a satchel.
==Behind the scenes==
===Production===
Teek was created for the 1985 made-for-television movie Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. The character was initially a puppet, but Wilford Brimley—who played the part of Briqualon—vociferously objected to the idea of working with a puppet and often called on crewmember Niki Botelho to stand in his line of sight while he spoke with Teek. It was eventually decided that Teek would be played by an actor in a suit, and the diminutive, sixteen-year old Botelho was told to report to the film's creature shop to be fitted with a full body costume. Botelho remembered not being asked if she wanted to expand her role and was rushed through the process, but she did not protest as the crew gave her cookies. The new costume was finished after four days of nonstop work.
Teek's costume required molding for which Botelho had straws placed in her noses to allow her to breathe, and it had two heads: one articulated and one not. The articulated head contained devices to make Teek's eyes and face move, and was operated by off-camera puppeteers. Botelho described the mask as feeling as though there was a machine on her face because of how many moving parts there were, requiring as many as six people total to control it.Bantha Tracks 30 During the filming of one scene, Botelho fell down a hill and into a creek, and the weight of her costume nearly caused her to drown until crewmembers could rescue her and remove her mask. Scenes of Teek running were shot at a lower frame rate to make him look extremely fast, and special visual effects had to be used to achieve the effect when he ran in a shot with other characters. Botelho altogether recalled the experience fondly.
===Other media===
In the score for The Battle for Endor, composer Peter Bernstein used a specific musical theme to represent Teek. The fast-paced motif is musically reminiscient of Teek's playful nature and his speedy running ability. The theme appears on the soundtrack LP in the track titled "Teek."Ewoks soundtrack Teek is additionally featured in a Star Tours safety video, portrayed by a puppet instead of Botelho. It was initially unclear if the character was in fact Teek or a different Teek, but a Teek action figure based on that appearance later confirmed his identity. Botelho was sent the figure and had the opportunity to meet its sculpter.
The 1995 reference book The Essential Guide to Characters, by Andy Mangels, describes Briqualon's relationship to Teek as that of a "master."The Essential Guide to Characters However, as this is inconsistent with Battle for Endor itself and is not used in any other media, this article avoids using that language in regard to their relationship.
In the 2013 non-canon video game Star Wars: Tiny Death Star, Teek was available among many other characters as a Bitizen that could be obtained from one of the game's Salvage Missions.Star Wars: Tiny Death Star
==Appearances==
*The Ring, the Witch, and the Crystal: An Ewok Adventure
*Ewoks: The Battle for Endor 
*Ewoks: The Battle for Endor book-and-record
*Star Tours
===Non-canon appearances===
*Star Wars: Tiny Death Star
==Sources==
==Notes and references==
Category:Endorians
Category:Individuals with he/him pronouns
Category:Males
Category:Teeks