The famous Battle of Endor marked the turning point in the Galactic Civil War—where the Rebellion finally succeeded in bringing down the Empire. The battle unfolded on two fronts: one in space, where the Rebel fleet clashed with the Imperial Navy, and the other on the forest moon of Endor, where a ground team was sent to destroy the shield generator protecting the second Death Star.
With help from the Ewoks, the Rebel strike team overpowered the Imperial forces and completed their mission. The generator was destroyed, the Death Star was vulnerable, and countless stormtroopers were killed in the chaos.
But here’s something you might not know—one Imperial scout trooper survived. Cut off from the rest of the Empire and unaware that it had already fallen, he continued to patrol the forests of Endor, faithfully carrying out a mission that no longer mattered.
In Star Wars Tales #22, the story titled “Marooned” takes place thirteen months after the Battle of Endor. It follows an unnamed Imperial scout trooper who is still carrying out his mission—patrolling the dense forests of Endor, unaware that the war has already ended. While on a routine sweep, his speeder bike suddenly dies, the battery completely drained, leaving him stranded in the middle of the wilderness.
Not long after, the scout trooper crossed paths with a Rebel soldier who had also been stranded on Endor. Their first encounter wasn’t peaceful—they fought for nearly an hour before reluctantly calling a ceasefire. There was no trust between them, just a temporary understanding.
What made things even crazier was that the scout trooper had no idea the Empire had already fallen. The Rebel trooper, realizing it was too risky to stick around, tried to walk away. But the Imperial wasn’t having it—he still believed the Rebel was his prisoner and refused to let him leave.
Just as the Rebel trooper tried to leave, the scout trooper jumped on him, and both of them fell straight into an Ewok trap hidden in the ground.
The Ewoks eventually returned to check their trap. They tied up the scout trooper but allowed the Rebel trooper to walk freely. On the way to the village, the scout asked the Rebel to convince the Ewoks to let him go—and surprisingly, the Rebel did.
After the Ewoks released them, both the scout trooper and the Rebel were given a peace pipe as a gesture of goodwill. Sitting together, the scout trooper opened up and shared his story, and in return, the Rebel told his. Eventually, the scout pulled out a drawing of the Death Star’s shield generator. He showed it to the Ewoks and asked them to guide him back to the site.
After that, the Ewoks led both troopers to the site of the old shield generator. When they arrived, the Imperial scout trooper was hit with the truth—the generator was completely destroyed, surrounded by the wreckage of war machines. The only thing still standing was a single AT-ST.
The scout trooper immediately rushed to check the abandoned AT-ST to see if it still worked. As he was inspecting it, a massive Gorax suddenly attacked them. Luckily, the walker was still operational. The scout climbed inside, activated its systems, and used the AT-ST’s weapons to blast the Gorax, defeating the monster just in time. 
While scanning the area using the AT-ST’s systems, the Rebel trooper spotted something unusual on the radar—a massive structure, about the size of a small city, still transmitting an active Imperial signal. Hoping it might offer a way off the forest moon, he decided to head toward the location and see if anything remained of the Empire that could help him escape Endor.
When they reached the source of the signal, it turned out to be no city at all—but the wreckage of a crashed Star Destroyer, left behind from the battle over Endor. Though the ship was badly damaged, parts of it still functioned. Inside, they found a working communications substation and a power source. Using the remaining systems, the Rebel trooper was able to send out a signal, eventually reaching a nearby freighter passing along a trade route. He also realized the signal they had followed was an automated evacuation beacon—one that had likely been repeating since the day the ship went down.
By the next morning, the freighter responded and arrived for pickup. The Rebel prepared to leave, but the scout trooper chose to stay behind. Reflecting on something the Rebel had said earlier—that soldiers like them didn’t belong in a time of peace—he quietly admitted it might be true. The two shook hands, exchanged a final nod of respect, and the Rebel boarded the freighter, leaving the scout alone with the forest once again.
