De onde vem o nome “Ewoks”?

George Lucas foi processado por um cara chamado Dean Preston , que reivindicou

he invented the Ewoks in a script called "Space Pets" that he wrote in 1977 and mailed to Lucas in 1978.

Lucas testemunhou no tribunal que

he created the Ewoks in his original 1974 draft of "The Star Wars" and came up with the name by reversing the syllables of the character he called Wookie and rhyming it with the Northern California Indian tribe known as the Miwok (pronounced: mee-walk).

Wookiepedia explica:

The name "Ewok" only appeared in the script directions, the novelization, the movie's credits, and other spin-off and promotional materials.

Não faço ideia de quando apareceram pela primeira vez, mas houve dois filmes que continham os Ewoks que apareceram pouco depois do filme. Aqui estão alguns links.

Caravana da Coragem: Uma Aventura Ewok

Ewoks: A Batalha por Endor

Também de acordo com a Wikipedia,

In the film, the name "Ewok" is never actually spoken, but it appears in both the script and the closing credits.