Is Nubs An Ewok? The Young Jedi's Star Wars Origins Explained
Who can be a Jedi? The "Star Wars" franchise has changed this answer over the years. We've gone from a select few bloodlines who are predetermined to be Force-sensitive at birth, to everyone being able to use the Force if they train hard enough. In the original trilogy we mostly just saw humans being able to wield lightsabers and use the Force — the sole exception being Yoda. It wasn't until the prequels that we started seeing all sorts of creatures and aliens as Jedi — characters with multiple arms, with tentacles on their face, and other cool alien features who were all part of the Order.
In recent, years with the High Republic (and the "Clone Wars" cartoon) titles, we've also got canonical Wookiee Jedi, finally giving us a Jedi that can as easily cut down a droid battalion as he is to rip it to shreds with its claws. Wookiees were originally meant to help out the Rebels in "Return of the Jedi" until George Lucas decided to create the Ewoks, but now the Disney+ show "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures" give us the cuddliest and most adorable possible Jedi outside of Grogu with a lightsaber — a Jedi Ewok.
Or is it? The character in question is Nubs, a cute little blue creature that looks like a teddy bear. He looks exactly like a blue Ewok. Except, he is not.
Nubs the non-Ewok Jedi
Nubs is actually a member of a brand new species called Pooba. The Pooba were created specifically for "Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures," and they speak Poobian. Sadly, because the only Poobian we know is Nubs, that is pretty much everything we know about this species, other than that they are capable of using the Force and are blue and furry.
But if Nubs is no Ewok Jedi, then the question remains, can an Ewok be a Jedi in the first place? Well, the answer is complicated. There is an Ewok Jedi wielding a lightsaber and wearing Jedi robes seen in a picture inside a 2004 sourcebook for the "Star Wars Roleplaying Game." This is part of the Legends universe, however, meaning it is not canon to the current continuity. Still, one is allowed to dream.
In the meantime, Nubs is one of the most cuddly and adorable little Jedi, so it's hard to complain.