One of the most well-loved of the minor characters in Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick is surely that of the cannibal Queequeg, the archetypal “noble savage”, and dab hand with a harpoon. It’s no surprise, therefore, that during pre-production of Return of the Jedi the crew nicknamed this Weequay skiff guard “Queequeg”. After all, he brandishes a harpoon-like pike weapon, swaggers up the deck of a Desert Skiff like a pirate on a sloop upon the high seas, and even forces Luke Skywalker to walk the plank during the Sarlacc Pit Battle scene!
Unlike many of Kenner’s 3 ¾ inch Star Wars action figures, this minor character actually gets enough screen time to make him memorable. In fact, Luke dramatically jumps right over him, in a nifty diving board flip, when he reaches the end of the plank, thus saving himself from a nasty plunge into the Great Pit of Carkoon. We never seen Queequeg’s on-screen defeat – one minute he’s there, the next he’s gone – although kids back in the day could act that out for themselves with this Kenner figure!

Weequay – a great movie likeness
His pose is also unusual amongst the Star Wars figures in as much as he is actually positioned with a slightly bent left arm (to better balance the Skiff Guard Vibro Axe accessory presumably), and his knees give the impression of being ever-so slightly bent, as if poised to spring into action. The overall effect is that this vintage, admittedly limited figure with only five points of articulation, appears dynamic. He’s a fantastic vintage Star Wars action figure find to add to your collection!
Leave a Reply