Fictional character in the Star Wars franchise
Fictional character
Chewbacca
(
choo-
BAH
-k?
), nicknamed "
Chewie
", is a fictional character in the
Star Wars
franchise created by
George Lucas
. He is a
Wookiee
?a tall, hairy, highly intelligent species originating from the planet
Kashyyyk
.
[5]
He is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall, and typically wears only a
bandolier
and a tool pouch.
[1]
He carries a bowcaster, a traditional Wookiee weapon, and he speaks the Wookiee language Shyriiwook.
[7]
[8]
He first appears in the
original film trilogy
as the loyal friend of the smuggler
Han Solo
. He is also the co-pilot of Han's starship, the
Millennium Falcon
.
[1]
[9]
Chewbacca is portrayed by
Peter Mayhew
in five films. In
The Force Awakens
, Mayhew shares the role with
Joonas Suotamo
, who took over the portrayal for subsequent films. Chewbacca also appears in animated series, novels, comics, and video games.
Creation
[
edit
]
George Lucas invented many fictional characters while writing the original 1977
Star Wars
film.
[b]
[10]
Chewbacca was inspired by his dog, an
Alaskan Malamute
named Indiana. She would sit in the passenger seat of his car while he was driving, and he referred to her as his "co-pilot".
[11]
Chewbacca's name was derived from the Russian word
sobaka
(
собака
), which means "dog".
[13]
In France, his name was changed in the original French-language release of
Star Wars
. He was called
Chiktabba
, and his nickname was
Chico
.
[14]
Portrayals
[
edit
]
Chewbacca is portrayed by Peter Mayhew in the original
Star Wars
trilogy, the
Star Wars Holiday Special
(1978), and
Revenge of the Sith
(2005), the final film of the
prequel trilogy
.
[15]
[9]
Mayhew was cast primarily for his height of 7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m).
[16]
He shares the Chewbacca role with his body double, Joonas Suotamo, in
The Force Awakens
(2015), the first film of the
sequel trilogy
.
[17]
Following Mayhew's retirement in 2017, Suotamo took over the role, appearing in
The Last Jedi
(2017) and
The Rise of Skywalker
(2019), the second and third films of the sequel trilogy, respectively.
[18]
Suotamo also plays Chewbacca in the standalone film
Solo: A Star Wars Story
(2018).
[19]
The Chewbacca costume used in the original trilogy and the
Star Wars Holiday Special
was made from yak hair, rabbit hair and
mohair
.
[20]
For
The Force Awakens
, multiple Chewbacca suits were crafted from yak hair, Lycra and a small amount of mohair.
[21]
Chewbacca's voice was created by
Ben Burtt
, the sound designer for the original trilogy.
[22]
He generated the Wookiee's vocalizations by mixing together recordings of four bears, a badger, a lion, a seal, and a walrus.
[23]
Mayhew modeled his performance of Chewbacca on the mannerisms of animals he observed in public zoos.
[24]
[25]
[26]
Reception
[
edit
]
In his 1997 review of the Special Edition re-release of
The Empire Strikes Back
, the film critic
Roger Ebert
declared that of all the characters, Chewbacca gave the worst performance. He wrote: "This character was thrown into the first film as window dressing, was never thought through, and as a result has been saddled with one facial expression and one mournful yelp. Much more could have been done. How can you be a space pilot and not be able to communicate in any meaningful way? Does Han Solo really understand Chew's monotonous noises? Do they have long chats sometimes?"
[27]
In spite of Ebert's critique, Chewbacca received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the
1997 MTV Movie Awards
.
[28]
[29]
Appearances
[
edit
]
Original trilogy
[
edit
]
Chewbacca first appears in
Star Wars
(1977). He and Han Solo are smugglers who accept a charter to take
Luke Skywalker
,
Obi-Wan Kenobi
, and the
droids
C-3PO
and
R2-D2
to the planet
Alderaan
aboard their ship, the
Millennium Falcon
. When they find the planet obliterated by the
Death Star
, Chewbacca and Han help their passengers rescue
Princess Leia
and take her to the
Rebel
base on
Yavin 4
. In the film's
climactic battle scene
, Chewbacca and Han save Luke from being killed by
Darth Vader
, which allows Luke to destroy the
Death Star
. After the battle, Leia acknowledges Chewbacca for his achievements alongside Luke and Han.
The Empire Strikes Back
(1980) takes place three years after
Star Wars
. Chewbacca and Han are planning to leave the Rebellion to pay off a debt to
Jabba the Hutt
, but are drawn back into the war when the
Empire
assaults the Rebel base. Chewbacca, Han and Leia seek refuge in
Cloud City
with Han's friend
Lando Calrissian
, unaware that Lando has betrayed them to the Empire. C-3PO is blasted into pieces by an Imperial
stormtrooper
, and Chewbacca rescues him from being melted down. Before Han is frozen in carbonite and delivered to Jabba, he asks Chewbacca to look after Leia for him. Chewbacca, Leia and Lando escape from Darth Vader in the
Falcon
. When Leia hears Luke's cry for help, she orders Chewbacca to turn the ship around to rescue him. In the film's final scene, Chewbacca joins the others in preparing to rescue Han from Jabba.
At the beginning of
Return of the Jedi
(1983), Chewbacca infiltrates Jabba's palace by pretending to be the prisoner of a bounty hunter, who is actually Leia in disguise. Chewbacca and his companions manage to rescue Han and escape. Later, Chewbacca joins the others on a mission to destroy the second Death Star's shield generator, which is located on
Endor
. During a battle, Chewbacca commandeers an
AT-ST walker
, which contributes to the mission's success. At the end of the film, Chewbacca and the other Rebels celebrate the destruction of the Death Star and the fall of the Empire.
Prequel trilogy
[
edit
]
In
Revenge of the Sith
(2005), Chewbacca and his fellow Wookiee
Tarfful
fight in the
Clone Wars
when Kashyyyk is invaded by the Separatist Alliance. They also help the
Jedi Master
Yoda
escape from clone troopers who were ordered to kill him.
Sequel trilogy
[
edit
]
In
The Force Awakens
, set 30 years after
Return of the Jedi
, Chewbacca and Han are piloting a cargo vessel and find the
Millennium Falcon
, which had been stolen from them. They help the rogue
First Order
stormtrooper
Finn
, the scavenger
Rey
and the droid
BB-8
escape from a gang of mercenaries, then fly to the castle of
Maz Kanata
so she can help them get BB-8 to the
Resistance
. While they are at Maz's castle, the First Order arrives and captures Rey. Chewbacca and the others fly to a Resistance base, where Chewbacca and Han reunite with Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2. They also soon reunite with Rey, who escaped from the First Order. During a Resistance mission, Han is killed by his son
Kylo Ren
, which prompts an enraged Chewbacca to shoot Kylo in the side. The Wookiee then sets off explosives that allow
Poe Dameron
and other X-wing pilots to destroy
Starkiller Base
, the First Order's superweapon. Before the base explodes, Chewbacca rescues Rey and Finn from the wilderness, where they had been fighting with Kylo. Later, Chewbacca helps Rey find Luke on the planet
Ahch-To
.
Chewbacca returns in
The Last Jedi
(2017), which takes place immediately after
The Force Awakens
. While Rey attempts to convince Luke to train her, Chewbacca develops a relationship with some seabirds known as Porgs. Later on, Chewbacca and Rey help the Resistance by using the
Falcon
to distract First Order TIE fighters.
In
The Rise of Skywalker
(2019), Chewbacca and his companions travel to the planet Passana, where they search for a clue to the location of a
Sith
wayfinder. With the help of Lando, they locate the clue, but are quickly found by the First Order. While Rey confronts Kylo, Chewbacca is captured and taken aboard a transport. Rey uses
the Force
to arrest the flight of the transport she mistakenly believes Chewbacca is on. She accidentally destroys the ship with
Force lightning
, and believes she has killed Chewbacca, who in reality was on a different transport. Deeply shaken by the apparent death of the Wookiee, Rey and the others pledge to continue the mission in his memory. Later on, Chewbacca's friends realize he is alive, and manage to rescue him. When they return to the Resistance base, they learn of Leia's death, and Chewbacca is distraught. He then helps Lando recruit citizens from across the galaxy to defeat the First Order and its
Sith Eternal
allies. Near the end of the film, Chewbacca receives a medal from Maz.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
[
edit
]
Chewbacca appears in the 2018 standalone film
Solo: A Star Wars Story
, which details his first meeting with Han. The Wookiee had been captured by Imperials on the planet Mimban, and is held captive in a small pit. Han, considered a "troublemaker" by the Imperials, is thrown into the pit to be eaten by Chewbacca. The Wookiee attacks Han, but stops when Han reveals he can speak Shyriiwook. Chewbacca and Han form an instant bond and escape their captors. They join the crew of the thief
Tobias Beckett
, and make several attempts to steal coaxium for the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. On Kessel, Chewbacca frees several other Wookiees from slavery. During the Kessel Run?in which Han flies the
Falcon
through a cloudy maelstrom?Chewbacca reveals his skill as a pilot. Near the end of the film, Beckett turns traitor and captures Chewbacca. After Han saves his friend and kills Beckett, he wins the
Falcon
from Lando. Chewbacca and Han then set off on more adventures in the
Falcon
.
Animated series
[
edit
]
In the season 3 finale of the television series
The Clone Wars
, Chewbacca is captured by Trandoshan hunters, but is freed by
Ahsoka Tano
and agrees to help her and two younglings escape. He and Ahsoka attack the Trandoshan fortress before they are found and assisted by Tarfful and other Wookiees.
[30]
Chewbacca appears in both seasons of the web series
Forces of Destiny
(2017?2018). He is featured in episodes 5 and 10 of season 1,
[31]
[32]
and in episodes 6 and 12 of season 2.
[33]
[34]
Novels and comics
[
edit
]
Chewbacca is featured in the novels
Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo and Chewbacca Adventure
(2015)
[35]
and
The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear
(2018).
[36]
He appears in the comics
Chewbacca
(2015),
[37]
Life Day
(2021)
[38]
and
Han Solo and Chewbacca
(2022?2023).
[39]
Video games
[
edit
]
Chewbacca is a playable character in a variety of video games, including
Masters of Teras Kasi
,
Star Wars Battlefront II
,
Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron
,
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron
, and the
2017 version
of
Star Wars Battlefront II
. The Wookiee is also playable in the
Lego
Star Wars
games
Lego Star Wars: The Video Game
,
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy
,
Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars
,
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens
and
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
.
Other
[
edit
]
The 1978 television program
Star Wars Holiday Special
introduces Chewbacca's family, including his wife Mallatobuck, his son Lumpawarrump, and his father Attichitcuk, who is the chief of the Kaapauku Tribe. The program features a story in which Chewbacca and Han travel to Kashyyyk to celebrate Life Day, while trying to prevent Darth Vader from spoiling the holiday. The special is not part of the
Star Wars
story canon.
[40]
Star Wars Legends
[
edit
]
Following the acquisition of
Lucasfilm
by
The Walt Disney Company
in 2012, most of the licensed
Star Wars
novels and comics produced between 1977 and 2014 were rebranded as
Star Wars Legends
and declared non-canon to the franchise. The
Legends
works comprise a separate narrative universe.
[c]
Chewbacca appears in the novel trilogies
The Han Solo Adventures
(1979?1980),
The Black Fleet Crisis
(1996?1997) and
The Han Solo Trilogy
(1997?1998), as well as the novels
Heirs of the Force
(1995),
[45]
Vector Prime
(1999),
[46]
and
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
(2005).
[47]
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
is set just after
Revenge of the Sith
. When the Empire enslaves most of Kashyyyk's population to build the Death Star, Chewbacca escapes with a group of smugglers who are friendly to the Jedi.
The Hutt Gambit
?the second novel in
The Han Solo Trilogy
?explains how Chewbacca and Han first meet. While serving as a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, Han finds Chewbacca unconscious aboard a slave ship. Han is ordered to skin the Wookiee, but rescues him instead. Upon regaining consciousness, Chewbacca swears a "life-debt" to Han, and the two become business partners and friends.
[48]
In
Vector Prime
, Chewbacca sacrifices his life to save Han's son
Anakin
from a collision between the planet Sernpidal and one of its moons. Two of the Wookiee's family members offer to assume Chewbacca's life debt to Han.
The novel
Vector Prime
was followed by a four-issue comic series titled
Star Wars: Chewbacca
, in which C-3PO and R2-D2 travel the galaxy collecting stories of beings who knew or met the Wookiee.
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
Chewbacca's family members in the
Star Wars Legends
narrative universe include his sister Kallabow, his nephew
Lowbacca
and his niece Sirrakuk.
- ^
Originally titled
Star Wars
, it was later retitled
Star Wars: Episode IV ? A New Hope
.
- ^
Attributed to multiple references:
[41]
[42]
[43]
[44]
References
[
edit
]
Citations
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
"Chewbacca"
.
StarWars.com
. Retrieved
March 29,
2024
.
- ^
Morrison, Matt (May 14, 2018).
"Exclusive: Here's Who That Other Wookiee Is in Solo: A Star Wars Story"
.
ScreenRant
. Retrieved
April 9,
2024
.
- ^
Gallagher, Brian (February 21, 2017).
"Chewbacca's Son in The Star Wars Holiday Special Is Officially Canon"
.
MovieWeb
. Retrieved
April 9,
2024
.
- ^
"Kashyyyk"
.
StarWars.com
. Retrieved
April 8,
2024
.
- ^
"Bowcaster"
.
StarWars.com
. Retrieved
April 5,
2024
.
- ^
Romano, Nick (May 10, 2018).
"Alden Ehrenreich had to learn Wookiee for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'
"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
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2024
.
- ^
a
b
Richwine, Lisa; Gorman, Steve (May 2, 2019).
"Peter Mayhew, actor who played Chewbacca in 'Star Wars' movies, dies"
.
Reuters
.
Archived
from the original on November 3, 2021
. Retrieved
April 7,
2024
.
- ^
The Characters of Star Wars
(DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2004.
Star Wars
Original Trilogy DVD Box Set: Bonus Materials.
- ^
Anderton, Ethan (December 2, 2021).
"The Unexpected Inspiration Behind Chewbacca"
.
Slashfilm
. Retrieved
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2024
.
- ^
Boucher, Geoff; Petski, Denise (May 2, 2019).
"Peter Mayhew Dies: 'Star Wars' Chewbacca Actor Was 74"
.
Deadline
. Retrieved
April 5,
2024
.
- ^
"Z6PO? How the French originally translated the names of Star Wars characters"
.
The Local France
. May 4, 2017
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"Star Wars: Holiday Special"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
. Retrieved
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- ^
"Peter Mayhew ? Biography"
.
Yahoo! Movies
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the original
on May 9, 2006
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2006
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- ^
Shanley, Patrick (February 21, 2017).
"
'Star Wars': New Chewbacca Actor Honors Peter Mayhew After Taking on the Role"
.
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- ^
Liptak, Andrew (May 2, 2019).
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- ^
Breznican, Anthony (May 3, 2019).
"Watch new Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo explain Peter Mayhew's influence"
.
Entertainment Weekly
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- ^
Hutchinson, Sean (May 2, 2019).
"15 Things You Might Not Know About Chewbacca"
.
Mental Floss
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Rosenstein, Jenna (November 12, 2015).
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.
Allure
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Wilson, Mark (April 17, 2015).
"How Ben Burtt Designed the Sounds of Star Wars"
.
Fast Company
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Madrigal, Alexis C. (August 7, 2014).
"The Incredible Story of How Chewbacca Got a Voice"
.
The Atlantic
. Archived from
the original
on November 5, 2023
. Retrieved
March 30,
2024
.
- ^
Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy
(DVD). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. 2004.
- ^
Lambrechts, Stephen (September 13, 2011).
"Chatting with Chewie"
.
IGN
.
Archived
from the original on October 17, 2023
. Retrieved
March 4,
2024
.
- ^
"Peter Mayhew ? Biography"
.
Yahoo! Movies
. Archived from
the original
on May 9, 2006
. Retrieved
October 3,
2006
.
- ^
Roger Ebert (February 21, 1997).
"The Empire Strikes Back"
.
Chicago Sun-Times
. Archived from
the original
on November 16, 2012
. Retrieved
February 29,
2012
.
- ^
Richmond, Ray (June 9, 1997).
"Cruise & Danes top MTV nods"
.
Variety
. Retrieved
June 6,
2024
.
- ^
Pener, Degen; Laine, Tricia (June 20, 1997).
"The California scene"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
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2024
.
- ^
"Wookiee Hunt." (April 1, 2011)
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
. Season 3, episode 22. (Television series).
- ^
"
Star Wars Forces of Destiny
Episode 'Beasts of Echo Base'
"
. Disney. July 7, 2017
. Retrieved
July 8,
2017
– via YouTube.
- ^
"
Star Wars Forces of Destiny
Episode 'Newest Recruit'
"
. Disney. October 1, 2017
. Retrieved
October 1,
2017
– via YouTube.
- ^
"
Star Wars Forces of Destiny
Episode 'Bounty Hunted'
"
. Disney. March 19, 2018
. Retrieved
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2024
– via YouTube.
- ^
"
Star Wars Forces of Destiny
Episode 'Porgs!'
"
. Disney. May 4, 2018
. Retrieved
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2024
– via YouTube.
- ^
Rucka, Greg (2015).
Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure
. Egmont.
ISBN
978-1-4052-7785-3
.
- ^
Angleberger, Tom (May 25, 2018).
Star Wars: The Mighty Chewbacca in the Forest of Fear
. Disney Electronic Content.
ISBN
978-1-368-02575-1
.
- ^
"Exclusive: 'Star Wars' Spins Off 'Chewbacca' Into His Own Solo Adventures"
.
MTV
.
Archived
from the original on January 15, 2016
. Retrieved
May 31,
2024
.
- ^
"Star Wars: Life Day (2021) #1"
.
Marvel
. Retrieved
May 31,
2024
.
- ^
"Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca (2022 - 2023)"
.
Marvel
. Retrieved
May 31,
2024
.
- ^
Berman, John; Gerstein, Ted (December 20, 2007).
"Holiday Specials Gone Bad"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
McMilian, Graeme (April 25, 2014).
"Lucasfilm Unveils New Plans for
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.
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
"The Legendary
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.
StarWars.com
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. Retrieved
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.
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. StarWars.com. April 25, 2014.
Archived
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.
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. Retrieved
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- ^
Anderson, Kevin J.; Moesta, Rebecca (1995).
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. Boulevard Books.
ISBN
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.
- ^
Salvatore, R. A. (1999).
Vector Prime: The New Jedi Order
. Century.
ISBN
978-0-7126-8084-4
.
- ^
Luceno, James (2005).
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. Century.
ISBN
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.
- ^
Crispin, A. C. (1997).
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ISBN
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.
Works Cited
[
edit
]
- Hidalgo, Pablo; Sansweet, Stephen (2008a).
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
. Vol. I (First ed.). New York: Del Rey.
ISBN
9780345477637
.
- Hidalgo, Pablo; Sansweet, Stephen (2008c).
The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
. Vol. III (First ed.). New York: Del Rey.
ISBN
9780345477637
.
- Rinzler, J.W. (2008).
The Making of Star Wars: The Definitive Story Behind the Original Film
(2008 ed.). Ebury Press.
ISBN
978-0-09-192499-7
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Chewbacca
.
Chewbacca
in the
StarWars
.com Databank
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