Chewbacca

Chewbacca
Homeworld	Kashyyyk
Species	Wookiee
Gender	Male
Height	2.28 meters
Hair Color	Brown
Eye Color	Blue
Affiliation	Galactic Republic, Rebel Alliance, New Republic

Chewbacca or "Chewie" (c. 200 BBY—25 ABY) was a Wookiee from Kashyyyk and co-pilot of Han Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca carried with him the name of an ancient Wookiee hero, the great Bacca, first of the great chieftains of Kashyyyk, and the creator of a sword that denoted leadership among the Wookiees. This name placed Chewbacca in a noble lineage, which was further supported by his role in the Battle of Kashyyyk.

Chewbacca was a wise, sophisticated being of great strength and loyalty. He was also a skilled mechanic. Chewbacca, like many Wookiees, was able to understand Basic, but he could not speak it due to his species' vocal structure. He instead spoke Shyriiwook, the Wookiee language that is largely composed of growls and grunts, to his human companions who typically replied in Basic.

Biography

Early Life (c. 200 BBY to 19 BBY)

Chewbacca was born on Kashyyyk circa 200 BBY, the son of Attichitcuk. During his early years Chewbacca lived on Kashyyyk, but unlike many other Wookiees who rarely left the planet's lush forests, Chewbacca was consumed by an overpowering sense of adventure and exploration. Chewie's first travels were to the remote and dangerous lower levels of Kashyyyk's immense forests. It was not long before his travels took him far from the confines of his green homeworld. His heart, however, remained on Kashyyyk, and Chewie would always try to make it home for the holidays.

As he reached adulthood, he married Mallatobuck, and fathered a son named Lumpawarrump. Chewie and his father were responsible for the creation of many villages on Kashyyyk in the decades before the Battle of Naboo and both of them participated in the colonization of Alaris Prime, where they faced the Trade Federation for control of the moon. Notably, during this time Chewbacca had his first recorded encounter with Jedi—as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi had been assigned by the Galactic Republic to end the conflict on Alaris Prime.

During the Clone Wars, Chewbacca was a leading member of the Wookiee resistance to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He was a major player in the Battle of Kashyyyk, overseeing the confrontation between the Grand Army of the Republic's 41st Elite Corps and the invading droid forces alongside Tarfful and Jedi General Yoda. Following the implementation of Order 66, Chewbacca helped Yoda elude the Clone Troopers and escape from the planet.

Life under the Empire (19 BBY to 4 ABY)

When Chewbacca rescued Yoda, he became an enemy of the Republic. The Republic turned into the Galactic Empire and enslaved the denizens of Kashyyyk. The mighty Wookiee was forced to help construct the Death Star as a slave until freed by then-Imperial officer Han Solo. "Chewie", as Solo affectionately called him, became the Corellian's close companion as a smuggler, standing beside him until his death, partly out of friendship, and partly as a result of his life debt to Solo.

Bonded to Solo, Chewbacca used his skills as a technician and pilot to aid the smuggler in a number of adventures. His reputation amongst the smuggler community grew to galactic infamy, commonly being refered to as "the Wook" by friend and foe alike.

It was Chewbacca that Obi-Wan Kenobi spoke to in Chalmun's Cantina when in search of transportation to Alderaan. It is not known whether the Wookiee recognized Kenobi from their time on Alaris Prime or if Chewbacca's friendship with Yoda during the Clone Wars influenced the decision to help the Jedi. Regardless, Chewbacca introduced the aged Jedi Master and his young companion to Han Solo and soon the pair bought passage on the Falcon.

Chewbacca participated in Leia Organa's rescue from the Death Star and the subsequent Battle of Yavin. Princess Organa initially disliked Chewbacca as much as she disdained Han and called him a "walking carpet," but the friendship between the two grew over time.

Chewbacca joined Organa and Solo in the terrestrial portion of the Battle of Endor, during which he distinguished himself fighting in terrain similar to that of his homeworld. He and two native Ewoks hijacked an AT-ST, helping the Alliance secure their victory on the forest moon.

Hero of the New Republic (4 ABY to 25 ABY)

Chewbacca continued to be a close friend of both Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo. He was seen as an uncle-like figure by the Solo children and took care of them along with C-3PO and R2-D2 when Han and Leia were away. Chewbacca's nephew Lowbacca (Lowie) was a close friend of the Solo children. Twenty years after the founding of the New Republic, Chewbacca, Han Solo and his youngest son Anakin were sent by Lando Calrissian to pick up a shipment on Sernpidal. When they arrived, they discovered that the planet's moon Dobido was orbiting its host quickly, dropping closer to Sernpidal at regular intervals. Anakin calculated Dobido would collide with Sernpidal in seven hours' time. This event, unbeknownst to them, was a result of the Yuuzhan Vong tactic, Yo'gand's Core.

Chewbacca and the Solos landed on Sernpidal and evacuated as many people as they could, managing to rescue millions of Sernpidalians, using both the Millennium Falcon and various other available freighters. As the winds picked up, Anakin was knocked into the distance, causing Chewie to run after him. Chewie was able to bring Anakin to safety on the Falcon, but another blast of wind knocked him directly into the path of Dobido. Anakin, who had piloted the Falcon while his father stood on the entrance ramp hoping to lift Chewie up, flew from Sernpidal when he realized it was too late to save Chewie. The Wookiee stood in the moon's trajectory, angrily shaking his fist, and was crushed with those Sernpidalians who could not escape. Chewie's death would stick with Han and his companions for years.

Behind the scenes

Chewbacca was portrayed by the 7'3" (2.21 meters) tall Peter Mayhew in Episodes III to VI. He was based on Indiana, a dog owned by George Lucas, which would later be the inspiration for Indiana Jones. For his appearances in the Original Trilogy, the Chewie suit, designed by Stuart Freeborn, was made out of knitted mohair (made from goat and rabbit hair) and yak hair. It would later be used and retouched during the making of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace for Senator Yarua. For his appearance in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Chewbacca was completely remade, with newer, more efficient and cost-effective materials; Peter Mayhew's portrayal took only a day of shooting.

The memorable voice of Chewbacca was designed by Ben Burtt, sound designer for all six films. He mixed together various growls from the animal kingdom for different emotions, including walruses, bears, tigers, camels and even badgers. The most prominent of these voices was a black bear named Tarik, who died of congestive heart failure in 1994.

In 1997, Chewbacca appeared on the MTV Movie Awards and, as recompense for not receiving a medal during the closing sequence of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, was given a medal by Carrie Fisher, who played Leia Organa throughout the original trilogy.

In 1999, Chewbacca became the first major character in the Star Wars films to be killed off in the Expanded Universe, when R.A. Salvatore's Vector Prime, the first entry in the New Jedi Order series, featured him being crushed by Dobido, one of two moons of Sernpidal. This caused great resentment among some fans, leading to death threats in some cases.

Chewie's name is based on the Russian word for "dog," "собака" (Sobaka).