51 Interesting Chewbacca Facts Revealed On The Iconic Star Wars Character

Akinwalere Olaleye
Oct 23, 2023 By Akinwalere Olaleye
Originally Published on Feb 22, 2022
Chewbacca attends the photo-call of 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 9.6 Min

CBS broadcasted the 'Star Wars Holiday Special' on November 17, 1978, and exposed fans to three new characters after the launch of the first picture the year before.

These were Malla (Mallatobuck), Itchy (Attichitcuk), Lumpy (Lumpawaroo), Chewbacca's wife, father, and son, respectively. The family's roots may be traced back to a preliminary draft of the film, which would become 'Star Wars' in 1974, which predates the inception of the special.

Chewbacca is met by his father, Attichitcuk, Chief of the Kaapakau tribe, an old and feeble Wookiee clad in royal skins and headgear, as he approaches the Wookiee camp on Yavin, according to the draft. Chewbacca is compelled to leave Kashyyyk after escaping a huge Imperial invasion in the novel 'Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader', which takes place soon after the events of 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.' In order to construct the Death Star, Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine enslave the majority of Kashyyyk's populace.

In the upcoming 'Star Wars' episode, Suotamo will step into the role of the last Jedi and repeat that in the literary series 'Solo: The Rise of Skywalker' and 'A Star Wars Story,' the final chapter of the sequel triad. The information has indeed featured in a number of Alternate Universe media, including television programs, graphic novels, books, and computer games. 'Chewbacca' was a five-issue series released by Marvel Comics in 2015, authored by Gerry Duggan and illustrated by Phil Noto. This comic is representative of the 'Star Wars' canon that has emerged after the takeover of Disney's Lucasfilm in 2012 and the termination of Dark Horse Comics 'Star Wars' publishing. Chewbacca assists the others in attempting to rescue Han from Jabba in the film's climactic scene. Chewbacca and Han initially meet in the novel 'The Hutt Gambit.' Han, an Imperial Navy officer, discovers him comatose on a slave ship. Han's commander tells him to skin Chewbacca, but he refuses and saves the defenseless prisoner instead. In April 2014, Lucasfilm reclassified most licensed 'Star Wars' comics and Wookiee storybooks created ever since the 1977 film 'Star Wars' as Star Wars Legends and deemed them non-canon to the property. The character of Chewbacca provided the worst performance in the film, according to Roger Ebert, in his 1997 analysis of the deluxe edition re-release of 'The Empire Strikes Back.'

Chewbacca appears in 'Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars,' 'Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy,' 'Lego Star Wars: The Video Game,' and 'Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens' video games. The player controls a gunner aboard a ship flown by a young Chewbacca in LucasArts' Kinect 'Star Wars' game.

Who is Chewbacca?

  • Chewbacca, occasionally called Chewie, is a fictitious personality from the 'Star Wars' universe. He's a Wookiee, bipedal, a hirsute, intelligent creature from the imaginary planet Kashyyyk.
  • Chewie does not eat people. Chewbacca is 190 years old, according to 'A Star Wars Story.' Chewbacca was a cross between a lemur, a cat, a dog, and a monkey.
  • Han Solo's devoted friend is Chewbacca, and he pretends to co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon, Solo's spacecraft. Together, they assist the Rebel Alliance to spoil the Galactic Empire and bring liberty to the star system.
  • In the authentic show, Peter Mayhew played Chewbacca. In the starting segment of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', the sequel trilogy, Joonas Suotamo, Peter Mayhew's body double, co-stars in the film.
  • On Mimban, after eluding Imperial capture, Chewbacca, a Wookiee of nearly 200 years old, has become Han Solo's friend. Chewbacca joins in the exporting business after a sequence of exploits on Vandor and Kessel, as well as working as the co-pilot with Han on Millennium Falcon for the entirety of Han's life.
  • Chewbacca stands at 8 ft (2.43 m) tall, has long hair, and has just a bandolier on his shoulders. The bowcaster is his favored weapon (a controlled-energy weapon that is in the shape of a crossbow).
  • Chewbacca talks Shyriiwook (which is comprised of sounds similar to animal growls), his native tongue; he recognizes English and yet is not able to communicate in it.
  • Chewbacca was named among the 'greatest sidekicks' in film history by Entertainment Weekly. Chewbacca has already used a lightsaber multiple times canonically, according to the most current 'Star Wars' comic books.
  • Ralph McQuarrie's concept image served as the inspiration for Chewbacca's design. Ralph McQuarrie was given a picture of a lemur as inspiration, and he proceeded to sketch Chewbacca as a female, but he was soon changed to a male.
  • McQuarrie's furry design was inspired by an artwork by artist John Schoenherr that was created for the 'Game Of Thrones' author's short novella 'And Seven Times Never Kill a Man.' Schoenherr's image even contains what appears to be Chewbacca's iconic weapon, the bowcaster, which Chewbacca enthusiasts would recognize.

 

Origin Of Chewbacca's Character In Star Wars

  • Chewbacca is a Wookiee who was raised on the planet Kashyyyk and is Han Solo's co-pilot. He was the son of Attichitcuk and was married to Mallatobuck, with whom he had a son named Lumpawaroo. Chewbacca's name is derived from Bacca, the very first Wookiee chieftain, an old Wookiee hero.
  • He was known from a young age for his capacity to move through the massive wroshyr forests that surrounded the Wookiee world and also his amazing ability to repair just about anything mechanical.
  • Chewie resided on Kashyyyk with his family until a few decades before the Battle of Naboo, where he and his father created many of the planet's three communities.
  • Chewie left the planet due to resentment from another Wookiee family, but he returned during 'Clone Wars' once the Separatist threat to his planet was revealed when he battled with Tarrful and the Jedi Master Yoda.
  • George Lucas felt inspired to create Chewbacca as a 'kind, hairy, non-English-speaking co-pilot' by observing his beloved dog resting in the back seat of his automobile. Chewbacca's name is claimed to be chosen from the Russian term for the dog, соaка.
  • Chewbacca was portrayed by Peter Mayhew, who was also known for his 7 ft 1 in (2.18 m) size in his six-film roles.
  • For the three authentic trilogies plus a vacation special, Peter Mayhew dressed in five distinct outfits, all made of yak hair and mohair. In 'Return Of The Sith' (2005), the outfit was made of more cozy materials, albeit Peter Mayhew only wore it for a day.
  • The torso portion of the original suit was crocheted by Stuart Freeborn along with his wife, Kay Freeborn.
  • Even during preproduction of 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', Creature Effects Supervisor Neal Scanlan observed that the authentic Chewbacca suit was even more intricate than they had realized, prompting him to abandon their first effort at making the new Chewbacca costume, which weighed 8 lb (3.6 kg) and instead to study Freeborn's work for a better understanding of how it functioned and try to replicate it.
  • Mayhew's blue eyes were the only aspect of his own face that could be seen. His gestures, on the other hand, helped fans pinpoint him, and even his coworkers claimed to be able to identify when the stand-in moved.
  • After Peter Mayhew's retirement, Joonas Suotamo reprised the role in 'The Force Awakens' and also ended up playing a role in subsequent cinematic performances.
  • To create the way Chewbacca speaks, Ben Burtt, a sound engineer of the early films, filmed walruses, camels, lions, rabbits, tigers, bears, and badgers at his home zoo.
  • For Chewbacca's various statements, the samples were combined in varying ratios. A black bear named Tarik from San Jose's Happy Hollow Zoo was among the most significant roles in the creation of the voice.
  • Songs and comedy routines by Jefferson Starship, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, and Bea Arthur, as well as a circus-style acrobatics act using uneven bars and juggling, are among the highlights.
  • Conquering armies arrived on the planet shortly after the battle of Kashyyyk in search of the Order 66 Jedi survivors. A young Imperial lieutenant named Han Solo changed his life while he was enslaved, once an officer who was thrashing him was mortally wounded.
  • During the Galatic Civil War, Solo and Chewie accepted a job transporting the Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to Alderaan.
  • By the time they arrived, the planet had already been devastated by the Empire, and they finished up assisting Kenobi and Skywalker in rescuing Princess Leia Organa from the Death Star, the space station that had destroyed Alderaan.
  • Darth Vader seized Han, Chewie, and Leia after the Imperial invasion on the rebel base on Hoth in an attempt to bring Luke Skywalker out of seclusion. Han Solo was imprisoned in carbonite and handed to bounty hunter Boba Fett as payment for helping Vader find them.
  • Chewie stayed by Han's side for the rest of his life, accompanying him on several journeys and conflicts. Chewie had a close relationship with the Solo family. He was a lifelong friend of Han and Leia's, as well as an uncle for their children.
Chewbacca attends the photocall for 'Solo: A Star Wars Story'

Weapons Of Chewbacca

  • Chewbacca stands at 8 ft (2.4 m) in height with long hair but only a bandolier on his back. The Wookiee bowcaster is his preferred weapon (a directed-energy device in the form of a crossbow).
  • Despite being referred to as a crossbow by characters such as Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca's weapon in 'Star Wars' has an official name of bowcaster.
  • Chewbacca, like most of his people, loved the bowcaster as his particular weapon. Since these were handmade, he was skilled at developing and creating them, and he made a number of them throughout his life.
  • During the Imperial Empire, he created the last known bowcaster. He had repurposed the chassis and power module of a stormtrooper blaster in an unusual design.
  • Chewbacca possesses retractable claws for climbing, which are not addressed in the movie. It is considered dishonorable to use them in combat.

Chewbacca's Family

  • Chewbacca and his family resided in Rwookrrorro, Kashyyyk's capital city. Chewbacca's lineage delivered to the galaxy numerous warriors, pilots, and a Jedi knight.
  • They were great friends and allies with a fellow Wookiee clan known as Chevappa, although they would frequently dispute with some other Wookiee clans and families.
  • Chewbacca, Malla, and Lumpawaroo are three characters from the 'Star Wars' universe. Chewbacca has a son called Lumpawaroo and a wife called Mallatobuck.
  • Attichitcuk (Shyriiwook for 'first heroic companion'), often known as Itchy, was a successful male Wookiee Chieftain who existed during the Galactic Republic's final ages.
  • He had two puppies, a female puppy called Kallabow and a male called Chewbacca, the latter of which went on to become a legendary Rebel Alliance warrior in the fight against the tyrannical Galactic Empire.
  • During 150 BBY, Attichitcuk, a loving father, permitted his sole son to leave the family and journey across the galaxy in pursuit of adventure.
  • Attichitcuk was a prominent figure in his ancestral home of Kashyyyk, a planet surrounded by vast forests.
  • In the Galactic Republic's discussions for colonization privileges to Alaris Prime, a moon of the gas giant Alaris, he addressed his Wookiee brethren.
  • The chieftain sped away invasion troops of the Trade Federation that already had unlawfully captured Alaris Prime with the assistance of both his son and Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn.
  • Chewbacca and his family are referred to as the 'Sawa Tribe' among some other clans on Kashyyyk in the Legends book 'The Star Wars 7'.
  • The moniker implies that they are among the most dominant tribes on the globe, with the prince's name in the novel being 'Auzituck.' The family takes on a new pseudonym in the book's sequel, 'The Star Wars 8', as 'the Great Kaapauku tribe.'

Main Image credit: Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com

Article Image credit: BAKOUNINE / Shutterstock.com

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Sources

https://www.thefactsite.com/chewbacca-facts/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/56801/15-chewbacca-facts-honor-peter-mayhews-birthday

https://www.giantbomb.com/chewbacca/3005-2828/

https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Chewbacca

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewbacca

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Written by Akinwalere Olaleye

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

Akinwalere Olaleye picture

Akinwalere OlaleyeBachelor of Arts specializing in English Literature

As a highly motivated, detail-oriented, and energetic individual, Olaleye's expertise lies in administrative and management operations. With extensive knowledge as an Editor and Communications Analyst, Olaleye excels in editing, writing, and media relations. Her commitment to upholding professional ethics and driving organizational growth sets her apart. She has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from the University of Benin, Edo State. 

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