15 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Chewbacca
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Chewie's Name Is Russian In Origin
Chewbacca may have been inspired by a real-life dog, but his name is another story. Still, the dog was his inspiration, so George Lucas wanted to keep that going by tapping into the Russian language. Chewbacca is somewhat similar to the Russian word for dog, "sobaka" (собака).
Coming up with the word "Wookiee" wasn't something George Lucas had to really think about. Voice actor, Terry McGovern, had worked with Lucas previously on his debut film, THX-1138. While recording some voice-over work, he improvised the word, saying, "I think I just ran over a Wookiee."
As it happens, Lucas's penchant for naming characters after random things he encountered didn't begin and end with Chewie. While editing American Graffiti, the movie's editor, Walter Murch, would say "R2, D2" when referring to the movie's dialogue tracks. The saying was shorthand for "reel two, dialogue two." Lucas liked it and decided to use it as a name for a droid.
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Chewbacca Has Sharp Retractable Claws... All Wookiees Do!
Photo: Marvel ComicsYou don't ever get to see it in the movies, but all Wookiees have large retractable claws. Chewie never pops his claws in the movies because he doesn't wind up in a situation where he would need them.
Wookiees come from the planet Kashyyyk, an arboreal planet. The giant trees of Kashyyyk are where the Wookiees make their homes. They evolved their sharp claws to be able to climb tall trees. They don't use them in combat for cultural reasons, as it is considered dishonorable.
In the Legends comic book Chewbacca #1, Chewie is confronted by an albino Wookiee named Tojjevvuk (pictured). They get into an argument, and Tojjevvuk pops his claws. Chewie sees this and proclaims, "Claws are not to be used in a fight!" Malla then says, "It's dishonorable."
In Star Wars Legends, the taboo against using claws was established and was called "Madclaw." The name was given to anyone who dishonored themselves by clawing someone in combat. In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, a Wookie named Zaalbar explains, "Our claws are tools, not weapons. To use them in battle is to become an animal. It is madness without honor."
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Chewbacca Is Married And Has A Child
Photo: Disney Lucasfilm PressThe movies never went into Chewbacca's home life and his family, which he does have. Chewie's wife is named Mallatobuck, and his son is called Lumpawaroo. Throughout much of the Imperial era, Chewie was enslaved by the Trandoshans. At the same time, Malla and Waroo were also enslaved but by the Galactic Empire, so they were separated. His wife and son remained on their home planet of Kashyyyk, but in an Imperial slave camp where they were separated. Waroo was forced to work at a labor camp apart from his mother.
Chewbacca didn't see his family for a long time, and he was unable to return to his homeworld after getting caught up in the Rebellion against the Empire. Eventually, he and Han Solo managed to return to Kashyyyk, where they took part in the planet's liberation from the Empire. The campaign was long and difficult, but in the end, the Wookiees took back their planet. Finally, after several years, Chewie was able to reunite with Mallatobuck and Lumpawaroo.
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Chewie Was Inspired By George Lucas’s Malamute, Indiana
Photo: Star Wars Kids / YouTubeThere's a line in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade right at the end when Henry Jones Sr. reminds his son that they "named the dog Indiana." The implication is that Henry Jones Jr. prefers to be called the same name as his childhood dog, but there's more to it than that. George Lucas had an Alaskan Malamute named Indiana. That inspired the naming of Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark, but years before that happened, the dog inspired Lucas to not only give Han Solo a sidekick but to make him doglike, as well. Lucas explained:
I had an Alaskan Malamute when I was writing the film. A very sweet dog, she would always sit next to me when I was writing. And when I’d drive around, she’d sit in the front seat. A Malamute is a very large dog - like a hundred and thirty pounds and bigger than a human being and very long-haired. Having her with me all the time inspired me to give Han Solo a sidekick who was like a big, furry dog. Not quite like a dog, but intelligent.
So, there you go. Two of the greatest characters in movie history, Chewbacca and Indiana Jones, were inspired by George Lucas's dog.
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Chewbacca Won A Lifetime Achievement Award In 1997
Photo: Jollylonglog / YouTubeYou know how Chewbacca didn't receive a medal at the end of A New Hope, and the fans wondered why for 20 years? George Lucas explained, "Medals really don't mean much to Wookiees. They don't really put too much credence in them. They have different kinds of ceremonies." That explanation never satisfied the fans, and for the most part, people didn't like the fact that Chewie wasn't honored alongside his comrades.
That mistake was finally rectified in 1997, when Chewie was honored at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Not only did he finally get the recognition that he deserved, but he also got the medal from Princess Leia, who welcomed him onto the stage. Unfortunately, Carrie Fisher didn't wear her white dress from the movie, but she was channeling her character in spirit. Chewie gave a 16-second acceptance speech, all in Shyriiwook.
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Prior To The Disney Purchase Of Lucasfilm, Chewbacca Was Killed In 1999
Photo: Del ReyLong before Disney purchased the franchise, Chewbacca had a glorious demise. It came in the R.A. Salvatore novel, The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime, published in 1999. In the book, Chewie and Han are on a shipping mission to the planet Sernpidal. They find that the planet is in danger due to its moon, which will smash into the planet, wiping out everyone.
The pair decide to help out as much as possible, so they transport thousands of Sernpidal's citizens before the moonfall occurs. While they manage to save many people, Chewie is unable to escape due to him having to step in and save Anakin Solo, Han's son (there are a ton of different family members in what is now Legends). This leaves Chewie on the planet, and he perishes when the moon comes crashing down.
Chewie's death leads to a rift between Han and his son, whom he blames for his friend's demise. He eventually accepts that it wasn't Anakin's fault, and they reconcile. The book doesn't go into it very much, but other Legends novels provide a bit more detail regarding Chewie's funeral and memorial tree. He lived a hero and died a hero, and to many, he was a legendary hero of the Wookiees and the rest of the galaxy.
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Following The Liberation Of His Homeworld, Chewie Retired For A Time
Once his homeworld was finally liberated from its Imperial oppressors, Chewbacca took some time for himself. After years apart, he was finally reunited with his family, and he wanted to spend time with them. During this period, Han Solo managed a shipping company and a series of racing championships called the Five Sabers, so he was busy doing his own thing.
Still, Chewie kept in touch with his old friend, and he also kept in touch with Leia, who had taken a job as a New Republic senator. Chewie spent some time enjoying his retirement, but after a while, he rejoined Han Solo, who had gone back to what he did best: smuggling. It was through these adventures that Chewbacca and Han Solo met Rey and became members of the Resistance.
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Chewbacca Is Pretty Old In The Original Trilogy
Chewbacca may not look it, but in 1977's A New Hope, he's already 200 years old. This is confirmed in Solo: A Star Wars Story when Chewie's age is revealed to be 190. Han's shock at this revelation was likely shared by much of the audience. Solo takes place in the year 10 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), so when he first appeared on the silver screen, he would have been 200. While that's insanely old by human standards, Chewie is a Wookiee, and they have much longer life spans.
Wookiees typically live for around 400 years, so throughout all of his appearances in the movies, Chewie is middle-aged... more or less. Because of their long lives, it's not uncommon for a Wookiee to go a long period of time without seeing their family. In Chewie's case, he was separated from his family throughout the entire Imperial era. While this seems like a long time to a human, it's not terribly long to a Wookiee.
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He Was Instrumental In The Liberation Of Kashyyyk
In the closing scenes of Revenge of the Sith, the Emperor issues Order 66, leading to the stormtroopers trying to kill Master Yoda. They fail to do away with him, but they don't fail in taking over the planet. The moment the order was given, Kashyyyk became the property of the Imperial government, and the Empire ruled the planet harshly. Wookiees were rounded up and placed into slave labor camps, leading to the mass enslavement of the species.
Chewbacca was taken to a labor camp where he eventually met and befriended Han Solo, but it would take some time before he could return to his homeworld. After the Battle of Endor, Han and Chewie traveled to Kashyyyk, where they found the planet still under Imperial control. The Empire didn't disappear when the second Death Star was destroyed, and Kashyyyk remained an enslaved planet. Chewie was recaptured and imprisoned on Kashyyyk, but Han was able to rescue him with some help.
When Chewie was liberated, he, Han, Jas Emari, Jom Barell, and former Wookiee exiles attacked Grand Moff Lozen's Imperial fortress. They managed to disable the inhibitor chips that kept the Wookiees enslaved. Once they were deactivated, the Wookiees rose up against their former masters, taking back the planet. Chewie was able to rescue his son Waroo and reunite with his wife Malla as soon as the liberation was complete.
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During The Clone Wars, Ahsoka Tano Aided His Escape From Slavery
During the Clone Wars, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano found herself caught up in an adventure with some Jedi younglings on the moon Wasskah. She met Chewbacca, and they worked together to survive and escape the Transdoshans hunting them. The Clone Wars episode "Wookiee Hunt" has the following opening announcement:
Jedi abducted! Ahsoka Tano is missing in action. Captured and released into a hostile jungle, she fights to stay alive with the help of a small band of Jedi younglings. As Anakin Skywalker scours the galaxy, desperate to find his lost apprentice, Trandoshan sport hunters track their youngling prey. With the death of their leader Kalifa, and separated from her friends, we find Ahsoka on the run as the hunters close in around her...
When Chewbacca arrived, he joined Ahsoka and offered help if he contacted his homeworld. The group then headed out at night to recover components to build a communications device. He ended up making contact, and Wookiee General Tarfful arrived to save the Wookiees, Ahsoka, and the younglings.
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Chewie's Suit Is Comprised Of Different Types Of Animal Hair
Chewbacca is, sadly, only a costume. Wookiees don't exist in real life, so the costume designers working on the first Star Wars film had to develop something from scratch. To make it look natural, the designers used real fur from a variety of animals. The original costume was made up of yak and rabbit hair, which was knitted into a base of mohair (Angora goat fur).
Wearing the suit for long periods of time was impossible because of how it was constructed. After all, it's a full-body fur suit, so Peter Mayhew could only stay in it for a little while before he had to take a break. This problem was eventually fixed for Revenge of the Sith. A water cooling system was woven into the costume so Mayhew could wear it for longer than he did while shooting the original trilogy.
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Chewbacca’s Voice Is A Blend Of Several Animal Cries
Chewbacca's distinctive growl has been imitated and enjoyed for more than 40 years. The Wookiee's vocalizations may make sense to Han Solo, but to pretty much everyone else, he's out there growling all the time. Of course, those growls are intelligible vocalizations of his language, but it's not simply Peter Mayhew roaring inside a suit. A lot of thought and work went into creating the Wookiee's language. The man behind the sound was legendary sound designer Ben Burtt.
Chewie was the first voice Burtt worked on, and as he explained it, George Lucas suggested he look into a bear's growl as the basis for what he would create. He collected the sounds of bears, lions, badgers, and sick animals. Out of those recordings, he pulled bits of sound that had "emotional feelings," leading to several categories of sounds. He cut them together and created Chewie's voice. The principal animal used was a bear, but Burtt also included other animals in creating Chewbacca's distinctive sound.
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Chewbacca Is A Genius In Numerous Areas Of Study
He may not look it, but Chewbacca is a genius. He's one of the most intelligent characters in Star Wars, but because most people hear little more than growls and grunts when he's on screen, he doesn't come off as being all that intelligent. First off, the guy is over 200 years old when he first appears in A New Hope, and that's a long time to learn a little about a lot.
Throughout the franchise, Chewie proves that he's a talented pilot and engineer. When C-3PO is blasted to pieces, Chewie picks him up and puts him back together. Does he put his head on backward? Yes! But, he is rushed and working with little to nothing to help him accomplish his task, so he gets a pass.
He's also pieced the Millennium Falcon back together so many times, it's impossible to count. He's also an expert in Dejarik, the chess game he plays against R2-D2 in A New Hope. He's brilliant at the game, but he's something of a sore loser, so beating him might result in having your arms pulled out of their sockets...
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Most Of Chewbacca’s Family Was Introduced In The ‘Star Wars Holiday Special’
The Star Wars Holiday Special is easily one of the weirdest things ever aired on television, and it's so bad, Carrie Fisher used to play it at the end of parties to get people to leave. While the special is, in no way, canon, it does feature some elements that have been featured in the franchise. It's technically the first appearance of Boba Fett. The bounty hunter appears in an animated segment, but the majority of the special has to do with Chewbacca and his family.
The plot revolves around the celebration of Life Day, a holiday on the planet Kashyyyk. Chewbacca's wife Malla and their son Lumpy appear. Some of his extended family also show up in the Wookiee-heavy special. It's weird, it's wild, and it's Star Wars Legends. The family that was introduced did make it into canon, though with some changes. Lumpy became Lumpawaroo, and Malla became Mallatobuck. Ultimately, the characters kept their nicknames, but pretty much everything else about them and the plot of the show has been (thankfully) dumped into Legends.
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Chewbacca Is Nude In Every Scene In Every Movie
Believe it or not, but Chewie is nude throughout the entire Star Wars saga. The only thing he wears is his bandolier, and that's perfectly normal for a Wookiee. After all, he's covered with fur, so it makes sense that his species never bothered to create clothing. Still, it's a little weird when you think about it for more than a second, and that must have been going around the office while the character was still in the early design stage.
Creature designer Ralph McQuarrie created a bunch of sketches of what he thought Chewie would look like, taking notes from George Lucas. He came up with some interesting designs, one of which featured Chewbacca wearing two cross bandoliers, a flak jacket, and some slightly tattered shorts. George Lucas didn't like that very much, but he did like the sketches of Chewie with far less clothing, which is why he's going commando throughout the whole saga.
