Chewbacca/Legends

Chewbacca  or "Chewie" (c. 200 BBY&mdash;25 ABY) was a Wookiee from Kashyyyk and co-pilot of Han Solo's ship, the Millennium Falcon. Chewbacca carries 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 his kind. This name placed him in a noble lineage, which was further supported by his role in the Battle of Kashyyyk.

Early Life (c. 200 BBY to 19 BBY)
Chewbacca was born on Kashyyyk circa 200 BBY, the son of Attichitcuk. During much of 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. But 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 the time Chewbacca had his first recorded encounter with Jedi&mdash;as Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi had been assigned by the Republic to end the conflict on Alaris Prime.

During the Clone Wars, Chewbacca was also a leading member of the Wookiee resistance to the Confederacy of Independent Systems. He was a major player in the Battle of Kashyyyk, and helped one of several Jedi Generals there, Yoda, escape from the quickly deteriorating landscape, as the Jedi Master's clone forces enacted Order 66, nearly killing him.

Life under the Empire (19 BBY to 4 ABY)
When Chewbacca rescued Yoda, he immediately became an enemy of the Republic, which turned into the Galactic Empire and enslaved the denizens of Kashyyyk. The mighty Wookie 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 the life debt, a strong part of the Wookiee code of honor.

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 recognised 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, but regardless, Chewbacca introduced the aged Jedi Master and his young companion to Han Solo and soon the pair had 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. 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 7 hours until it collided with the planet. 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 been piloting the Falcon while his father stood on the entrance ramp hoping to lift Chewie up, flew off of Sernpidal, knowing it was too late to save Chewie. The Wookiee stood in the moon's trajectory, angrily shaking his fist, and was inevitably crushed, along with any other unfortunate Sernpidalians who weren't able to escape. Chewie's death would stick with Han, and indeed, the rest of his companions, for years to come.

Traits
Chewbacca was a skilled mechanic. While perfectly able to understand the galactic-standard language Basic, he was unable to speak it due to his species' vocal structure. He instead spoke Shyriiwook, the Wookiee language that consists of mainly growls and grunts, to his human companions, who typically replied in Basic.

Behind the Scenes
Chewbacca was portrayed by Peter Mayhew in Episodes III to VI. He was based on Indiana, a dog owned by George Lucas.

Appearances

 * Chewbacca (flashbacks only)
 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
 * Allegiance
 * The Star Wars Holiday Special
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Marvel Star Wars
 * Dark Empire
 * Vector Prime