Chewbacca

Chewbacca  (or "Chewie", as he was known by his friends) was a Wookiee male warrior, smuggler and co-pilot of Han Solo's starship, the Millennium Falcon. Originating from the Mid Rim planet of Kashyyyk, Chewbacca was a veteran of the Clone Wars and a hero of the Alliance to Restore the Republic.

One of the few Wookiees who managed to escape slavery and the Galactic Empire, he met Solo, with whom he worked as a smuggler for years. During the Galactic Civil War, however, they were hired by Obi-Wan Kenobi, to ferry him, Luke Skywalker, C-3PO and R2-D2 to Alderaan, only to be brought onboard the Death Star, where they rescued Princess Leia Organa of the Rebel Alliance. They fled in the Millennium Falcon to Yavin 4, where Chewbacca and Solo participated in the battle that ended with destruction of the superweapon.

During the following years, Chewbacca and Solo would assist the Alliance in many missions, formally joining after some time. However, following the Battle of Hoth, they escaped from Imperial forces and sought help from Lando Calrissian, on Cloud City. Though he betrayed them to Darth Vader, and Solo was captured and brought to their former employer, Jabba the Hutt, Calrissian helped in their escape and accompanied Chewbacca on his efforts to find Solo.

After Solo's rescue from Jabba's Palace and Jabba's death, Chewbacca accompanied his friends to destroy the Imperial shield generator protecting the second Death Star on the forest moon of Endor. Though they had fallen into a trap laid by the Emperor Palpatine, Chewbacca and his companions prevailed during the Battle of Endor, successfully shattering the Empire and paving the way for the New Republic, to which Chewbacca pledged himself.

The Clone Wars
"So, now the younglings are organized, bold, and they've got a Wookiee."

- Garnak, on Chewbacca's alliance

A Wookiee male, Chewbacca hailed from Kashyyyk,, a peaceful planet in which he was born one hundred and eighty years before the Clone Wars. He was married to a female named Malla, as well as a family to support.

During the galaxy-spanning conflict between the Galactic Republic and the Separatists, Chewbacca was captured by a Trandoshan hunting guild led by Garnak; taken to Island Four on Wasskah to be a prey, his transport was attacked by a trio of Jedi apprentices—the Padawan Ahsoka Tano and the younglings Jinx and O-Mer, also preys of the Trandoshans.

Chewbacca escaped from the wreckage and followed the trio, with whom he communicate thanks to Tano's understanding of Shyriiwook, to their hideout. Using his technical expertise and parts from the crashed transport, he constructed a transmitter to contact his on his nearby homeworld; however, it failed and an impatient Jinx, supported by O-Mer, decided to lure down and hijack a hunting pod and take the base ship. As persuaded by Tano, Chewbacca joined in their endeavor and raided the Trandohan base, only to be joined by a Wookiee relief force led by General Tarfful—who had received Chewbacca's transmission—as well as bounty hunters Sugi and Seripas. Once all the Trandoshans had been killed, Chewbacca and the Wookiees accompanied the young Jedi to the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, where they parted ways.

During the last days of the war, Chewbacca was a major player in the Battle of Kashyyyk, overseeing the confrontation between the Grand Army of the Republic and the invading Separatist Droid Army alongside Tarfful and Jedi General Yoda, as well as Jedi Master Luminara Unduli. Following the implementation of Order 66, Chewbacca and Tarfful witnessed the assassination attempt on Yoda by Commander Gree and his aide; he helped the Jedi Grand Master elude the clone troopers and escape from the planet.

Rise of the Empire
Following the reorganization of the Republic into the Galactic Empire, Chewbacca saw as his people was sent to work as a slaves, to serve as science experiments, or as miners in places such as Kessel. Like them, he was forced into slavery, working to cut the wroshyr trees in order to feed the Imperial army, but somehow gained his freedom, becoming one of the few dozen liberated Wookiees to do so.

At some point, Chewbacca would meet Han Solo, whom he thought to be a "fast-talker, smug, even arrogant" man, until the Corellian proved him wrong with his hidden depths when the two of them fled to the Outer Rim to survive amidst bounty hunters, pirates, and fellow smugglers, trying to scratch out a living wage working for the Hutts. Chewbacca eventually became Solo's co-pilot and the first mate of the Millennium Falcon, the YT-1300 light freighter he won from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc.

Death Star rescue
During one of their smuggling attempts at the time of the Galactic Civil War, the Millennium Falcon was boarded and the two lost the cargo that they were hauling for their usual employer, Jabba the Hutt. The two found themselves in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine, where Chewbacca was approached by Ben Kenobi, who was searching for passage for himself, Luke Skywalker and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO to Alderaan. Promised 2,000 credits in advance and an additional 15,000 upon arrival at Alderaan, Solo and Chewbacca agreed to the commission, escaping from Imperial vessels as they left Tatooine.

During the hyperspace journey, while Kenobi trained Skywalker in the use of the the Force, Chewbacca played a game of dejarik with R2-D2, who made a move that Chewbacca disliked that was nevertheless fair, and Solo advised them not to angry the Wookiee, because of his species' tendency to pull arms out of their sockets and the two droids surrendered.

Upon the Falcon’s exit from hyperspace, the group found themselves in a meteor storm produced by the Disaster, only to be captured by Death Star's tractor beam. The group managed to evade capture by hiding in the Falcon’s smuggling compartments; while Kenobi set out to disable its tractor beam in order to escape, Skywalker was told by R2-D2 that Princess Leia Organa was being held in Detention Block AA-23, her execution scheduled. They set out to rescue her, with Chewbacca posing as a prisoner of stormtrooper-disguised Skywalker and Solo. Despite encountering trouble, Chewbacca and the others managed to escape from the Death Star—except for Kenobi, who had died in a duel with Darth Vader. The Falcon soon arrived to Yavin 4, landing on Rebellion's secret base, just as the Death Star closed in on the moon.

Yavin 4
Skywalker was hopeful that Chewbacca and Solo would join the Rebellion, but Solo was more concerned with receiving his payment in order to pay his debt to Jabba. Though Chewbacca growled in dissatisfaction at this course of action, the two departed, seemingly leaving the Rebel Alliance on its own to deal with the Death Star. They would return just in time to protect Skywalker during the Battle of Yavin from Vader's TIE Advanced x1, allowing the young pilot to destroy the massive battle station by firing a proton torpedo into its exhaust port.

Back on Yavin 4, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo were both awarded medals by Organa, while Chewbacca howled in delight during the ceremony. The time for celebration was soon over, for Organa asked the Rebels to take a moment of silence to honor and remember all those who had died when Alderaan was destroyed, whereas General Dodonna announced their need to evacuate Yavin since the Empire was aware of their location. Chewbacca would be also awarded a medal, and shared a moment of banter between Organa and Solo, just before they parted ways.

Cyrkon
"You two play fast and loose." "It's worked so far."

- Caluan Ematt, on Chewbacca and Han Solo's tactics

However, before they could depart for Tatooine to pay Jabba, Organa would ask Solo to run an errand for the Rebellion, which Chewbacca convinced him to accept—to rescue Lieutenant Caluan Ematt from Cyrkon. On the Falcon, the two made their way to the planet, only to find themselves confronted by the Vehement, which they avoided with a false IFF transponder, and landed in Motok. There, they were immediately attacked by some of Jabba's bounty hunters, including Captivator, which prompted Solo to accuse them of being "Rebels" and set them against ISB Commander Alecia Beck's garrison.

Chewbacca slipped away with Solo to the Miss Fortune cantina, where they found their old friend Delia Leighton, to whom they asked about Ematt's location. After she told them their destination and the password, Chewbacca and Solo rented a V-40 and went into a hotel, where they met Ematt, but were attacked by the bounty hunters again, as Leighton had revealed their location to save Curtis's life. However, they escaped and made their way to the Falcon, only to be ambushed by Beck and more than forty stoormtroopers.

Forced to surrender, Chewbacca, Solo and Ematt were taken into custody, with Beck focusing on Ematt and leaving Chewbacca and Solo to the stormtroopers. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, Solo noticed the Miss Fortune making their way to save them, but with the magnetic field activated, it would be pointless. Once aware of Solo's intentions, Chewbacca pretended to be angry at Solo and shoved him, sending him flying into a trooper to grab his E-11 blaster rifle and destroy the field generators. Soon enough, the Miss Fortune opened fire at the Imperials, and Chewbacca made his way to the Falcon to start the engines while Solo helped Ematt and recovered their weapons.

Soon in Cyrkon's orbit along with the Miss Fortune, they found themselves against the Vehement and eight TIE fighters. They engaged the starfighters, defeating several of them, until the Miss Fortune’s took a hit that damaged its navicomputer; Chewbacca saw Solo's nobler side when he decided to cover the 1550-LEX to make a run for Cyrkon's atmosphere just as the Vehement’s tractor beam advanced towards them. They resisted the beam by entering the planet's atmosphere themselves, while Leighton fled, and approached Motok in a dead-engine glide, daring Beck into catching the Falcon at the price of destroying the city with the tractor beam and turning Cyrkon against the Empire. As she desisted, the Falcon began its fall to the ground and the two pilots manually restarted the engines, just in time to avoid crashing into the city and escape.

Cymoon 1
"Chewie, stand down! Do not fire! You take a shot at Darth Vader and the whole factory will be on alert!" "Are you crazy? Chewbacca if you have a shot at Vader I order you to take it! Forget about us! Killing him is more important! Do you hear me Chewie? Take the shot! Now!"

- Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa

Chewbacca took part in an assault on Weapons Factory Alpha, on the moon Cymoon 1, alongside the usual team—Solo, Organa, Skywalker, C-3PO and R2-D2—, with Solo posing as the envoy of Jabba the Hutt to enter the factory, Skywalker and Organa disguised as his bodyguards, along with R2-D2. Separately, Chewbacca and C-3PO landed the Falcon in the refuse fields surrounding the factory, with the latter going to a vantage point to observe through the scope of his sniper rifle how Solo engaged Overseer Aggadeen and entered the facilities.

Unexpectedly, though, Dath Vader arrived on a Lambda-class T-4a shuttle, and Chewbacca contacted Solo, telling him to stand down, for firing on the Sith Lord would put the entire moon on alert, but Organa gave the order to take the shot. Chewbacca consented and fired, but Vader sensed danger and deflected the first shot with his lightsaber. He continued shooting, but the Sith Lord had lifted two stormtroopers into the air using the Force and used them as human shields, only for him to topple the building Chewbacca was perched upon. Though it collapsed, the Wookiee escaped from the wreckage. Now being hunted down, Chewbacca lost contact with the team a she made his way to the Falcon.

When he arrived, he discovered C-3PO in pieces strapped and the freighter being dismantled by tentacled aliens. Angered, Chewbacca chased the scavenger away, recovered the protocol droid and made contact with Solo, who along Organa had hijacked an AT-AT and were escaping from Vader. Despite the lengthy time he needed to fix the ship, Chewbacca repaired enough of the Falcon’s damage to pilot it to the team's position, where he extracted them and many of the slaves Skywalker had freed. As they began their retreat from Cymoon 1, Organa took over the controls instead of a delirious Solo, so that Chewbacca could repair the hyperdrive, which he managed to do, so that Organa could make the jump into lightspeed and escape a blockade of Star Destroyers.

Nar Shaddaa
Within two days, the Millennium Falcon rendezvoused with the Alliance Fleet, where Solo was treated for his injuries and Chewbacca and Solo went onto better repair the Falcon on an Alliance Nebulon-B frigate, when the Corellian noted that it had been a miracle that the ship had flown with Chewbacca's rushed repairs, prompting an annoyed reply from the Wookiee, while they strived to repair the Falcon.

The need for new parts prompted Solo to go on a mission with Organa, leaving Chewbacca behind with the freighter. However, when he heard that Skywalker had been captured by Grakkus the Hutt on Nar Shaddaa, he volunteered for the rescue mission before Chancellor Mon Mothma, and Generals Jan Dodonna and Gial Ackbar of the Alliance High Command. Taking C-3PO with him, Chewbacca took the Falcon to the moon, wherein the droid did the talking, and the Wookiee used more violent means to interrogate the criminals in search of Skywalker. It would be a Zabrak bartender who told them of Skywalker's location on Grakkus's palace and his direction, and Chewbacca and C-3PO set out to Skywalker's encounter.

Hoth
"Laugh it up, fuzzball!"

- Han Solo, in response to Chewbacca laughing at him

Now full-fledged members of the Rebel Alliance, and following a dangerous run-in with bounty hunter on Ord Mantell, Chewbacca accompanied Solo to Hoth, for they had been assigned to the newly-established Echo Base, where Chewbacca would be effecting repairs on the Millennium Falcon to pay their debt to Jabba once and for all.

However, they were unable to do so once again for Solo set out to rescue Skywalker during Hoth's night, and the location of the base had been discovered by an Imperial probe droids that Chewbacca and Solo destroyed too late. As the Empire launched an all-out assault, forcing Chewbacca, Solo, Organa and C-3PO to flee on the Millennium Falcon whereas Skywalker traveled to Dagobah to commune with the great Jedi Master, Yoda, taking the droid R2-D2 with him.

However, with the Falcon’s damaged hyperdrive, they were unable to leave the system and escape the Imperial blockade, which prompted Solo to pilot the ship into a nearby asteroid field, hoping that the Imperials would be unwilling to follow them, to repair the ship in the cave of an asteroid of great size. Chewbacca continued to repair the freighter until mynocks attacked it; soon, they realized they were inside a space slug, from which they escaped only to be pursued by Imperial forces once again. With a maneuver devised by Solo, they were able to avoid them and go to Bespin, where they would request Lando Calrissian's help. Unbeknownst to them, they were followed by Boba Fett.

Cloud City
"Chewie, this won't help me! Save your strength, there'll be another time! The princess—you have to take care of her! Do ya hear me, huh?"

- Han Solo Upon arrival to Cloud City, the group was welcomed by Calrissian, and spend a few days until the Falcon was repaired, yet increasingly suspicious, especially by C-3PO's disappearance. Chewbacca took on task of finding the missing protocol droid, eventually rescueing him from a jumk pile. After a scuffle with some Ugnaught workers, he brought the droid back to Organa and Solo, when Calrissian invited them to a refreshment. In truth, it was a meeting with Darth Vader, who had the Rebel team imprisoned.

Separated from the others, Chewbacca began to partially reassemble C-3PO, when Solo was escorted back by Stormtroopers, having been tortured by Vader, with Organa. They were eventually brought to Calrissian's carbon-freezing facilities where Solo was to be frozen in carbonite to test it before Skywalker arrived, for Vader desired to present him to the Emperor. Though Chewbacca tried to fight, wanting to protect his old friend, there was nothing he could do and he was forced to allow himself to be placed in stuncuffs as Solo was marched off and frozen, surviving the process but taken to Fett's ship, the Slave I.

Chewbacca and Organa would then be escorted to Vader's ship, when Calrissian betrayed the Sith Lord and freed the two. Chewbacca, though, was not quick to trust him and reacted violently, choking him. The princess was able to calm him enough for Calrissian to provide details of Solo's location, and together they set out to find Solo only too late, for Fett had already departed, and they make their way to the Falcon to escape the city. Already on their way off the planet, they returned to save Skywalker, as Organa had sensed his distress after his duel with the Sith Lord, and then, made their escape back to the Alliance Fleet, where the group parted way—Organa, Skywalker and the droids remained with fleet, whereas Chewbacca and Calrissian set out to find Fett and Jabba to rescue Solo.

Solo's rescue
Aware of Solo's location on Jabba's Palace, the team gradually infiltrated the fortress to rescue the Corellian: First, Calrissian infiltrated as a guard, then the droids as Skywalker's "gift", then Leia Organa posing as the bounty hunter Boushh with Chewbacca as her quarry; she convinced Jabba with a thermal detonator, so the Hutt had Chewbacca imprisoned.

That night, Organa freed Solo from his encasement at the cost of her freedom, for Jabba had caught her red-handed, and whereas the princess was to remain at the Hutt's side, Solo was thrown in a cell together with Chewbacca, who gave him a passionate embrace, happy to reunite with his old friend, and told him that Skywalker would free them with the skills he had learned as a Jedi Knight.

Skywalker did indeed arrive and requested an audience with Jabba by influencing Bib Fortuna, only to be pit against the rancor and be victorious; angered by his pet's death, he ordered the execution of Chewbacca, Solo and Skywalker to death in the Great Pit of Carkoon—to be devoured by sarlacc, in the Dune Sea. Brought to the pit in a skiff, Chewbacca saw as Skywalker recover his new lightsaber and free Chewbacca and Solo from their bonds. However, one of Jabba's staff fired at them, injuring Chewbacca, and leaving the near-blind Solo to rescue Calrissian from falling into the pit.

With the Hutt's death at Organa's hands, and the explosion of the sail barge Khetanna, the whole team returned to the Millennium Falcon—except for Skywalker and R2-D2, who departed for Dagobah on an T-65B X-wing starfighter—back to the Rebel Fleet over Sullust.

Endor
"Keep your distance, Chewie, but don't look like you're keeping your distance. [&hellip;] I don't know – fly casual."

- Han to Chewbacca during the mission to Endor.

On the meeting to debrief the Alliance on the plan to destroy the second Death Star, Chewbacca volunteered for the mission to destroy the shield generator on the forest moon of Endor, intent on following Solo, newly-appointed General of the Alliance. Joined by Organa, Skywalker, C-3PO and R2-D2, the strike team went to the moon onboard the shuttle Tydirium, with Chewbacca piloting the ship and Solo urging him to "fly casual" as the passed through the Imperial blockade, landing only after Vader allowed them to pass onboard the Executor-class Star Dreadnought Executor.

On the moon, they advanced through the forest and encountered Imperial scouts, to whom Solo accidentally reveal their position. Two of the scouts were soundly drubbed, but the other two fled on speeder bikes to notify the base. They were stopped by Organa and Skywalker, who were separated, prompting Chewbacca, Solo, the droids and Skywalker to search for her while the rest of the Rebel team made their way to the generator, to rendezvous with them the next morning.

During their search, Chewbacca came across a dead animal on a stake, which proved irresistible bait to him. He pulled at it, springing a trap that ensnared the entire group, only their capture by Ewoks. Chewbacca was forced to surrender his bowcaster only to be tied to a large pole, whereas C-3PO was treated like a deity, and the group was transported to Bright Tree Village to become part of the banquet in C-3PO's honor. However, Skywalker tricked the Ewoks into thinking C-3PO had unleashed his "magic" by levitating him with the Force, which prompted the Ewoks to release them at once. Later that night, after C-3PO's retelling of the events of Yavin and Cloud City, Chief Chirpa declared them all part of their tribe, with one giving Chewbacca an enthusiastic hug.

With the tribe's help, they reached the shield generator the next morning, with Wicket telling them of a secret door at the back of the facility. Chewbacca accompanied the others and successfully entered the Imperial base. However, Emperor Palpatine was aware of their plans, as were the Imperial stationed at the moon, who swiftly captured them as the assault against the Death Star above began. A surprise attack by the Ewoks, however, scattered the Imperial troops, distracting them long enough for Organa and Solo to take positions at the base's door, and for Chewbacca to steal an AT-ST with two Ewoks. With the walker under control, they reached the generator's back entrance, where Solo used the Imperial transport to trick the generator's personnel into opening the door.

Instead, the Rebel forces, Chewbacca among them, stormed the bunker, detonating exmplosive charges and disabling the shield generator at last, allowing Calrissian, Nunb and Antilles to destroy the Death Star above. Chewbacca looked to the sky and cheered as he witnessed the final destruction of the battle station and, later that night, he celebrated at Bright Tree Village over a bonfire; Chewbacca danced in triumph along with his friends, old and new. During the celebration, Calrissian told Solo and Chewbacca that the Falcon’s sensor dish had been lost during the struggle, when Shara Bey asked him about the Pathfinders' location, to reunite with her husband, Kes Dameron.

The morning after, he would take part in the assault on an Imperial holdout on far side of Endor, the Rebels hitting the base hard and fast, and entering to find their computers with data that signaled the war was not over yet.

New Republic
"C'mon, Chewie. Set new coordinates. It's time to get you home."

- Han Solo

Now agents of the New Republic, just as Wedge Antilles set out on a reconnaisance mission that took him to Akiva, Chewbacca and Solo went on their own mission to find the Empire's supply lines, during which they visited several planets, including Ord Mantell, Ando Prime, Kara-bin and finally Dasoor. However, Chewbacca was forced to remain on the Falcon, while Solo investigated on his own; having grown bored, he got to messing around with the ship's navigation system, trying to chase down a glitch that had been screwing up the hyperspace drive. Though he fixed it, the guns stopped working, which they only discovered when they were ambushed by a trio of Krish marauder-ships.

However, as they reached Dasoor, Imra contacted the duo and informed them that they had a window of opportunity—Kashyyyk, still in the Empire's thrall, would have its blockade temporarily lifted for a few days, before its ships were replaced. Seeing Chewbacca's anxiety, Solo told Imra to gather any underworld scoundrel who owed him a favor, anyone who hated the Empire, and others in the false promise that they would obtain full pardons from the Republic, whereas Chewbacca was tasked to contact the Wookiee mercenaries, among them Roshyk, Hrrgn, and Kirratha.

Thirty years later
"Chewie... we're home."

- Han Solo to Chewbacca

Approximately 30 years after the Battle of Endor, Chewbacca and Solo continued their partnership. Chewbacca would keep an eye out for him, including one time during which Solo engaged a trio of bounty hunters—Strater, Bobbie, and Rigger—sent to capture him on the Serendipity cantina, and told them about their mission to Cyrkon before they realized who he was. Once they were aware of Solo's identity, Chewbacca sneaked behind them and took hold of Rigger, only to send him flying to the Serendipity’s door and knock Strater out with a punch, while Solo disarmed Bobbie. Then, the Corellian told them to warn their possible employers (Ducain, the Irving Boys, the Guavians, etc.) that they were not afraid of them, before saying goodbye to Leighton and leaving the bar together.

Personality and traits
"Always thinking with your stomach."

- Han Solo to Chewbacca

Known for his great strength, bravery and loyalty, Chewbacca often served as Solo's conscience in their smuggling endeavors, which made people trust him more than they did Solo. However, he was also known for his stubbornness and dislike of losing.

As a Wookiee, Chewbacca knew passion and thus, the Rebellion, and would have stood with them from the beginning, if not for Solo and the Falcon; he would not abandon them as he was bound to both, as they were to him. Few people knew that he had a mushy heart under his warrior exterior. He would show no qualms about using violence as a means to achieve his goals, but he would certainly never kill without a good reason.

Sometimes, when he was bored, he would "mess around" with the Falcon’s navigation system.

Skills and abilities
Besides the characteristic strength of his species, Chewbacca possessed exceptional skills in piloting as well as mechanic repairs, from his experience of piloting the Millennium Falcon, of which he had a great understanding of the temperamental nature of its systems. Although not particularly meticulous, Chewbacca's technical skill allowed him to understand the inner workings of a great number of devices, including droids and transmitters, being able to build one out of a wrecked starship.

Like many of his people, Chewbacca preferred their native bowcaster as his personal weapon. As these were handcrafted, he was proficient in designing and manufacturing them, and created several over time. The latest known bowcaster that he crafted was during the Imperial era. It was an unconventional design, as he had used the frame and power pack of a stormtrooper blaster.

Behind the scenes
"I sat down on one of the sofas, waiting for George. Door opened, and George walked in with Gary behind him. So, naturally, what did I do? I'm raised in England. Soon as someone comes in through the door, I stand up. George goes "Hmm&hellip;". Virtually turned to Gary, and said 'I think we've found him'."

- Peter Mayhew, about his audition

Chewbacca first appeared in Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. He had a major role in both of the subsequent films of the original trilogy, Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and also appeared in the prequel film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith. He was portrayed in all films by Peter Mayhew, who will reprise the role for Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens.

Chewbacca was a major character in many stories of the Expanded Universe, the continuity now known as Star Wars Legends, but was killed off in the novel The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime, a decision that proved unpopular with some fans. On April 25, 2014, the Expanded Universe was declared non-canon as a whole, with the only elements considered canon being the original and prequel films, the television series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the film that launched it, and most material released after that date.

He was based on Indiana, an Alaskan malamute dog owned by George Lucas in the 1970s. There were many early versions of Chewbacca's appearance (including one concept art that eventually became the basis of the Lasat). His final appearance in the movie is based on a 1976 piece of concept art by Ralph McQuarrie, which in turn was based on an illustration by John Schoenherr for George R.R. Martin's novelette "And Seven Times Never Kill a Man", published in the July 1975 issue of Analog. The Schoenherr illustration also includes a weapon that became an inspiration for Chewbacca's bowcaster.

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. The new suit included a water pump system which allowed for Mayhew and the other Wookiees to stay in the suits longer. This was mostly unnecessary though because 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 animal growls for different emotions, including those of walruses, bears, tigers, camels and badgers. The most prominent of these voices was a black bear named Tarik, who died of congestive heart failure in 1994.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Galactic Defense
 * Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * A New Hope Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * Escape from Darth Vader
 * The Adventures of Luke Skywalker, Jedi Knight
 * Star Wars: Battle Pod
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part I
 * Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure
 * Smuggler's Run animated comic
 * Star Wars: Princess Leia, Part V
 * Star Wars: Chewbacca
 * Heir to the Jedi
 * Star Wars 1: Skywalker Strikes
 * Star Wars 2: Skywalker Strikes, Part II
 * Star Wars 3: Skywalker Strikes, Part III
 * Star Wars 4: Skywalker Strikes, Part IV
 * Star Wars 6: Skywalker Strikes, Part VI
 * Star Wars 9: Showdown on the Smugglers' Moon, Part II
 * Star Wars 11
 * Star Wars 12
 * Star Wars: Commander
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * The Empire Strikes Back: So You Want to Be a Jedi?
 * Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure
 * Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
 * Return of the Jedi Read-Along Storybook and CD
 * Rescue from Jabba's Palace
 * Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
 * Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Part I
 * Aftermath
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Han & Chewie Return!
 * Han & Chewie Return!

Non-canon appearances

 * Disney Infinity 3.0
 * Epic Yarns: A New Hope
 * Epic Yarns: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Epic Yarns: Return of the Jedi