Mallatobuck

"I know we'll be together again. It's just a matter of time."

―Mallatobuck^[2]

Mallatobuck (meaning "beautiful singer" in Shyriiwook^[3]), also known as Malla, was a female Wookiee from Kashyyyk. She was the wife of Chewbacca, and mother of their son Lumpawaroo. Malla had a brother named Vargi.

Biography[]

First acquaintance[]

Mallatobuck Comic 1 — A younger Mallatobuck.

Malla first met Chewbacca on Kashyyyk when they were adolescents. She saw him for the first time as he made what she referred to as "…a reckless, show-off jump from a Wroshyr tree, made over a needlessly long distance, flirting with death, and an utterly childish thing to do". Chewbacca's jump was quite impressive, and right then at that moment, she knew Chewbacca had to be hers. However, she was too nervous to admit her feelings for him. To get Chewbacca to notice her, Malla turned to Chewbacca's cousin for help. Their first acquaintance was followed by a traditional courtship, though some of their flirtations did not go so well. Later on, they were caught by Trandoshan slavers, but Chewbacca confronted these slavers, pulling a few arms off along the way. However, after these events, they maintained only a close friendship.^[2]

Romantic relationship[]

Chewbacca was later enslaved by the Galactic Empire, and only after his rescue by Han Solo and his return did his relationship with Malla become more romantically involved. When Chewbacca finally decided he wanted to marry Malla, an albino Wookiee named Tojjevvuk also wanted her for himself. Chewbacca killed Tojjevvuk, and his clan placed a death mark on Chewbacca. Mallatobuck and Chewbacca did not finally marry until Tojjevvuk's father called off the death mark.^[2]

Following the wedding, Han attempted to leave Chewbacca behind on Kashykk, reasoning that Chewie's responsibility to his new wife outweighed a life debt. Malla gave Han a dressing-down for the implied insult to her husband's honor, and bade Chewbacca goodbye.

Wife and mother[]

Eventually, Malla and Chewbacca had a son named Lumpawarrump. However, Malla did not see much of her husband, due to the life debt he had to Han Solo. Despite this, Chewbacca returned once per year (with Han's blessing) to celebrate Life Day with Malla and their son.^[1]

In 4 ABY, Malla, as well as her village, was held hostage by Nagai commander Knife, who sought to set up a slave trade on Kashyyyk. Unbeknownst to Malla, her brother Vargi and several defected Wookiees were a part of the operation. Once Chewbacca, Han, and Lando Calrissian were able to break free, the three proceeded to end the operation. With the help of the Alliance, the battle ended and all of those who were involved were apprehended. Upset at his involvement and betrayal, Malla disowned Vargi as her brother.^[4]

She constantly worried about her son's growing desire to be like his father during the New Republic's early years. Because of this, Malla considered letting Lumpy stay with the Solos on Coruscant. During a trip to Coruscant with his father, Lumpawarrump was captured while trying to capture thieves that broke into the Solos' apartment. Lumpawarrump became captured, and Chewbacca and Mallatobuck discovered that the burglars were planning to assassinate the New Republic's leaders. Determined to stop them, they infiltrated the enemies' base to find an advanced IT-3 interrogation droid masterminding the plot. The Wookiees rescued their son and foiled the droid's plans. After the incident, Malla decided that Lumpy would be safer on Kashyyyk. While in mourning after Chewbacca's death, Malla agreed to allow Lumpawaroo to assume his father's life debt to Han Solo.^[5]

Skills and abilities[]

Malla enjoyed cooking and was known for her meal of bantha surprise, and her famous Wookiee-ookiees. Chewbacca made her a number of crossbows as a gift, handmade by him.^[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Malla Lumpy — Malla on Kashyyyk, carrying a young Lumpawaroo.

In The Star Wars Holiday Special, Malla was played by Mickey Morton.^[1]

One of Malla's notable appearances is in the comic series Star Wars: Chewbacca, where she is the narrator for the first episode. She tells the story of how she and Chewbacca met and functions as a means to portray the grief over Chewbacca's death.

Both Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary and Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary misspell the character's name as "Mala."

Stan Winston created Malla's facial appearance by altering an original Chewbacca mask from A New Hope.^[6] In 2018, Tom Spina's company Tom Spina Designs performed a restoration on this mask.^[7]