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| CHEWBACCA |
| Character - Rebel Alliance |
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| "Laugh it up, fuzzball!" - Han Solo |
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| 0 ABY |
| Behind the Scenes Played by Peter Mayhew (III, IV, V, VI) Pronounced choo-ba-ka Links Peter Mayhew official site Wookiee Net |
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Chewbacca's loyalty, courage and honour never wavered. Even in the toughest situations, Chewbacca never abandoned his friends, and often risked his own life to save theirs. Though this made his untimely death harder for his friends to bear, Chewie died how he lived: A hero.
Born on Kashyyyk two hundred years before the Battle of Yavin, Chewbacca grew up with a strong sense of honour, ambition and curiosity - learned from his father, Attichitcuk. Even at an early age, Chewbacca was a Wookiee to be reckoned with, as he proved during his hrrtayyk coming-of-age ceremony, when he used the bowcaster he had just fashioned to kill a deadly katarn in the Well of the Dead. As well as becoming a great warrior, Chewbacca became an able pilot, thanks to his time spent with cargo ships on Rwookrrorro. Despite these and other exploits on Kashyyyk - including an occasion where he saved his future wife, Mallatobuck, from Trandoshan slavers - Chewbacca's wanderlust got the better of him. At fifty years old, Chewbacca set off to explore the galaxy, turning his hand to mechanical and repair work throughout the Republic. However, he sometimes returned to his homeworld to visit his family - and Malla - though this was where Chewie's troubles began. On one occasion, Chewbacca got into a fight with another Wookiee, named Tojjevvuk, who attempted to compete with Chewie for Malla's affections. The fight ended in the death of Tojjevvuk - though Chewie was not to blame. Tojjevvuk's father did not see it the same way, and swore vengeance on his son's killer. Chewbacca was forced to leave Kashyyyk to avoid his death mark, though he did eventually return home after a series of adventures. The Clone Wars were by now in full swing, and Chewbacca was caught up in a Seperatist invasion of Kashyyyk. Chewie displayed his strength in the fight, and even aided a certain green-skinned Jedi Master when the battle took a turn for the worse. Little did Chewbacca know, but this decisive battle would prove to have a large influence on his life, bringing as it did, the rise of the Empire. The Imperials began enslaving Wookiees for use as slaves, and Chewbacca was one of the unfortunates to be captured, nine years after the Battle of Kashyyyk. Though he managed to escape their clutches, Chewie was again enslaved by the Empire after risking himself to save a group of Wookiee children from slavers. Chewbacca was then put to work on Coruscant, where he was cruelly beaten by Imperial Commander Nyklas. However, Chewie was rescued by then-Lieutenant Han Solo, who was drummed out of the Imperial Navy for his act of insubordination. Luckily, Han gained a life-long friend in Chewbacca, who honoured the Wookiee custom of a life-debt, and vowed to stay by Han's side until the end of his days. Though Han was at first hesitant to accept, he soon grew attached to Chewie, and the two began a career in smuggling - with Chewie acting as something of a conscience to balance Han's mercenary ways. Though Chewie's new life was hectic, he found the time to return to Kashyyyk, end the Tojjevvuk clan's death mark and marry Mallatobuck. Despite the great success the pair garnered, they eventually made a mistake. They were forced to jettison a cargo of spice for Jabba the Hutt when their ship, the Millennium Falcon, was stopped by an Imperial patrol. In an attempt to raise enough credits to compensate the Hutt for the loss, Chewie introduced Han to a group who wanted passage to Alderaan. They promised big credits for a safe journey, so Han accepted. Soon, Chewie, Han, a young farmboy, an old man and two droids were blasting out of Mos Eisley for Alderaan. However, trouble once more caught up with Han and Chewie, who found themselves onboard the Death Star, rescuing a Princess from Alderaan, recently destroyed by the battle station. For his part in the rescue of Princess Leia, Han was given a large reward upon the Falcon's arrival at the Rebel base on Yavin 4. Although the Rebel pilots were preparing for an attack on the Death Star - as was Luke Skywalker, the young farmboy from Tatooine - Han decided to leave straight away, and pay Jabba back his lost earnings. Ignoring Chewie's protests, Han left the Yavin moon as the battle began. However, Chewbacca was able to make his friend see sense, causing Han to blast into the battle at the last minute, and save Luke from certain death. The heroes of the battle were rewarded, and Han remained with the Alliance. Chewbacca was happy to fight against the Empire, and joined in on several missions for the Alliance. However, Chewie's friendship with Han was to meet a very difficult time. After fleeing an Imperial attack against the Rebel base on Hoth, Han, Chewie, Leia and C-3PO flew to Bespin, where Lando Calrissian offered them a refuge. It was all a trap, and soon Han was to be placed in carbon-freeze, to be transported by Boba Fett to Jabba the Hutt. Chewie was forced to watch as his friend was frozen, but he did not stand idle for long. With the help of Leia and Lando - who turned out to be an ally after all - Chewie raced to save Han from Fett. Though the Rebels were too late, they managed to escape Bespin with an injured Luke in tow. The next year was torture for Chewbacca, who strove endlessly to find Han. He also had another responsibility; he had promised Han to look after Leia, extending his life-debt to her as well. He ensured she was safe at all times, and even made sure she did not forget her relationship with Han while meeting the charming Prince Xizor. Chewie was part of the rescue team that eventually saved Han from Jabba the Hutt, and also joined the strike team tasked with destroying the shield generator protecting the second Death Star, in orbit above the moon of Endor. There, Chewbacca worked with the Ewoks to bring down the shield, and consequently, the Empire. In the following years, Chewbacca's life never slowed down. Whether he was battling the Ssi-Ruuk invaders or Grand Admiral Thrawn's clone troopers, he always honoured his life-debt to Han. That debt came to cover the entire Solo family, from Han's wife, Leia, to their children, Jaina, Jacen and Anakin. Even when severely injured during a kidnapping of the Solo children, Chewie insisted on joining Leia to rescue them. Chewbacca also ensured his own family was not left out, and accompanied his son, Lumpawarrump, on a mission to rescue Han Solo from the Yevetha, which became Lumpy's hrrtayyk. The Yuuzhan Vong invasion changed the galaxy for ever. They targeted a little-known world called Serpidnal, causing its moon's orbit to change, and eventually collide with the planet. Han and Chewie were traveling to Serpindal at the time on a cargo run, but soon found themselves in deep trouble. Han, Chewie and Anakin tried to save as many natives as they could from the doomed Serpidnal City, even risking their own lives in the process. Suddenly, Anakin fell, in the final few seconds of Serpidnal's life. Chewbacca did not have to consider the situation. He raced to Anakin, and hurled Han's son inside the Falcon, where Han himself was watching from the boarding ramp. Yet those last seconds were not enough to save Chewie. In his last moment, and with his friend watching helplessly, Chewbacca thrust his arms skywards, roaring defiantly in the face of death - a perfect reflection of the life of a great Wookiee. |
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| Behind the Scenes Chewbacca was based on George Lucas's (female) dog, Indiana. The inspiration for Han Solo's hairy co-pilot came from Indiana's insistence on sitting on the passenger seat in Lucas's car. Chewbacca's costume was created by Stuart Freeborn, and resurrected for Episode III |
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| Behind the Scenes Chewbacca's voice was created through a mix of various animal sounds - from camels to badgers - famously including a black bear named Tarik, from the Happy Hollow Zoo in California. Unfortunately, Tarik died of congestive heartt failure in 1994. |
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| Behind the Scenes Chewbacca received his long-overdue medal from Princess Leia, in the form of a Lifetime Achievement Award for Peter Mayhew at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. Mayhew, in full costume, was greeted with a standing ovation from the audience. |
| Species Wookiee Age 200 (0 ABY) Homeworld Kashyyyk Affiliation Rebel Alliance; New Republic Weapon bowcaster Vehicle Millennium Falcon |
| Loyal Wookiee |