Chewbacca | |
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Star Wars character | |
Chewbacca in Star Wars
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First appearance | Star Wars (1977) |
Created by | George Lucas |
Portrayed by |
Peter Mayhew (Episodes III–VIII, Holiday Special) Joonas Suotamo (Episode VII-VIII, Untitled Han Solo film) |
Voiced by | Ben Burtt (vocal effects) |
Information | |
Species | Wookiee |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Co-pilot and first mate on Millennium Falcon |
Affiliation |
Galactic Republic Rebel Alliance New Republic |
Family |
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Homeworld | Kashyyyk |
Chewbacca (/tʃuːˈbɑːkə/), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee, a tall, hirsute biped and intelligent species from the planet Kashyyyk. Chewbacca is the loyal friend and first mate of Han Solo, and serves as co-pilot on Solo's spaceship, the Millennium Falcon. Within the films of the main saga, Chewbacca is portrayed by Peter Mayhew in the Star Wars on Episodes from III to VIII (Mayhew shares the role with his body double Joonas Suotamo on Episode VII and VIII). Suotamo took over the role alone in the upcoming, as yet untitled Han Solo movie. The character has also appeared on television, books, comics, and video games.
Chewbacca, a 200-year-old Wookiee, becomes Han Solo's companion after Han, an Imperial officer at the time, refused an order to kill him, for which Han was dismissed from the Imperial Navy and became a smuggler. To repay this debt, Chewbacca protected Han for the rest of his life, and served as his co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon. Standing at 8 feet tall, Chewbacca is covered with long hair, and wears only a bandolier. His weapon of choice is the Wookiee bowcaster (a crossbow-shaped directed-energy weapon). Chewbacca was named one of the "greatest sidekicks" in film history by Entertainment Weekly.