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| Wookiee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| In-universe information | |
| Home world | Kashyyyk |
| Sub-races | Silverback Wookiee |
| Distinctions | Brown, white, or black fur |
| Language | Shyriiwook,Xaczik |
Wookiees (/ˈwʊkiːz/ ⓘ) are fictionalhumanoidaliens in theStar Wars universe, native to the forest planetKashyyyk. They are distinguished from humans by theirgigantism,hirsutism, andphysical strength. The most prominent Wookiee in the films isChewbacca, theco-pilot of theMillennium Falcon, and best friend toHan Solo.
According to an interview with creatorGeorge Lucas, the inspiration for the Wookiee was Lucas'sdog, Indiana (whose name is used in Lucas'sIndiana Jones movies): "He was the prototype for the Wookiee. He always sat beside me in the car. He was big, a big bear of a dog."[1] The species' name was inspired when, during the climactic chase scene inTHX 1138, one of the robotic cops, voiced by actorTerry McGovern, improvises: "I think I ran over a Wookiee back there", and thus the word was born. "Wookey" was the surname of a friend, Ralph Wookey, and McGovern thought it would be a funnyin-joke to include his friend's name in the soundtrack forTHX-1138.[2][3]
In one episode ofAnimal Planet's seriesAnimal Icons, focusing on the creation ofStar Wars figures, it was revealed that the Wookiees were also based onorangutans andlemurs, which are long-haired creatures that live in a hot forest climate.[4] The net effect in terms of the Wookiees' appearance is a marked resemblance to descriptions of the legendarySasquatch of thePacific Northwest.
In theStar Wars universe, adult Wookiees are typically taller than most humans, averaging 2.21 meters (7 feet 3 inches).[5] They also possess enormous strength. Han Solo states that a Wookiee can pull a man's arms out of his sockets if angered. Wookiees have a keen sense of smell, are fully covered with a thick coat of hair (though some can be susceptible to balding), have good hand–eye coordination, and are shown to be excellent marksmen. Wookiees have been shown in many diverse environments, such as those ofHoth,Tatooine, andEndor, never wearing any protective clothing or showing any signs of discomfort. Wookiees have a life span of several hundred years: Chewbacca is 200 years old during the original trilogy and is still in his prime. "Chewie" has also appeared twenty years before at the end of the prequel trilogy, and thirty years later in the sequel trilogy, yet his appearance does not significantly change across this fifty-year time span.[5]
The Wookiees of Lucas's fictional universe are usually depicted as devoted, loyal friends and very distrustful of strangers.[5]
Despite a fearsome appearance and temperamental disposition, Wookiees are very intelligent and are very adept at handling advanced technology. Chewbacca is co-pilot of and performs maintenance on theMillennium Falcon, and also possesses a working knowledge of robotics, managing to haphazardly reassembleC-3PO after he was destroyed byImperial stormtroopers inThe Empire Strikes Back. Wookiees are fast learners; Chewbacca commandeers an ImperialAT-ST during the Battle of Endor and is shown effectively maneuvering the vehicle and operating its weapons systems. He also fought during theClone Wars alongside Jedi Grand MasterYoda. Chewbacca is also shown to be an adept strategist at holo-chess (leading to his surprise when R2-D2 outmaneuvered him in a game).
Wookiee cities on their home planet Kashyyyk, as seen inRevenge of the Sith, are built atop giant forest trees. Their society contains a mixture of traditional, almost primitive-appearing woodwork and decorations intermixed with starships and energy generators.
Due to their heavy coats of long fur, Wookiees do not generally wear clothes - though for practical purposes they will wear toolbelts, etc. Matching the anachronistic appearance of their cities, a Wookiee such as Chewbacca resembles a primitive humanoid bear wearing only a bandolier, containing energy cartridges for his blaster.
Wookiees greatly value morality, courage, compassion, and loyalty. A sacred and ancient Wookiee tradition is that of thehonor family. An honor family is composed of a Wookiee's closest friends and companions. These family members pledge a commitment to lay down their lives for one another, as well as members of any honor families these individuals may have. Like the similarly sacred Wookiee life debt, Wookiees are willing to extend this tradition to members outside their species. Chewbacca considered Han Solo,Leia Organa Solo, their children, andLuke Skywalker part of his honor family.[5] In theSolo film, Han says that the Wookiee words for "tribe/friends" and "family" are so similar he has trouble distinguishing them. Wookiees themselves don't recognize a significant difference between the two.
Wookiees have an understanding ofStar Wars-universe warfare and fought alongside Republic forces during theClone Wars. Wookiees were betrayed and enslaved shortly after that conflict, as well as on certain occasions during the war by the Separatist Alliance.
Some Wookiees are shown to be sensitive tothe Force, including Gungi, who appeared inStar Wars: The Clone Wars, Chewbacca's nephew Lowbacca, and Kelnacca, who appeared inThe Acolyte.
The most common Wookiee language isShyriiwook. However, other dialects used by Wookiees from Kashyyyk are Thykarann and Xaczik. Wookiees are capable of understandingGalactic Basic, but generally none are able to speak it because of the structure of Wookieevocal tract. In the originalStar Wars trilogy, it seems thatChewbacca can understand humans. His human partner,Han Solo, also shows knowledge of Shyriiwook, or can at least understand Chewbacca; inSolo it is shown that Han does indeed have the ability to speak Shyriiwook at a rudimentary level. In theStar Wars expanded universe novels, Chewbacca builds a miniature translator droid ("Em Teedee") for his nephewLowbacca when he later begins training as aJedi, to facilitate communications with his fellow students.
In theStar Wars films, Chewbacca carries a "bowcaster," the traditional weapon developed and used by Wookiees. Bowcasters launchquarrels, crossbow bolts that through magnetic propulsion appear as elongated blaster bolts due to their velocity. The propulsion technique gives the quarrels extremely high stopping power. Chewbacca in particular is shown to be an excellent shot, killing a Stormtrooper who was attempting to escape on a speeder bike inReturn of the Jedi. The spring that powers the bowcaster is extremely hard to pull back; humans are generally incapable of cocking a bowcaster, although Han Solo was seen to do so.[6]
Kashyyyk (/kəˈʃiːk/kə-SHEEK), as depicted inStar Wars media, is the tropical, forested home world of the Wookiees.
In the original scripts forReturn of the Jedi, thesecond Death Star was to be built in orbit around Kashyyyk by Wookiee slave labor, with the primitive Wookiees ultimately helping the rebels to fight off the Imperial garrison.[7] However, Lucas decided that since the WookieeChewbacca, being co-pilot and mechanic on theMillennium Falcon, was clearly proficient with advanced technology, it would be confusing to show the Wookiees with a primitive,"Stone Age" culture.Endor and theEwoks were created instead to serve this purpose.[8]
Lucas has also said that he originally plannedYavin 4, the location of the rebel base inStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, to be the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk,[5] but subsequent rewrites changed this.[9]
Kashyyyk was first seen in theStar Wars Holiday Special (1978), as the program'sframe story takes place there,[10] with the backdrop of the planet being taken directly from concept art byRalph Mcquarrie. In theHoliday Special, the first mention of the planet carries the pronunciation "ka-ZOOK."
The planet was more extensively seen inStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, in whichJediMaster Yoda goes to Kashyyyk to aid the Wookiees in their battle against the Separatist Droid Army.[11] InRevenge of the Sith the Wookiees live in the lush forests and giant jungles on the planet, in villages among the giant wroshyr trees.Phuket,Thailand, was used for main photography,[12] while the backdrops for Kashyyyk were filmed inGuilin, a city in southernChina, which is famous for itskarst formations.[13]
The planet's uniquebiosphere was first detailed inThe Wookiee Storybook. The planet was revealed to be a densely forested planet, on which one can encounter vast plains and island areas suitable for large, sweeping battles. It was in this book that the family of Chewbacca once again appears in a situation similar to that of theHoliday Special. The planet appears in several other books, as well. Among them are:
Kashyyyk also features in issue #91 of theMarvel ComicsStar Wars and in the newspaper comic strip "The Kashyyyk Depths," by artistRuss Manning. In the "Chewbacca" comic series, set during the New Jedi Order era, many scenes are set on Kashyyyk as well. It is written as 'Kazhyyk' inWay of the Wookiee! in the Marvel Illustrated Books. November 1981.ISBN 0-9604146-8-1
Kashyyyk appears in the video gamesStar Wars: Galaxies,Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds,Star Wars: Battlefront,Star Wars: Battlefront II,Star Wars: Republic Commando,Star Wars: The Clone Wars,Star Wars: Empire at War,Lego Star Wars: The Video Game,Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga,Star Wars: The Force Unleashed,Star Wars Battlefront II,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic,Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, andLego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga.
Kashyyyk appears in the variousDisney theme parks attractionStar Tours – The Adventures Continue.
In the millennia before the rise of theGalactic Republic, Kashyyyk was a member world of theInfinite Empire. Its surface was terraformed by theRakata, resulting in the abnormally large foliage which still covers the planet's surface in modern times. Itsecology can be politely described as a "layered deathtrap," the planet's surface being encompassed in shadow by wroshyr trees that are many miles high. The dangerous and hostile animals increase closer to the forest floor. Hidden on the planet's surface is a Star Map, another piece in the puzzle of the location of theStar Forge.
When Kashyyyk was discovered by the Czerka Corporation's explorers, around 4,000 BBY (Before theBattle of Yavin), it was given the catalogue nameG5-623, sometimes known as Edean. Czerka conducted extensive Wookiee-slaving operations on "Edean," as well as hunting several of its species almost to extinction.
To ensure a relatively peaceful presence, Czerka supported the installation of friendly chieftains into power over the native tribes and would then prop them up with mercenaries and weapons shipments. In response, the chieftains would train their tribe to understandGalactic Basic (ostensibly to "know thine enemy" but in reality to make them better slaves) and allow Czerka to enslave a percentage of the tribe's population. Eventually Czerka was driven out byRevan and rebel Wookiees.
During theClone Wars of 22 to 19 years BBY, Kashyyyk fought on the side of the Galactic Republic. During one such battle,Yoda of theJedi Council flew to Kashyyyk to assist in the fighting. This particular battle, known as theBattle of Kashyyyk, would be one of the last battles fought in the Clone Wars before the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. During this battle, Order 66 was initiated and two clones unsuccessfully attempted to kill Yoda. Yoda later escaped with help from his friends and prominent Wookiees, Chewbacca and Tarfful. After this, the clones successfully defended the planet from Separatist advances. JediQuinlan Vos andLuminara Unduli were on Kashyyyk during Order 66. Before Order 66 was given, an elite squad of clones known asDelta Squad arrived, delaying the Separatist advance on Kashyyyk.
During the period of the Galactic Empire's reign, Kashyyyk, like all other planets in thegalaxy, was forced into obeying the policies of the Empire. On one such occasion, following the destruction of the firstDeath Star, the Empire, under the direction ofDarth Vader, went on a search for the rebels responsible. Kashyyyk was put under a blockade, along withTatooine, in an attempt to locateHan Solo andChewbacca. It was on a day when Chewbacca was returning home to his family to celebrate the sacred Wookiee holiday of Life Day that the Empire raided Chewie's home. They did not find him.
Darth Vader also discovered his secret apprenticeGalen Marek while raiding Kashyyyk inThe Force Unleashed.
On another such occasion, the Rebel Alliance, before the destruction of the first Death Star, formed a plan to free the Wookiee population from enslavement. Together withHan Solo, the Rebel Alliance attempted to raid the planet but was ultimately stopped by the Empire. Han Solo then fled in theMillennium Falcon.[citation needed]
Following the defeat of the Empire, Kashyyyk joined the New Republic and its successor state the Galactic Alliance, formed by the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. In the novelInferno, large portions of Kashyyyk are destroyed in retaliation for their acceptance of several Jedi who opposedDarth Caedus's regime.
Chewbacca is the loyal friend ofHan Solo and serves as first mate and co-pilot on Solo's starship, theMillennium Falcon. As such, he appears in seven of the mainStar Wars films, episodes III through IX, as well as inSolo: A Star Wars Story.
Lowbacca is a Jedi Knight and the nephew of Chewbacca. He studied at Luke Skywalker'sJedi Praxeum and was a companion ofJaina Solo. He wielded a bronze-bladed lightsaber.
Gungi is a male Wookiee who is training to be a Jedi.[14] Gungi appears inStar Wars: The Clone Wars.[14] Gungi was trained as a youngling byAhsoka Tano and was at the top of his class. He also appeared in season 2 ofStar Wars: The Bad Batch.[14]
Black Krrsantan first appeared in theDarth Vader comic series as an antagonist and later appeared inThe Book of Boba Fett, where he is an assassin for the Hutt Twins. He attackedBoba Fett while he slept in hisbacta tank but later joins Boba Fett's crew.
Kelnacca is a Wookiee Jedi Master introduced inThe Acolyte and played byJoonas Suotamo, who previously portrayed Chewbacca in thesequel trilogy films andSolo: A Star Wars Story (2018).[15][16]
InA New Hope, when Chewbacca is upset after losing a game ofdejarik (a game similar tochess) againstR2-D2, Han Solo says "It's not wise to upset a Wookiee...droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." In response,C-3PO says "I suggest a new strategy, R2:let the Wookiee win."[17][18] This phrase (sometimes referred to by its initialism LTWW[19]) has gained theproverbial meaning of "In trivial disputes, let the person who cares more have their way."[17] It can also be interpreted as advice to avoid arguments, especially those with shallow motivation such as to appear more intelligent than one's opponent.[18] The phrase and the attitude it describes have been criticized as potentially justifying theenabling of an abuser.[20]
