| Wookiee | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Costume ofChewbacca, a Wookiee, at the 2007Star Wars Celebration fan convention | |
| In-universe information | |
| Home world | Kashyyyk |
| Language | Shyriiwook |
Wookiees (/ˈwʊkiːz/ ⓘ) are fictional creatures from theStar Wars franchise, originating from the planetKashyyyk (/kəˈʃiːk/kə-SHEEK). CreatorGeorge Lucas was inspired to design the WookieeChewbacca by his dog, conceiving a character who was large, furry, and intelligent. The suit used to portray Chewbacca was similar to earlier suits constructed for2001: A Space Odyssey, with the facial features as the main exception. The character's vocalizations were created using animal sounds combined in a way that sound designerBen Burtt felt conveyed emotion. Since the release ofStar Wars, Chewbacca and other Wookiees have appeared in a range of films, series, video games, and comics.
Star Wars media establish a number of details about the fictional culture of the Wookiees, as well as their language,Shyriiwook. They are shown to have a rivalry with theTrandoshan species. Life Day is often shown as a major Wookiee holiday, first created forThe Star Wars Holiday Special but since depicted and referenced elsewhere. Among the Wookiees that have appeared inStar Wars media are several WookieeJedi. The name ofWookieepedia, aStar Warswiki, is aportmanteau ofWookiee andWikipedia.
According toStar Wars creatorGeorge Lucas, his dog, Indiana (who later became the namesake ofthe title character of Lucas'sIndiana Jones movies), frequently sat by Lucas's side while he was writing or driving his car, which inspired him to giveHan Solo a sidekick. He wanted this sidekick to be "like a big furry dog" but also intelligent. The character was namedChewbacca, from the Russian wordschudovishye (lit. 'monster') andsobako (lit. 'dog').[1]
The name of Chewbacca's species comes from an add-libbed line in George Lucas'sTHX 1138, where actorTerry McGovern exclaims "I think I ran over a Wookiee back there".[1][2] Some sources link this word to the surname of a friend of McGovern's, whose full name is given variously as Ralph Wooky[2] or Bill Wookey.[3]
The suit worn by Chewbacca's actor,Peter Mayhew, in the originalStar Wars film was designed by make-up artistStuart Freeborn. He stated in a 1986 interview that the design was based on the costumes used for the apelike creatures in2001: A Space Odyssey, with the main difference being Chewbacca's furry face. He said it was otherwise "exactly the same inside".[4]
The design for the Wookiee's face was Lucas's idea, inspired by his own pets. He told Freeborn that he had a dog and a cat and mentioned a doglike design, and when Freeborn made a basic sculpture to demonstrate his idea, Lucas approved. However, Lucas later suggested a feline appearance instead, but he was again dissatisfied with the mock-up. He asked Freeborn to combine the two animals, leading to the final Wookiee design.[4]
Ben Burtt, the sound designer of theStar Wars films, wanted to create a believable sound for Chewbacca given that the character did not have proper lips. This led him to consider bears, as they use the backs of their mouths to vocalize. Across various accounts, a four-month-oldCinnamon bear, three other bears, a badger, a lion, a seal, and a walrus, have been reported as sources of Chewbacca's voice. Burtt specifically recounted recording the moaning of a walrus fromMarineland in California whose pool was being cleaned. After recording the audio, Burtt combined different sounds that he felt represented a specific emotional tone. Cutting them together, he said, created a "sense of speech" for Chewbacca.[5]
The Star Wars Holiday Special takes place on the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk. The film centers around Han Solo trying to help Chewbacca, again portrayed by Mayhew, return home in time for Life Day.[6][7] Life Day was originally conceived as a galactic celebration, but the plot was simplified so that Life Day was instead a sacred Wookiee holiday.[7] The film's first 10–15 minutes follow Chewbacca's family as they prepare for the holiday, conversing in unsubtitled grunts. This scene was likened by Chris Williams, writing forCollider, to "stumbling into a surreal, laugh-track-less sitcom in a language no one understands". He called the special itself a "perfectly terrible object" and wrote that other than Chewbacca, "none of the Wookiee costumes would pass muster at a local theme park".[8][9] Another journalist criticized a scene where one of the Wookiees watchespornography.[9]ABC News states that the special was "such a flop that it was never again broadcast on TV or released on video".[6]
Mayhew reprised the role of Chewbacca inThe Empire Strikes Back.[10] TheChicago Tribune'sGene Siskel called the non-human stars of the film, specifically thedroids and Chewbacca, "the most lovable creatures in a family film since theTin Man,Lion andScarecrow inThe Wizard of Oz".[11]
Mayhew again returned as Chewbacca inReturn of the Jedi. Parts of the film were shot atGrizzly Creek Redwoods State Park in northern California, US, and there was concern that Mayhew would be mistaken forbigfoot and potentially shot if he wandered off in costume. He was given strict instructions to stay close to camp at all times. In the end, filming concluded without incident.[12]
The final battle ofReturn of the Jedi was based on a scrapped concept from the firstStar Wars film, which had originally involved Wookiees. Lucas envisioned a battle between theEmpire and a "society of Wookiees" at the end of the movie, but this proved too complicated, and Chewbacca ended up being the movie's only Wookiee. WhenReturn of the Jedi was being made, Lucas wanted to create the battle he had originally envisioned, but he no longer felt that Wookiees were an appropriate choice: Chewbacca's character made Lucas's initial conception of Wookiees as having a primitive culture seem inaccurate. Instead, a new species was created: theEwoks. Lucas designed them to be the opposite of Wookiees: short instead of tall and short-haired instead of long-haired.[13][14] Monica Zurowsky of theCalgary Herald wrote that Lucas said he created the name by "reversing the syllables of the character [sic] he called Wookie [sic]" and rhyming it with the name of the Native AmericanMiwok tribe.[15]
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Revenge of the Sith features a battle sequence set on Kashyyyk toward the end of theClone Wars.Yoda is sent to aid the Wookiees owing to his "good relations" with them.[16][17] Shots used for the arrival scene on Kashyyyk were filmed during postproduction at Thailand'sPhang Nga Bay nearPhuket,[18] and some were digitally combined with places inGuilin, China.[19] SupervisorDave Elsey said that numerous Wookiee costumes used for the battle were "basically being built the same as the original Chewie". Mayhew once again returned for Chewbacca's brief appearance in the film.[4] Some of the details of the Kashyyyk scenes come fromThe Star Wars Holiday Special, including terrain, foliage, and treetop structures resembling Chewbacca's home in the special. The voice of Attichitcuk, Chewbacca's father, is reused from archivalHoliday Special dialogue for Tarfful, a friend of Chewbacca and Yoda.[20]
Chewbacca appeared in all three films of theStar Wars sequel trilogy. He was again portrayed by Mayhew inThe Force Awakens. According to Mayhew's family, the actor "fought his way back from being wheelchair-bound" in order to play the character. Though Mayhew did not have an acting role inThe Last Jedi, he helped instruct Chewbacca's new actor,Joonas Suotamo, on playing the part.[10] Suotamo played Chewbacca again inThe Rise of Skywalker, the last film of the series known as theSkywalker Saga.[21]
Suotamo again played Chewbacca in the standalone filmSolo, released less than six months afterThe Last Jedi and beforeThe Rise of Skywalker.[21][22] According toScreen Rant writer Chris Agar, the movie marks the first time that the Empire's mistreatment of Wookiees was shown in film, with Chewbacca's first appearance as a malnourished prisoner. Later in the film, he helps free other Wookiees from the mines ofKessel. The bookThe Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story includes an unused screenplay draft featuring WookieeStormtroopers. The idea was that this would allow for more development of the species without having to create individual faces.[23]
Krrsantan, a Wookiee bounty hunter who first appeared in various series of comics, makes hislive-action debut inThe Book of Boba Fett. Although the relationship between the Wookiee andBoba Fett depicted in the comics was not explicitly acknowledged,IGN writer Jesse Schedeen interpreted some of the scenes as indirect references.[24] Angie Mayhew, Peter Mayhew's widow, extended her regards to Krrsantan's actor, Carey Jones, for his performance.[25] Jones, a longtimeStar Wars fan, described seeing himself in the Wookiee costume as "surreal".[26]
Additional appearances of Wookiees inStar Wars media includeThe Phantom Menace,Star Wars: The Clone Wars,Star Wars Rebels,Star Wars: The Bad Batch, andThe Acolyte.[17][27] The Battle of Kashyyyk is featured inStar Wars Battlefront II (as what onePC Gamer reviewer called a "bizarro version")[28] andStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is partially set on the planet, revolving around the protagonist's efforts to shut down an Imperial refinery that has led to the enslavement of many Wookiees.[29] In a critical review ofFallen Order by Sam White ofGQ, Kashyyyk was described as the best looking planet of the three White had seen, but the appearance of the Wookiees was called "abysmal".[30]
TheStar Wars Databank describes Wookiees as gentle and intelligent creatures with short tempers.[27] They are depicted as having a historic feud with another species, theTrandoshans, who originate from the sameplanetary system. References to this feud appear in theStar Wars: The Clone Wars episode "Padawan Lost", where a Trandoshan hunting lodge is shown adorned with Wookiee pelts, and the gameStar Wars: The Force Unleashed, where killing 200 Wookiees in the prologue level on Kashyyyk will earn the player the "Bossk" achievement (Bossk being a Trandoshan bounty hunter).[31]
The Wookiee language is called Shyriiwook.[32] Wookiees are seldom depicted speaking Galactic Basic (the in-universe name for the English language inStar Wars), although the Wookiee Ralrracheen is able to converse withPrincess Leia in Basic inStar Wars: Heir to the Empire. The character explains that he suffers from a speech impediment that allows him to speak the language, while most Wookiees cannot.[33] Conversely, the filmSolo has a scene where Han Solo talks to Chewbacca in Shyriiwook. Solo's actor,Alden Ehrenreich, said that the noises he made were mostly improvised, aside from a phrase that needed to be repeated (Shyriiwook is not aconstructed language), while Suotamo's dialogue wasdubbed with animal sounds.[32] The bookThe Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy: You Must Unlearn What You Have Learned analyzes whether Shyriiwook, specifically its usage by Chewbacca, can be accurately described as a language from a philosophical standpoint, even though it is readily interpreted by viewers as such. The authors argue that the unintelligibly of the noises, the impossibility of identifying it as speech without dialogue from other characters, and the unscripted nature of the noises make the conclusion that Chewbacca does not actually speak "so obvious as to be unnecessary".[34]
Life Day is depicted as a sacred Wookiee holiday. In one version of the holiday, created in the 1970s by Carol Wikarska Titelman,Lucasfilm's director of publishing, Life Day was said to have originally taken the form of a communalhallucinogenic experience invoked by consuming a specific root. She wrote that some Wookiee families continued to use that, but because of the unpleasant side effects, many others use a device called the environmental transporter instead. This device appeared inThe Star Wars Holiday Special, albeit simplified from its original depiction for budget reasons. Life Day has since received appearances and mentions inStar Wars video games and other media, and a commemorative event was held atDisney'sStar Wars: Galaxy's Edge in California and Florida on 17 November 2022 (the 44-year anniversary ofThe Star Wars Holiday Special).[7]
In the firstStar Wars movie, Han Solo andLuke Skywalker receive medals following the destruction of theDeath Star, while Chewbacca does not (although he does in an earlier version of the script and inthe film's novelization). Soon after the release ofStar Wars, Lucas said that Wookiees do not place much value in medals and that Chewbacca had a celebration with his own people where he received a prize, which Lucas called an honor for "the entire Wookiee race". Comics from the pre- and post-Disney eras of the franchise, as well asThe Rise of Skywalker have since provided varying interpretations of Chewbacca receiving a medal at some point after the award ceremony scene.[35]
The bookStar Wars: Complete Locations, New Edition states that the Wookiees granted Yoda the ancient title "Defender of the Home Tree" for helping negotiate during incidents between the Wookiees and Trandoshans, which both the book andScreen Rant author Nathaniel Roark contrast with Yoda's modest claim of having "good relations" with the Wookiees inRevenge of the Sith.[17]Star Wars works set afterRevenge of the Sith depict the Wookiees as enslaved by the Empire,[36] which Roark wrote "adds more tragedy" to Yoda's life.[17]
The 2003 gameStar Wars Galaxies allowed players to form communities and construct buildings, including museums. One such museum, created by librarian and museum scholar Annie Platoff, was called the Wookiee Cultural Center (WCC). She spent four years collecting in-game objects related to the Wookiees and Kashyyyk for the WCC, which expanded from its original location into a network of six museums total, including a traveling one. She sought to apply professional standards to the management of the museum's collection, such as by crediting donors (amounting to over 300, including individual characters, guilds, and cities), creating labels for items based on theme, and assigning the items to appropriate places within the museum. She wrote that it could take hours of gameplay to construct one exhibit. The purpose of the study was to determine whether a virtual museum could become "real".[37]
During the production ofRevenge of the Sith, George Lucas was against the idea of introducing a WookieeJedi, something he said should never be added toStar Wars (although some had already appeared in theexpanded universe by that point). Lucas did not clearly explain this opinion, but he eventually allowed the introduction of a young Wookiee Jedi named Gungi to season five ofThe Clone Wars.[38] As of 2024, aScreen Rant article records a total of six Wookiee Jedi inStar Wars Legends and four in Disney'scanon. Among them was Kalnecca, introduced inThe Acolyte, who became the first live-action Wookiee Jedi. Kalnecca was played by Chewbacca actor Joonas Suotamo.[39]
Wookieepedia is a volunteer-maintainedStar Warswiki hosted byFandom. The website's self-description states that the name is aportmanteau ofWookiee andWikipedia, but it clarifies that it has no affiliation with Wikipedia or theWikimedia Foundation.[40] Wookieepedia was created by Steve Greenwood and otherStar Wars fans as an alternative toWikipedia. Greenwood, a himself aWikipedia editor, said that Wikipedia keeps things at a very general level, and that overly specific content is labelled "fancruft" and targeted for removal.[41]
Following theAfghan War documents leak,Twitter user Greg "Storm" DiCostanzo was inspired to create thehashtag #WookieeLeaks, which he described as a "Twitter game" to introduce "naughty details" aboutStar Wars. The hashtag received over 100,000 responses. Topics of the tweets include the claim that Chewbacca used mind-altering drugs on Endor, "Han shot first", and the implication thatC-3PO was discharged from theRebel Alliance military for violating "don't ask, don't tell".[42] In 2017, on the 40th anniversary ofThe Dallas Morning News's 1977 review ofStar Wars, the paper issued an apology for misspellingWookiee as "Wookie" in the review.[43] Contrary to a claim made bythe title character of the seriesPeacemaker in the show's third episode, Wookiees do not canonically have teeth on their anuses.Peacemaker directorJames Gunn shared a screenshot with the trending Google search "do wookies [sic] have teeth on their buttholes" and credited Peacemaker for "influencing the cultural conversation".Screen Rant writer Kevin Erdmann suggested that Peacemaker may have confused Wookiees with the Verkle, a creature used by the Ewoks as bait inReturn of the Jedi, which consists of the back half of a taxidermied deer with added teeth.[44]
