Zaalbar Zaalbar ( ) , also nicknamed " Big Z " by Mission Vao , was a male Wookiee who aided the former Sith Lord Revan in his quest throughout the galaxy to find and destroy the Star Forge superweapon . Originating from the Mid Rim Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk , Zaalbar was the son of Wookiee Chieftain Freyyr , but had been exiled from his homeworld . Zaalbar was considered in Wookiee culture to be a madclaw , a title of dishonor , as he had attacked his brother Chuundar with his climbing claws , violating a Wookiee code of conduct . Despite his brother ' s deals with slavers , which had led to their fight , Zaalbar ' s father did not believe his accusations against Chuundar . Leaving Kashyyyk , Zaalbar traveled to the planet Taris where he encountered and befriended the Twi ' lek orphan Mission Vao . Zaalbar and Vao traveled everywhere on Taris together . The two protected one another in the absence of any other companions and a close bond was forged between them . Also , the duo affiliated themselves with the Lower City gang known as the Hidden Beks . When the amnesiac Revan traveled to the planet alongside Republic soldier Carth Onasi and began a search for the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan , whom they needed to find to aid the Republic war effort against the Sith Empire , they encountered Vao and Zaalbar . After Zaalbar was captured by Gamorrean slavers and held prisoner in the sewers of the Undercity , Vao turned to Revan and his companions for help in rescuing the Wookiee . With their combined abilities , Revan and his party were able to do so ending with Zaalbar swearing a life debt to , the - then amnesiac , Revan . Escaping Taris with Revan and his companions after the orbital bombardment of the planet that resulted in the destruction of Taris , Zaalbar agreed to travel around the galaxy with Revan and his companions to search for the ancient Star Map artifacts which would lead them to the Star Forge . As one of the Star Maps was located on Kashyyyk , Zaalbar returned to his homeworld with Revan in search of it . With Revan ' s help , he cleared his name and liberated his homeworld from the slaving operations of the pan - galactic Czerka Corporation . He parted ways with Revan after the defeat and death of Sith Lord Darth Malak . Biography . Early life . A son of the Wookiee Chieftain Freyyr , Zaalbar was born on the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk prior to the Jedi Civil War . Zaalbar ' s tribe came under the attention of numerous slaving organizations across the galaxy , such as the unscrupulous Czerka Corporation . After Zaalbar discovered that his brother , Chuundar , was making deals with slavers to sell Wookiees to them , he went mad with rage and attacked Chuundar . During the fight , Zaalbar broke an important Wookiee code and used his claws as weapons . Though Chuundar survived the attack , Zaalbar was consequently branded a madclaw and exiled from his village , Rwookrrorro , and Kashyyyk as a whole . During his exile , Zaalbar traveled to the planet Taris . Upon his arrival , the Wookiee got into trouble in Taris ' Lower City ; a few gang members of the Black Vulkars , a swoop gang of Taris , began trying to fight the lone Wookiee . Although Zaalbar did not allow himself to be goaded into fighting , a young Twi ' lek orphan , Mission Vao , who was observing the altercation , believed Zaalbar to be in danger . Vao attacked one of the Vulkars , but he knocked her down . Big Z retaliated by grabbing the Vulkar who had done so by the throat , scaring the others off . After that , Zaalbar and Vao became inseparable , traveling everywhere together . Zaalbar ' s strength allowed Vao to gain physical protection against swoop gangs and local thugs , while Mission ' s abilities to break open locks , as taught to her by her brother Griff , were able to benefit the Wookiee . Zaalbar and Vao then affiliated themselves with the Hidden Beks , a gang based around the swoop racing sport popular on Taris at the time . Revan . When the amnesiac Jedi Knight and former Sith Lord Revan served on the Republic ship " Endar Spire " , the ship came under attack by the forces of Darth Malak , the Dark Lord of the Sith . After the Sith forces overpowered the " Endar Spire " , and the Republic was forced to call an evacuation order , a multitude of Republic escape pods fled to the planet ' s surface . One of the pods contained Revan and Republic soldier Carth Onasi . Upon landing , they searched the planet for Jedi Knight Bastila Shan . Shan was another refugee from the " Endar Spire " , and Shan was considered an important asset for the Republic in battles , due to her ability to use the Force power battle meditation . Zaalbar encountered Revan and his companion when Zaalbar was part of the Hidden Beks . Zaalbar and Vao first saw Revan in Javyar ' s Cantina . In the cantina , Zaalbar was scaring off a group of Black Vulkars who were harassing Vao . Zaalbar and Vao briefly spoke with Revan upon first meeting him and his companion . Later , however , Zaalbar was captured by Gamorrean slavers , and taken to the Undercity sewers on his way to be sold on as a slave . Vao enlisted Revan ' s help to rescue Zaalbar from the Undercity sewers where he was being held . Revan proceeded to enter the sewers and subsequently attack and kill a number of the Gamorrean slavers , liberating Zaalbar from his confines . Zaalbar , during his imprisonment , had not been fed , and the only nutrition had received was when he had bitten a piece out of one of the arms of one of his Gamorrean oppressors . In the wake of his rescue by Revan , Zaalbar swore a life debt to the former Sith Lord , a Wookiee vow which meant he pledged his life to the protection of Revan . As a result , Zaalbar became a member of Revan ' s crew and joined him in his quest to find the Star Map s , maps that would lead to the superweapon called the Star Forge . Wherever Zaalbar went , Vao swore she would follow , so she joined Revan ' s party as well . Return to Kashyyyk . When Revan and his companions arrived on Kashyyyk , where Zaalbar ' s brother Chuundar had seized power from their father , Zaalbar was imprisoned by his brother for not honoring his exile as a madclaw . Revan learned that Chuundar had sold a number of his fellow Wookiees as slaves to Czerka Corporation , but only a few in the tribe knew this fact ; the rest saw Chuundar as a great hero . Chuundar asked Revan to kill another madclaw Wookiee exile who had taken up residence in the Shadowlands , the dangerous area beneath the planet ' s trees , in order for them to be allowed to leave with Zaalbar . Revan , having seen in a vision the location of the Star Map on the forest floor , agreed , as he felt he would be able to search for the Star Map at the same time . After journeying to the Shadowlands , Revan and his companions discovered that the exile was Freyyr , father of Zaalbar and Chuundar . Instead of killing Freyyr , Revan helped the old Wookiee retrieve Bacca ' s Ceremonial Blade , a vibrosword of great importance to the Wookiees , which had been embedded in the skin of a terentatek beast . Freyyr then led a revolt against Chuundar and Czerka Corporation , resulting in Chuundar being killed . In the wake of Chuundar ' s death , Freyyr resumed his position as chieftain of the tribe , giving Bacca ' s Ceremonial Blade to his son , Zaalbar . This indicated , in Wookiee culture , that his son would succeed him as chieftain . Zaalbar accepted this gift , but told his father that he had to honor his life debt to Revan , and follow him on his quest around the galaxy . Zaalbar told his father that he would return to Kashyyyk when their quest to find the Star Maps was complete , and the Star Forge destroyed . After the Star Maps led them to the uncharted planet Lehon , Carth Onasi was able to give the location of the Star Forge to Republic Admiral Forn Dodonna . Dodonna brought her ships to Lehon , triggering the Battle of Rakata Prime . Zaalbar , Revan , and the rest of Revan ' s companions had been led to Lehon after finding Star Maps on the planets of Dantooine , Tatooine , Manaan , Korriban and Kashyyyk , with the maps directing them toward Lehon in order to find the Star Forge . A team of Jedi alongside Revan and his companions , including Zaalbar , boarded the Star Forge . Under Sith resistance , including that of the captured Bastila Shan , who had turned to the dark side and was aiding Malak , Revan ' s party eventually reached Shan and redeemed her . Subsequently , Revan defeated and killed Malak , before destroying the Star Forge . Following the destruction of the Star Forge , Zaalbar attended a ceremony on Lehon were Revan was awarded the Cross of Glory by the commanding Republic officer Admiral Forn Dodonna . Over the next year , Zaalbar and Vao built an import export business for themselves . When Revan was embarking on a mission to locate Mandalore ' s Mask in 3954 BBY , he decided against taking Vao and Zaalbar with him , wanting to let them live their lives in peace . After he retrieved the mask , Revan left the galaxy for the Unknown Regions , leaving Zaalbar behind with the rest of his former party . A holostatue of Zaalbar was erected in the Leisure Garden section of the Axial Park in the Coronet City on Corellia , along with the statues of Revan and his other companions in memory of their deeds . Personality and traits . Zaalbar was a shy Wookiee of few words , preferring to let the street - smart Mission Vao do most of the talking . He was very protective of the young Twi ' lek , and would sacrifice himself for her without hesitation . Still , even as he trusted her , and trusted Revan , he found it difficult to express certain aspects of himself and of his culture , feeling they were private and not for outsiders to know . An important trait of Zaalbar ’ s was his loyalty , and a strong sense of Wookiee honor and tradition , as shown by his dedication to his life debt . Zaalbar also maintained keeping his past life secret from even those he trusted most , as he found it painful to discuss and share it . Zaalbar also appeared to have a low opinion of himself . When asked by Revan if he could help him with a problem , Zaalbar expressed his belief that he would be of little use – unless , of course , he needed someone threatened or a door bashed open . Zaalbar also took care of his appetite . During his capture on Taris , he was so hungry that he even tried to bite off a Gamorrean guard ' s arm . When the " Ebon Hawk " ' food supply started getting low , he was the first one to notice it . Revan might have suspected him at first , of stealing and eating the supplies , but it turned out to be a young girl who had sneaked aboard . Vao was also constantly teasing Zaalbar about his bad breath and appearance . When Zaalbar discovered that his companion was in fact Revan , he showed indifference to who Revan had once been and pledged to continue his life debt , believing Revan to be a changed man . Talents and abilities . Zaalbar ' s skills lay in physical combat , and a strong constitution . Zaalbar was a dedicated warrior and fighter , able to wield a number of weapons including melee weapons , such as vibroblades , to the weapon called the bowcaster , which was favored by Wookiees . Dangerous when angered , this was demonstrated by Zaalbar ’ s choice to tear a chunk out of the arm of a Gamorrean slaver who was keeping him prisoner with his bare teeth . Zaalbar was also a strong guardian , protecting the young Mission Vao in the Undercity of Taris . Zaalbar ' s strength was also evident from his ability to easily pick up foes , as he did with those who were attacking him when he first met Mission . He was also able to do this on Tatooine , where he was able to pick up Sand People . In terms of abilities of construction , Zaalbar was capable of making grenades for Revan and his party , doing so on numerous occasions . His personal possessions included a custom - crafted bowcaster and later , the sacred Bacca ' s Ceremonial Blade after the Wookiee rebellion on Kashyyyk . In terms of linguistic skills , Zaalbar was able to understand the languages of Basic , Twi ' leki , Huttese , Ithorese , and Shyriiwook , though only able to speak the latter due to the limitations of Wookiee vocal capabilities . Behind the scenes . Zaalbar first appeared in the 2003 video game " " as a playable character . The character has different options open to the player throughout the game , including light side and dark side choices . An alternate dark side choice allows the player to side with Chuundar and kill Freyyr , thus making Zaalbar become cold hearted and darker in character . He will then tell Revan that he will side with him , but only because his brother Chuundar has taught him about using outsiders for their own advantage . This leaves Kashyyyk under the control of Czerka Corporation . Another dark side option is available on Lehon . The player can persuade Zaalbar to kill Mission Vao as a payment of the life debt he has sworn . The player can also decide to kill Zaalbar at this point in the game . If the player has him kill Vao and chooses him as a party member on the Star Forge , he will remember his act and attack Revan for forcing him to kill his best friend . Zaalbar , along with Carth Onasi , Bastila Shan , Canderous Ordo , and Mission Vao , was inspired by James Ohlen ' s work on roleplaying campaigns for West End Games .