Wookiee The Wookiees were a species of tall , hair y humanoid s that were native to the planet Kashyyyk . The most notable member of this species was the warrior Chewbacca , Han Solo ' s best friend and co - pilot , who played a vital role in the Galactic Civil War by aiding the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the Galactic Empire , as well as the Cold war where he fought against the First Order . They were quite strong , and were known to rip people ' s arms out of their sockets when provoked . Though being from a temperate planet better known for its swamp s and forest s , they were able to be comfortable on icy worlds such as Ilum , Hoth , and Starkiller Base without any protective clothing , including glove s and boot s . Biology and appearance . Wookiees were a tall species of furry giants from the planet Kashyyyk , who could grow to a height of nearly three meter s . They were covered from head to toe in a thick , shaggy coat of hair with water - shedding properties that notably came in shades of brown , black , gray , and white . The species had two sexes , female and male . The latter grew long beards in adult life . Wookiee eye color ranged from blue to brown . Wookiees had extendable claws which they used for climbing ; using them for anything else violated the Wookiee honor code . Despite their fearsome appearance and volatile temperament , Wookiees were regarded as intelligent , sophisticated , loyal and trusting . When angered , Wookiees were known to descend into a berserker rage . Wookiees had a long lifespan , appearing not to age over a span of fifty years . One Wookiee , Lohgarra , lived healthily for centuries — the only distinction being her white fur . They could learn to understand other language s , like Galactic Basic , but they were physically unable to speak them . To those who had not learned to understand Shyriiwook , the Wookiee language , it appeared they spoke in a series of growls and purrs . Although rare , it was possible for Wookiees to be born Force - sensitive and become Jedi , a source of great pride . One such Wookiee was the youngling , Gungi . History . The Clone Wars . Wookiees originated on the Mid Rim forest planet of Kashyyyk . In the ancient past , they invented and crafted weapons that fired poisoned darts and arrows . During the Clone Wars , the Wookiees remained fiercely loyal to the Galactic Republic and fought alongside them in several star system s . Towards the end of the conflict , Wookiee forces also defended their homeworld from a Separatist invasion with the help of Galactic Republic forces led by Jedi Master Yoda , who had good relations with them . Age of the Empire . Following the establishment of the Galactic Empire , the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk was blockade d by the Empire . The softening and repeal of anti - slavery laws ultimately led to the Empire classifying the Wookiees as non - sentient . The Empire enslaved the Wookiees not because they were a meaningful threat to the Empire but because their massive , robust physiology allowed them to work long and hard in extreme conditions . As a result , many Wookiees were forced into slavery building much of the Imperial war machine , sent to be worked to death in the dangerous spice mines of the planet Kessel , or on construction sites such as the Death Star , though a number escaped this fate . Numerous Wookiees were bred for use in medical experimentation , and some were used as playthings for Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck , Imperial governor of Kashyyyk , who occasionally hunted live Wookiees for sport . To keep them in line , all of the Wookiees on Kashyyyk were fitted with inhibitor chips that caused them great pain if activated . The Empire also quickly learned the most efficient way of preventing any wide - scale uprisings was by threatening clan and family members , particularly the younglings . Normally , a Wookiee would quite willingly rip a stormtrooper limb from limb regardless of their own safety , but could not bear to see other Wookiees subjected to the agony instead . Despite these grave circumstances for their race , the Wookiees nonetheless found ways to help others . In the early days of the Empire , the Outer Rim planet of Lasan , home to the Lasat , was brutally sacked and devastated by the Empire for daring to question the new regime . Unable to stand by and watch , many Wookiees went to Lasan and fought the Empire with weapons forged from the wroshyr trees of their homeworld , in many cases giving their own lives to save the Lasats . Because of their actions , a few Lasats ( including Garazeb Orrelios ) were able to escape the genocide and survive in the wider galaxy . During the Age of the Empire , the - then Commodore Thrawn and Lieutenant Commander Eli Vanto discovered evidence that the Empire was transporting enslaved Wookiees after responding to a distress transmission from the troop transport " Sempre " . The Wookiee slaves were liberated by a task force consisting of the frigate " Castilus " and two squadrons of V - 19 Torrent starfighter s , which then attacked the space station Lansend Twenty - Six , where more Wookiee slaves were held . Thrawn commanded the operation to reinforce Baklek Base and forced the insurgents to surrender . When Vanto objected to slavery , Thrawn tried to rationalize the Empire ' s enslavement of Wookiees . About fourteen years after the establishment of the Empire , the 212th Attack Battalion led by General Kahdah quelled a Wookiee revolt on Kashyyyk . Civilian travel to the planet was restricted and access was granted only for official government business . Shortly later , the Empire transport ed several captives including Wullffwarro and his son Kitwarr to the spice mine s of Kessel . The Spectres , a rebel cell based on the Outer Rim world of Lothal , rescued the prisoner s and escaped Kessel . Joining the Rebellion . During the Galactic Civil War , several Wookiees including Chewbacca and Lohgarra fought for the Alliance to Restore the Republic and its successor government , the New Republic . One year following the Battle of Endor , the Wookiee homeworld had become an Imperial remnant known as Imperial territory G5 - 623 led by Grand Moff Tolruck . Kashyyyk was later liberated by the New Republic forces . Working with a group of rebels led by Han Solo and Chewbacca , the former Imperial loyalty officer Sinjir Rath Velus used a hyperspace transceiver to neutralize Tolruck ' s inhibitor chips . This enabled the Wookiees to rise up enmasse against the Imperial occupiers and take their well - earned revenge , with Grand Moff Tolruck being personally killed by his personal slave , Cracktooth . The Imperial forces attempted to orbital bombard Kashyyyk but were defeated by a New Republic fleet led by Leia Organa and Admiral Ackbar . Wookiee and New Republic forces then conducted mopping - up operations against the remaining Imperial holdouts on Kashyyyk . During one of these skirmishes , Chewbacca reunited with his son Lumpawaroo , who had escaped from a slave labor camp run by Commandant Dessard . Society and culture . Most Wookiees carried bowcaster s as weaponry , which were handcrafted . The Wookiee people by and large hated Trandoshan s , who were renowned as great hunters . The highest way a Wookiee could compliment someone was to groom them . In Wookiee society , loyalty and courage were valued as sacrosanct tenets . Wookiees in the Galaxy . Some notable Wookiees included Chewbacca , the navigator and long - time companion of Han Solo . Other noteworthy Wookiees including the chief and general Tarfful ( who fought alongside Master Yoda during the Battle of Kashyyyk ) , the warrior Wullffwarro , and his son Kitwarr . One known Force - sensitive Wookiee was the Jedi youngling Gungi , who lived during the Clone Wars . During the Age of the Empire , Black Krrsantan was a Wookiee who worked as a bounty hunter for both Jabba the Hutt and Darth Vader . Another Wookiee Greybok played an important role in turning the tide of the Battle of Sevarcos by freeing several rancor s , which rampaged the Imperial lines . Later , he took part in Han Solo and Chewbacca ' s campaign to liberate Kashyyyk . While serving as a senator in the New Republic ' s Galactic Senate , Leia Organa once saw two Wookiee commuters in front of her on an automated sidewalk at the New Republic senatorial complex on Hosnian Prime . Behind the scenes . The word " Wookiee " originated in George Lucas ' s first movie , " " , in a line ad - libbed by actor : " I think I just ran over a Wookiee . " Since Chewbacca ' s premiere in the first film , Wookiees have appeared in numerous Star Wars Legends including " The Star Wars Holiday Special " , the early Marvel " Star Wars " comics , and the BioWare roleplaying game " " . In addition , Wookiees have also appeared in numerous Canon products including both the Original and Prequel trilogies , the animated series " " , " Star Wars Rebels " , and Chuck Wendig ' s " " . The Wookiees also appeared in the non - Canon " " episode " Peril on Kashyyyk " , which premiered on Disney XD on June 27 , 2016 . Like in the Legends and Canon storylines , the Wookiees are depicted as having an antagonistic relationship with the Trandoshans , who act as Imperial proxies on Kashyyyk . In the episode , the scavenging Freemakers family help Chief Attabura to rescue his son Tantarra from a Trandoshan island fortress .