· Updated February 22, 2015 Chewbacca, Han Solo’s companion, co-pilot, and confidante in Star Wars, appears to resemble a creature from Earth you may be familiar with – Bigfoot ! Is that on purpose? What kind of creature is Chewbacca? Now, to begin with, George Lucas does not claim that Chewie is a Bigfoot (or Sasquatch). According to Star Wars mythology, Chewbacca is a Wookie. Wookies are non-human creatures that hail from the jungles of a planet called Kashyyk. The word “wookie” is said to translate into “People of the Trees”, due to the fact that they live in treehouses on their home planet. Interestingly, the name for the most famous wookie of all time (Chewbacca) was supposedly derived from the Russian word for dog – sobaka (cobaka). Did Bigfoot inspire Chewbacca?

According to George Lucas, as he was trying to figure out who was going to be Han Solo’s Star Wars co-pilot, he took inspiration from his own dog, an Alaskan Malamute who would “co-pilot” his car…at that moment he knew it was going to be a non-human fur-covered creature. But that is not where the creation of the wookie stops. According to Animal Planet, who went further into analysis of the Wookie – Chewbacca, and other wookies, were inspired by primates such as lemurs, and also by a great ape – the orangutan. In summary, Star Wars’ Chewbacca was inspired by the merger of a dog and primates, not by bigfoot. But….despite the supposed manner in which Chewbacca was created, the resulting wookie that is Chewbacca does bear an impossible-to-ignore resemblance (dare I say almost identical resemblance?) to the creature on Earth known as bigfoot! Compare if you will: Chewbacca: A wookie which is described as a fur-covered, non-english speaking humanoid that can climb trees and lives in the jungle. vs.

Bigfoot: All descriptions of bigfoot are that of a fur-covered, non-english speaking humanoid that lives in the forest. Sound pretty similar, don’t they? More similarities between bigfoot and Chewbacca: Both bigfoot and chewbacca are: covered from head to foot in thick (normally) brown colored fur said to have claws (Chewbacca’s are said to be retractable) believed to be highly intelligent reported as being very tall (approx 7 feet in height reported for various sightings of bigfoot, while the actor that played Chewbacca, Peter Mayhew, is 7 feet, 3 inches tall) incredibly strong live amongst trees (wookies prefer jungles, bigfoot prefers forests) not trusting of strangers Finally, look at the pictures! It is impossible to deny that the pictures that exist of bigfoot are almost identical to that of Chewbacca! Given the undeniable resemblances between Chewbacca and bigfoot, it is a bit confusing as to why Lucas contrived an odd backstory as to the creation of the wookie, when all he had to say was that he envisioned the wookie as a type of bigfoot!

Chewbacca (Character) - Comic Vine Chewbacca was created by George Lucas. The inspiration came from his dog. Character Evolution Chewbacca has undergone some dramatic character development since his first appearances in the clone wars where he was a rebellious beserk fighter. After owing Han Solo a life debt he became more restrained, having to take orders and working alongside Han without complaining. Following the conclusion of the rebellion we see Chewbacca maturing from the impulsive youth he was at the beginning to a skilfull warrior, expert technician and most loyal of team-mates. Major Story Arcs Galactic Civil War Chewbacca first appeared in Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, protecting his planet from the Confederate with the help of The Republic and Jedi Master Yoda. When Order 66 came, Chewbacca helped Master Yoda off the planet. Nineteen years after the Rise of The Empire, Chewbacca was responsible for bringing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to meet his Captain, Han Solo after Bo Shek introduced them to him.

The Wookiee and his friend Han had no way of knowing what would happen next, what seemed like little more then a simple transport mission for two passengers and two droids would turn the pair of smugglers worlds upside down. It became clear quickly that Luke and Obi-Wan were no ordinary passengers when a garrison of Sandtroopers ambushed them in the docking bay that the Millennium Falcon was located in, and more obvious when the ship was attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer that was in orbit of Tatooine. As the unlikely group came out of hyperspace at their destination, they were shocked to find Alderaan was now nothing but a field of asteroids and debris, and a ominous moon-like structure drew closer, it was the Death Star . Han and Chewbacca did not have enough time to escape and the Millenium Falcon was captured with a tractor beam. But when the Empire boarded the Falcon, they found no passengers, as the group of heroes were hiding in smuggling compartments Han had built into the ship. On Hoth The group managed to dispose of an Imperial scanning crew then called to the two Stormtroopers guarding the Falcon outside, Luke and Han disguised themselves as Stormtroopers and Chewbacca posed as their prisoner.

Together the trio infiltrated the detention block and rescued Princess Leia . After escaping the Death Star, thanks to Obi-Wan Kenobi making the ultimate sacrifice, Han and Chewbacca delivered Luke, Leia, R2-D2 , and C-3PO safely on Yavin, unaware that the Empire had been tracking them. Han had his reward and despite some protest from Chewbacca left the planet, but during the closing moments of the Battle of Yavin, Han and Chewbacca aboard the Millenium Falcon disabled Darth Vader's TIE Fighter , allowing Luke to fire the proton torpedo that destroyed the Death Star. Luke, Han, and Chewbacca were shortly after honored as Rebel heroes. Three years after the destruction of The Death Star, Chewbacca was still with the Rebel Alliance on the Planet Hoth. Chewie was busy making repairs to The Millennium Falcon while Han went to search for Luke who had gone missing. The following day, Chewie was relieved to find that Han and Star Wars: Chewbacca This story arc is the only Dark horse comic to have actually starred Chewbacca. This comic series involves R2D2 tracking back through Chewbacca's life and discovering his origin.

Death A few years later Han and Chewbacca was sent to do a mission with Anakin Solo. When they got there the planet was about to be destroyed by a moon. Their mission was to evacuate as many of the planet's inhabitants aboard the Millenium Falcon. While loading them, Anakin fell out of the ship. Chewbacca jumped back onto the planet and grabbed him and threw him back on the ship, saving his life. Anakin then began to pilot the ship while Han reached out to rescue his co-pilot. Anakin however flew off, believing that they could not save him and that in attempting to save his life they would lose their own. Chewbacca died with a defiant roar when the moon crashed into the planet alongside many of the planet's inhabitants. His death led to Han resenting his son. Powers and Abilities Powers Superstrength As would be expected from a creature of that size Chewbacca has considerably stronger than average strength. He is so strong he can effortlessly tear the arms off droids. Leadership During the Empire's reign Chewbacca continually led wookie forces in attempting to repel the invading imperials, earning the respect and admiration of many wookiee's.

Engineer Chewie has very good technical knowledge and understanding, and is one of the best engineers around. He designed the hyperdrive and ion cannons of the millenium falcon himself. Personal Data Chewbacca | Wookieepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia "You two play fast and loose." "It's worked so far." ―Caluan Ematt, on Chewbacca and Han Solo's tactics [src] However, before they could depart for Tatooine to pay Jabba, Organa would ask Solo to run an errand for the Rebellion, which Chewbacca convinced him to accept—to rescue Lieutenant Caluan Ematt from Cyrkon . On the Falcon, the two made their way to the planet, only to find themselves confronted by the Vehement , which they avoided with a false IFF transponder , and landed in Motok . There, they were immediately attacked by some of Jabba's bounty hunters, including Captivator , which prompted Solo to accuse them of being "Rebels" and set them against ISB Commander Alecia Beck 's garrison.

[11] Chewbacca slipped away with Solo to the Miss Fortune cantina , where they found their old friend Delia Leighton , to whom they asked about Ematt's location. After she told them their destination and the password, Chewbacca and Solo rented a V-40 and went into a hotel, where they met Ematt, but were attacked by the bounty hunters again, as Leighton had revealed their location to save Curtis 's life. However, they escaped and made their way to the Falcon, only to be ambushed by Beck and more than forty stoormtroopers. [11] Chewbacca, Solo and Ematt confronted by Alecia Beck. Forced to surrender, Chewbacca, Solo and Ematt were taken into custody, with Beck focusing on Ematt and leaving Chewbacca and Solo to the stormtroopers. Unbeknownst to the Imperials, Solo noticed the Miss Fortune making their way to save them, but with the magnetic field activated, it would be pointless.

Once aware of Solo's intentions, Chewbacca pretended to be angry at Solo and shoved him, sending him flying into a trooper to grab his E-11 blaster rifle and destroy the field generators, flooding the hangar with Cyrkon's toxic gases. Soon enough, the Miss Fortune opened fire at the Imperials, and Chewbacca made his way to the Falcon to start the engines while Solo helped Ematt and recovered their weapons. [11] Soon in Cyrkon's orbit along with the Miss Fortune, they found themselves against the Vehement and eight TIE fighters. They engaged the starfighters , defeating several of them, until the Miss Fortune's took a hit that damaged its navicomputer; Chewbacca saw Solo's nobler side when he decided to cover the 1550-LEX space yacht to make a run for Cyrkon's atmosphere just as the Vehement's tractor beam advanced towards them. They resisted the beam by entering the planet's atmosphere themselves, while Leighton fled, and approached Motok in a dead-engine glide, daring Beck into catching the Falcon at the price of destroying the city with the tractor beam and turning Cyrkon against the Empire.

As she desisted, the Falcon began its fall to the ground and the two pilots manually restarted the engines, just in time to avoid crashing into the city and escape. [11] Andelm IV Edit Sometime later, he was on an important solo mission to deliver a box, when the flight stabilizer of his ship malfunctioned. Forced to crash-land on Andelm IV , Chewbacca went to a city to obtain a replacement and engaged a Besalisk vendor. Their deal was interrupted by a fugitive young girl, Zarro , who tried to sell her stolen speeder bike . The Besalisk, however, refused and tried to betray her to the planet's crime lord, Jaum . Chewbacca stopped him, though, by having the Besalisk sell him the stabilizer. However, he did not have enough credits to buy it. Subsequently, he went to a cantina and played sabacc, successfully doubling his credits. Chewbacca then noticed the girl from before, and helped her hide from Jaum's men. [19] Afterwards, Zarro followed him as he bought the stabilizer and tried to convince into helping her save her father and friends.

Unable to delay his mission, Chewbacca repaired his ship, and changed his mind to leave the planet when Zarro mentioned her people had been enslaved by Jaum. Unknown to Chewie and Zarro, Jaum was planning to export the Andelm beetle larvae to the Empire to be processed into Dedlanite , a substance used in the manufacture of blasters . [19] To maximise profits, Jaum also planned to sell his slave workforce to the Empire. [15] The following day, Zarro devised a plan to infiltrate Jaum's mine . She got Chewbacca to search for an open air vent for the slave miners to escape. Meanwhile, Zarro infiltrated the mine by allowing herself to be recaptured. Her plan was to locate a hollowed part of the mine. Keeping in touch by transmitter , Zarro told Chewie to find an open air vent. While struggling through the tunnel, the Wookiee was haunted by memories of his enslavement at the hands of the Trandoshans . Zarro's escape plan encountered a problem when she was caught by Jaum and his men.

After the miners including Zarro's father Arrax objected to Jaum's plan, the gangster ordered his men to execute the miners. [15] Before Jaum's guards could carry out their execution, Chewie snuck up behind them and overpowered them with his bowcaster . After meeting Zarro's father, Chewie joined forces with the miners to fight their way out of the mine. He refashioned a rod from a broken-down GNK power droid and used it to disable a wheeled battle droid . Shortly later, the Wookiee knocked out one of Jaum's henchmen with the derelict GNK power droid. Chewie eventually found his way to the mine's loading bay, which was full of crates of Andelm beetle larvae. However, Jaum's Shistavanen enforcer Tyvak fired on the incendiary larvae with his blaster , igniting an explosion that created a cave-in. [15] Despite Tyvak's efforts, Chewie and his friends managed to survive the explosion. Part of the Wookiee's left leg was scorched by fire but Zarro managed to douse it.

Chewie and his friends then narrowly escaped a swarm of Andelm beetles. Chewie managed to used his bowcaster to collapse a girder, temporarily delaying the swarm but denying the miners their only way out in the process. While heading to regroup with the other miners in a different section of the mine, Chewie encountered the guard he had knocked out with the GNK power droid. Upon recognizing the guard, he dropped the heavy droid chassis on the man, leaving him behind. [20] While the miners discussed a way of digging themselves out of the mine, Chewie came up with the idea of climbing out vertically through a sinkhole. While skeptical of the Wookiee's chance of success, the miners and Zarro agreed to support his plan. With much effort, Chewie managed to climb through the roots of a dead tree and topple it, creating a pit large enough for all the miners to climb up. Chewie then lowered a rope for all the miners to evacuate. Once everyone had reached the surface, Chewie and Zarro departed under the pretext of repairing his A-wing starfighter. [20] In truth, Zarro was planning to stop Jaum and the Empire from taking over Andelm IV.

Enlisting Chewie's support, they traveled to the planet's spaceport . There, they found a bunker that was inhabited by her blind friend Sevox and his protocol droid I-7 , who served as the "eyes" of the former. After examining Sevox's junkshop, Chewbacca came up with a plan to sabotage Jaum's plot to export Dedlanite to the Empire. [20] this plan involved fitting a decrepit R5 repair droid with explosives. Sevox thought Chewie and Zarro's plan had little chance of success but nonetheless agreed to drop them off at the spaceport. He also offered his bunker as a hiding place for Zarro and her friend. [21] After shooing away a group of child beggars, Chewie and Jaum infiltrated the spaceport disguised as Jaum's new war droid and a hooded alien . They soon discovered that the spaceport was being occupied by several stormtroopers , Scout troopers , and an AT-ST walker . Shortly later, they found Jaum supervising several stormtroopers who were loading crates of dedlanite into an Imperial landing craft .

When Jaum demanded that Zarro take off her helmet, Chewie opened fire on the gangster and his stormtroopers. After running out of ammunition, he took out the stormtroopers in hand to hand combat. [21] While Chewie exchanged fire with Jaum, Zarro managed to bring the rigged R5 droid " Boomer " aboard the shuttle. Chewie then fought with Tyvak but was trapped by the AT-ST walker. The Wookiee however activated a nearby engine which burned Tyvak alive and knocked out the Imperial walker's right cannon, causing it to topple to the ground. Meanwhile, Jaum managed to escape aboard the landing craft with the dedlanite and "Boomer." The two were overjoyed their plot had succeeded. However, their elation was short-lived and they were soon arrested by scout troopers reporting to the Imperial Commander Kai , the same officer who was interested in Jaum's dedlanite deal. [21] Per Commander Kai's orders, Chewie and Zarro were transported up to Kai's Imperial Star Destroyer in orbit above Andelm IV. On the way up, Chewie and Zarro managed to overpower their stormtrooper captors aboard the Imperial shuttle .

After landing, Chewie knocked out an Imperial RA-7 protocol droid that Kai had sent to negotiate their surrender. After knocking out the remaining stormtroopers clinging to his body, Kai agreed to listen to Zarro. [22] Zarro made up a story that Jaum was a fraudster who had come to scam Kai. She also claimed that he was a rebel spy and that he did not have a mining operation. To back up her story, Zarro told him that Jaum's "droid" "Boomer" was rigged with explosives. Shortly later, Jaum arrived carrying samples of dedlanite. Shortly later, Boomer exploded, destroying the landing craft and damaging the Star Destroyer's force-field. In the meantime, Chewie and Zarro managed to escape on a TIE/sa bomber . Despite Zarro accidentally activating a thermal detonator which destroyed the ship's left-wing, they managed to crash-land the bomber on Andelm IV. [22] While Chewie turned down Zarro's request to stay behind with her people, he still gave her a hug and awarded her a gold medallion he had received for his services during the Battle of Yavin .

After departing as friends, Chewie traveled on his A-wing to his homeworld of Kashyyyk . There, he returned to his village for a family reunion and awarded his child a bandolier. Shortly later, Chewie departed aboard the Millennium Falcon . Meanwhile, Jaum was imprisoned by Commander Kai, who was disgusted by Jaum's greed and his alleged scam. He had the gangster tortured by his IT-O Interrogator . [22] Cymoon 1 Jabba Desilijic Tiure | Wookieepedia | Fandom powered by Wikia ―Luke Skywalker [src] Three years after the Battle of Yavin, Fett was once again hired by Darth Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon, which Vader used in his hunt for Luke Skywalker—whom he had discovered was the pilot who destroyed the Death Star. The resulting capture of the Rebel vessel led to Solo's capture, and he was frozen in carbonite as a test to ensure the process would work on Skywalker. Fett was given the frozen smuggler [26] and brought him to Tatooine, where he collected the bounty Jabba placed on Solo's head.

[27] Solo was kept encased in carbonite and put on display in Jabba's court, as Jabba believed it was his favorite decoration. Unknown to Jabba at the time was that Solo's friends were plotting his rescue , and that one of his friends, Lando Calrissian , had already infiltrated Jabba's Palace and disguised himself as a guard. [6] Jabba rejected Skywalker's proposal and conscripted the droids into his service The plan was put in place upon the arrival of the protocol droid C-3PO and astromech droid R2-D2 . Artoo carried with him a message from Skywalker, who declared himself a Jedi Knight and announced his intention to bargain for Solo's life. The young Jedi said he would arrive soon, and he offered the two droids as a gift for the crime lord. Jabba boasted that there would be no bargain, however, and conscripted the two droids into his service. Threepio became his new translator, while Artoo would serve drinks on Jabba's sail barge.

Later, during a performance of the song " Jedi Rocks " by the Max Rebo Band , Jabba's personal dancer, Oola , attempted to resist his advances toward her, and the Hutt activated the trapdoor and sent her to her death in the rancor pit. The chaotic moment was followed by the arrival of Princess Leia Organa , who, as part of the rescue plan, came disguised as the bounty hunter Boushh and brought with her Chewbacca , Solo's Wookiee companion, as her "prisoner." She demanded the bounty on the Wookiee's head and insisted on 50,000 credits , which Jabba balked at. Organa threatened him with a detatonor and the two came to an agreement of 35,000 credits. Chewbacca was imprisoned in Jabba's dungeons, while Organa waited in the palace so she could free Solo after the court had gone to sleep. [6] Organa successfully freed Solo from carbonite that evening, but Jabba and his court discovered them.

Solo tried to bargain with the crime lord, saying he was on his way to pay Jabba when Fett captured him, but Jabba said it was too late to pay him. The gangster imprisoned Solo and took Organa as his new companion, replacing the deceased Oola. Shortly thereafter, Skywalker finally arrived at the palace and was able to gain entry through the use of a mind trick, despite Jabba's order not to allow the Jedi to enter. Jabba's majordomo , Bib Fortuna , presented the Jedi to his master and Skywalker demanded that Jabba free Solo and his friends, or else face his destruction. Jabba refused and Skywalker pulled a gun on him, at which point Jabba activated the trapdoor and sent Skywalker and a Gamorrean guard into the rancor pit. The rancor ate the guard but Skywalker was able to kill the beast, infuriating the gangster. As punishment for the outrage, Jabba ordered that Skywalker, Solo, and Chewbacca be executed by being fed to the sarlacc , a creature that dwelled in the Great Pit of Carkoon .

[6] Organa strangles Jabba to death Jabba and his court traveled to the Great Pit of Carkoon for the execution. As the proceedings were about to begin, Skywalker offered one last opportunity to free them and threatened to kill Jabba if he did not. The crime lord refused and ordered the prisoners into the pit, but Artoo revealed Skywalker's hidden lightsaber and the Jedi attacked Jabba's henchmen. The ensuing battle led to chaos on Jabba's sail barge, as his enforcers attempted to kill the Jedi and the Rebels. In the ensuing panic, Organa wrapped the chain she was bound in around Jabba's neck and strangled him to death, bringing an end to the criminal reign of Jabba the Hutt. After his death, Solo and his friends were able to successfully escape, and Jabba's sail barge exploded over the sarlacc pit. [6] After Jabba's death, the Grand Hutt Council was left to determine who would fill Jabba's seat. Several months after his death, a decision had yet to be made.

[28] Behind the scenes Jabba the Hutt was first mentioned in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope [4] and was mentioned again in the 1980 sequel Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back . [6] He made his first appearance in 1983 in the final film of the original trilogy , Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi , [6] and he was later added into Episode IV when a previously-deleted scene was restored to the film. [29] Declan Mulholland was cast as Jabba in the deleted scene from the original Star Wars. [29] For Return of the Jedi, Jabba was portrayed by puppeteers Toby Philpott , David Barclay , and Mike Edmonds , and voiced by Larry Ward . [30] [31] In Return of the Jedi, Jabba's slimy sound was primarily made using a bowl of melted cheese.

[2] A running gag in Star Wars Rebels involves Ezra Bridger identifying himself to Imperial officials as "Jabba the Hutt." [32] [33] In Angry Birds Star Wars , Jabba's appearance was short and he didn't die choked by Leia Organa . He takes Leia as his slave, but when Luke Skywalker appears, he ties Jabba with his sister's chains and later escapes with Leia and Han Solo from the palace, leaving Jabba's fate unclear. Appearances 15 Chewbacca Facts in Honor of Peter Mayhew’s Birthday | Mental Floss 15 Chewbacca Facts in Honor of Peter Mayhew’s Birthday Getty Images Like us on Facebook Many people may not know the name Peter Mayhew, but they sure know about the seven-foot tall Wookiee he's played onscreen for over three decades. In honor of Mayhew’s 71st birthday today, here are 15 facts about Chewbacca. 1. The character of Chewbacca was inspired by George Lucas’ big, hairy Alaskan malamute, Indiana.

According to Lucas, the dog would always sit in the passenger seat of his car like a copilot, and people would confuse the dog for an actual person. The dog was also the inspiration behind the name for one of Lucas’ other creations, Indiana Jones. 2. The name “ Chewbacca ” was derived from the Russian word “Sobaka” (собака), meaning “dog.” The term “Wookiee” came from voice actor Terry McGovern . When he was doing voice-over tracks for Lucas’ directorial debut, THX 1138, McGovern randomly improvised “I think I just ran over a Wookiee” during one of the sessions. 3. In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Chewbacca is 200 years old. 4. Mayhew was chosen to play everyone’s favorite Wookiee primarily because of his tremendous height: He's 7 feet 3 inches tall. Getty Images 5. For the original trilogy (and the infamous holiday special ), the Chewbacca costume was made with a combination of real yak and rabbit hair knitted into a base of mohair.

A slightly altered original Chewie costume was used in 1999's The Phantom Menace for the Wookiee senator character Yarua , and a new costume used during Episode III included a specially made water-cooling system so that Mayhew could wear the suit for long periods of time and not be overheated. 6. To create the original costume for Chewbacca, Lucas hired legendary makeup supervisor Stuart Freeborn, recruited because of his work on the apes in the “ Dawn of Man ” sequence in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Freeborn had also previously worked with Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove to effectively disguise Peter Sellers in each of his three roles in that film.) Freeborn would go on to supervise the creation of Yoda in The Empire Strike Back and Jabba the Hutt and the Ewoks in Return of the Jedi. Lucas originally wanted Freeborn’s costume for Chewie to be a combination of a monkey, a dog, and a cat. According to Freeborn, the biggest problem during production with the costume was with Mayhew’s eyes.

The actor’s body heat in the mask caused his face to detach from the costume's eyes and made them look separate from the mask. Getty Images 7. The first sound effect that director George Lucas hired now-legendary sound designer Ben Burtt for on Star Wars was Chewbacca’s voice (this was all the way back during the script stage). During the year of preliminary sound recording, Burtt principally used the vocalization of a black bear named Tarik from Happy Hollow Zoo in San Jose, California for Chewbacca. He would eventually synchronize those sounds with further walrus, lion, and badger vocalizations for the complete voice. The name of the language Chewbacca speaks came to be known in the Star Wars universe as “ Shyriiwook .” 8. Roger Ebert was not a fan of the big guy. In his 1997 review of the Special Edition of The Empire Strikes Back, Ebert basically called Chewbacca the worst character in the series. “This character was thrown into the first film as window dressing, was never thought through, and as a result has been saddled with one facial expression and one mournful yelp," the famed critic said. "Much more could have been done.

How can you be a space pilot and not be able to communicate in any meaningful way? Does Han Solo really understand Chewie's monotonous noises? Do they have long chats sometimes? Never mind.” 9. In the summary for Lucas’ second draft (dated January 28, 1975, when the film was called “Adventures of the Starkiller, Episode I: The Star Wars”), Chewbacca is described as “an eight-foot tall, savage-looking creature resembling a huge gray bushbaby-monkey with fierce ‘baboon’-like fangs. His large yellow eyes dominate a fur-covered face…[and] over his matted, furry body he wears two chrome bandoliers, a flak jacket painted in a bizarre camouflage pattern, brown cloth shorts, and little else.” 10. Chewbacca’s character design was based on concept art drawn by Ralph McQuarrie. Lucas had originally given McQuarrie a photo of a lemur for inspiration, and McQuarrie proceeded to draw the character as a female—but Chewbacca was soon changed to a male.

McQuarrie based his furry design on an illustration by artist John Schoenherr that was commissioned for Game of Thrones scribe George R.R. Martin’s short story “And Seven Times Never Kill a Man.” Sharp-eyed Chewbacca fans will recognize that Schoenherr’s drawing even includes what resembles the Wookiee’s signature weapon, the Bowcaster . Wookiepedia 11. Fans were angry for decades that Chewie didn’t receive a medal of valor like Luke and Han did at the end of A New Hope, so MTV gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1997 MTV Movie Awards. The medal was given to Mayhew—decked out in full costume—by Princess Leia herself, actress Carrie Fisher. His acceptance speech, made entirely in Wookiee grunts, lasted 16 seconds. When asked why Chewbacca didn’t receive a medal at the end of the first film, Lucas explained, “Medals really don’t mean much to Wookiees. They don’t really put too much credence in them. They have different kinds of ceremonies.” 12.

According to the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special, Chewbacca had a wife named Mallatobuck , a son named Lumpawaroo (aka “Lumpy”), and a father named Attichitcuk (aka “Itchy”). In the special, Chewie and Han visit the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk to celebrate “ Life Day ,” a celebration of the Wookiee home planet’s diverse ecosystem. The special featured appearances and musical numbers by Jefferson Starship, Diahann Carroll, Art Carney, Harvey Korman, and Bea Arthur, and marked the first appearance of Boba Fett. Lucas hated the special so much that he limited its availability following its original airdate on November 17, 1978. 13. Mayhew’s path to playing Chewbacca began with a string of lucky breaks and his big feet. A local London reporter was doing a story on people with big feet and happened to profile Mayhew. A movie producer saw the article and cast him—in an uncredited role—as Minoton the minotaur in the film Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger .

One of the makeup men on Sinbad was also working on the Wookiee costume with Stuart Freeborn for Star Wars and suggested to the producers that they screen-test Mayhew. The rest is Wookiee history. Getty Images 14. During the shooting of Star Wars, Mayhew kept working his day job as a deputy head porter in a London hospital. Though he was let go because of his sudden varying shooting schedule at Elstree Studios , he was eventually hired back after production wrapped. 15. David Prowse , the 6’5” actor who ended up portraying Darth Vader—in costume only—originally turned down the role of Chewbacca. When given the choice between portraying the two characters, Prowse said, “I turned down the role of Chewbacca at once. I know that people remember villains longer than heroes.

At the time I didn’t know I’d be wearing a mask, and throughout production I thought Vader’s voice would be mine.” Getty Images Scientists name hairy little beetle after Chewbacca - CNET CNET Scientists name hairy little beetle after Chewbacca Scientists name hairy little beetle after Chewbacca A newly discovered beetle gets a very big name as Star Wars-fan scientists pay tribute to everyone's favorite tall, furry alien. At least this beetle didn't appear in a Christmas special. Photo by Matthew H. Van Dam, Raymond Laufa, Alexander Riedel At first glance, a towering fur-covered alien and a tiny, hard-shelled beetle look like they have nothing in common. But Star Wars' Chewbacca and a newly discovered species of insect now share a name. One of the great joys of spotting a new species is the opportunity to name it. Scientists Matthew H. Van Dam, Raymond Laufa and Alexander Riedel thoroughly geeked out when attaching a moniker to Trigonopterus chewbacca, a type of weevil beetle that barely reaches over a tenth of an inch (3 millimeters) in length.

The researchers published their Wookiee-related findings along with descriptions of three other new species in the journal ZooKeys on April 21. Related stories Dance like Chewbacca with this 'Star Wars' remix The team discovered the crawly critter on an island in Papua New Guinea. Trigonopterus chewbacca doesn't look nearly as huggable or imposing as its namesake. The description of the insect will primarily make sense to zoologists, but it includes delightful phrases like "disk subglabrous," "metafemur with dorsoposterior edge markedly denticulate" and "long, erect, clavate scales bordering eye." The weevil is in good company. There's also a wasp named "Polemistus chewbacca." Chewbacca isn't the first celebrity to earn a creature name. There's a tarantula named "A. johnnycashi." Harrison Ford, Han Solo himself, has a couple of different beasties named for him, a spider and an ant . All of this leaves us with one big question. How did scientists see Chewbacca in a tiny beetle? Wonder no more.

The researchers give us this answer: "This species has dense scales on the head and the legs, which reminds the authors of Chewbacca's dense fur." Chewbacca | StarWars.com Databank Chewbacca A legendary Wookiee warrior and Han Solo’s co-pilot aboard the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca was part of a core group of Rebels who restored freedom to the galaxy. Known for his short temper and accuracy with a bowcaster, Chewie also has a big heart -- and is unwavering in his loyalty to his friends. He has stuck with Han through years of turmoil that have changed both the galaxy and their lives. databank HISTORY // FALL OF THE REPUBLIC During the Clone Wars, Chewbacca was one of several individuals from diverse species captured by Trandoshan hunters. Taken against his will to a jungle moon, he was released and hunted for sport. Chewie would not give up without a fight, however, and worked with new ally and fellow captive Ahsoka Tano to stage a revolt. Together, they defeated the Trandoshans and returned to their respective homes.

As Wookiees had good relations with Yoda , they welcomed the Jedi Master and clone troopers to Kashyyyk , their homeworld. During one of the Clone Wars’ final battles, Chewbacca fought against Separatist droids alongside Republic forces -- until the execution of Order 66. In an effort to save Yoda, Chewbacca and fellow Wookiee Tarfful led the Jedi to a secret escape pod and evacuated him from the planet. GALACTIC CIVIL WAR Chewbacca met Obi-Wan Kenobi , who was looking for passage to Alderaan , in the seedy Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine. As Han Solo’ s loyal friend and co-pilot, he arranged a meeting between the rogue smuggler, the Jedi, and Luke Skywalker . The group reached an agreement on a fee -- in truth, Han was desperate for the money -- and were forced to blast their way past stormtroopers and out of the spaceport aboard the Millennium Falcon . When they reached their destination, the group found that there was no Alderaan left; it had been destroyed by the Empire’ s Death Star , and their ship was soon caught in the doomsday weapon’s tractor beam.

With Han and Luke in stormtrooper disguise, Chewie posed as an Imperial prisoner to allow for easy passage inside the space station. They rescued Princess Leia , who was held captive, and escaped. Later, Chewbacca was at Han’s side in the Millennium Falcon as they saved Luke during the attack on the Death Star. Chewbacca and Han remained with the Rebel Alliance after the Battle of Yavin, and helped establish its new base on the ice planet Hoth . But Han had to pay off Jabba the Hutt , meaning he and Chewie would be forced to leave their friends. Things changed, however, with the arrival of an Imperial probe droid . Han and Chewie engaged it, all but confirming the spy droid was sent by the Empire. When Imperial forces arrived, they made a hasty escape with Leia and C-3PO on the Millennium Falcon and were pursued through an asteroid field. Believing they had lost their Imperial seekers, they landed in Cloud City -- a facility run by Lando Calrissian , an old friend of Han and Chewie.

But bounty hunter Boba Fett and the Empire arrived before they did; C-3PO was shot, Han was tortured and frozen in carbonite, and all seemed lost. Trying to make up for his mistake, Lando freed the remaining Rebels -- and Chewie thanked him with a powerful chokehold -- before they all escaped on the Falcon. With Han held at Jabba’s Palace , Chewbacca was part of the rescue mission hatched by the ace pilot’s friends. He appeared as a captive of the bounty hunter Boushh -- in reality, Leia in disguise. Leia managed to free Han from the carbonite but was quickly captured by Jabba, who didn’t fall for their ruse. Chewbacca was kept in a holding cell, reunited there with Han. The crime lord sentenced the small band to death by Sarlacc , but his underestimation of Luke Skywalker proved to be his undoing. Later, Chewbacca joined Han and friends on the dangerous mission to destroy the new Death Star ’s shield generator, located on the forest moon of Endor . While Chewbacca’s curiosity about a dead animal led to the group’s capture by Ewoks -- as Han said, “Great, Chewie.

Always thinkin’ with your stomach.” -- it turned out to be a fortuitous mistake. The Ewoks became integral allies in the Battle of Endor. When things looked dire, Chewie and two of the furry creatures swung from a vine onto an AT-ST , commandeering the vehicle. Turning the Empire’s weapon against them, Chewbacca and his new companions all but wiped out the Imperial ground forces, allowing the Rebels to destroy the shield generator. THE FIRST ORDER After the Battle of Endor, Chewbacca played a key role in liberating his homeworld of Kashyyyk from Imperial forces. The Wookiee and the Corellian earned renown as New Republic heroes, but the good times were not meant to last. Years later, amid the rise of the First Order , the two found themselves trying to make a semi-honest living in a chaotic galaxy. Chewie and Han’s luck seemed to turn when they recovered their beloved Millennium Falcon, lost years before through a fickle turn of fortune. But the galaxy was once more engulfed by war, and as usual the two partners were in the middle of the trouble.

Related // Kind of Curious: Hairy Brown Creature Hairy Brown Creature As I was outside repairing our fence gate last night, the above creature entered our open back door. Is this creature: a) Chewbacca the Wookiee? c) A tribble from the Star Trek episode "Trouble With Tribbles"? You decide: Maybe a different view of this creature would help: This view really gives it away: If you haven't guessed by now, it is a moth: I'm not sure what type of moth this is, but my best guess is some type of Tiger Moth. I found some species of Tiger Moths in books and online that look pretty similar to this one. I was feeling bad that I couldn't determine exactly what species mine was, but then I came across this great quote from an experienced lepidopterist on ButterfliesAndMoths.org , confirming the difficulty of identifying moths - "If it ain't 'pretty' in some way, but just another brown fuzzy one, I wouldn't have a clue!" I happen to think my fuzzy brown moth is pretty in some gross way, but that website did make me feel better about not being able to identify it.

If you know what it is, please leave a comment! [Update 6/24/10: I have finally identified this guy. He is an Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth. My insect field guide has a photo of a Western Tent Caterpillar Moth, which has a similar hairdo but no stripes and smooth antennae. On a hunch, I looked for photos of other types of Tent Caterpillar Moths on the internet, and I found the Eastern.] Cryptomundo » Bill Munns Asks: Is This “Matilda”? Bill Munns Asks: Is This “Matilda”? Posted by: Craig Woolheater on February 25th, 2013 After discussing it with the others, we are allowing the video to go public with the following requirements: This is a very short clip of a female Sasquatch sleeping that we licensed from the Erickson Project for use with the paper. Her respiration was timed at 6 breaths per minute, which is an indication that the video shows something unusual. This clip is now copyrighted to the Sasquatch Genome Project and any use or reposting MUST give proper attribution.

Melba Ketchum The source the “creature” images never referred to it as “Matilda”, but the descriptions I have read about “Matilda” seem to fit what is seen here. To me, it is obvious tihs “creature” is simply a Chewbacca mask with the hair reworked to be a different color and texture. I welcome comments from anyone who thinks otherwise. With this posting, I cordially suggest the following: 1. If anyone wishes to publicly acknowledge that this is their footage, I invite them to do so, and if they are correct, I’ll acknowledge it to be true. 2. If anyone feels the video frames show a real creature and not a Chewbacca mask, I welcome their analysis of why we should consider that to be so. 3. If anyone has seen the “Matilda” footage, I invite you to let us know if this is or is not the footage you call “Matilda”, because maybe what I’m looking at isn’t her, and I welcome being corrected if that is so. 4.

If my display of this chart causes anyone to feel that they should file some type of civil action against me, please have your lawyer contact me at wmunns@gte.net so we can set an appointment for my receiving the service of papers, and we can discuss the matter on the public record, in a court. For the record, I will confidently and clearly offer an appraisal of evidence as being something real, if I truly find the evidence leads to that conclusion, and my appraisal of the PGF as being real supports that position. But as much as we must support what we find to be real or valid, we must also reject or discount what we find to be false or fake. Our obligation is to find the truth, and I think it’s time we all knew the truth about this “Matilda” thing. I finally decided it’s time I did my share to get the truth out. So hopefully, someone who has seen the “Matilda” footage will tell us the truth. Is this her (pictured below), and is she real? About Craig Woolheater Co-founder of Cryptomundo in 2005.

I have appeared in or contributed to the following TV programs, documentaries and films: OLN's Mysterious Encounters: "Caddo Critter", Southern Fried Bigfoot, Travel Channel's Weird Travels: "Bigfoot", History Channel's MonsterQuest: "Swamp Stalker", The Wild Man of the Navidad, Destination America's Monsters and Mysteries in America: Texas Terror - Lake Worth Monster, Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot: Return to Boggy Creek and Beast of the Bayou. Print This entry was posted on Monday, February 25th, 2013 at 11:21 am and is filed under Bigfoot , Bigfoot Report , Breaking News , Cryptozoologists , Cryptozoology , Evidence , Photos , Pop Culture , Sasquatch . You can follow responses via our RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is not allowed. <a href="" ><img src="" border="0" alt=""></a> 15 Responses to “Bill Munns Asks: Is This “Matilda”?” Van Lightning via Facebook I wonder if legal fraud has been committed? Ketchum has charged money after all.

Dr Kaco February 25th, 2013 at 2:26 pm There were color variations in fur on the Wookies in Star Wars chapter 3 costumes. Not saying that’s what the still images are but suspiciously close….I Hope these are not the actual stills from the Erickson Project. Can they just release the whole video please!? It’s starting to smell like Biscardi style to me I hate to say… cryptokellie February 25th, 2013 at 2:35 pm I mentioned before in the other “Matilda breathing” footage clip, that this mass of fur resembled an easily obtained Wookie costume and the comparisons shown here only strengthen this belief. I really have to ask…aside from momentary fame and what cannot be “retirement level” money garnered from such activities, why are people doing this? Am I wrong on the level of money and fame to be gotten? Is this for fun? Anger? The humiliation of being found out would seem to enough to discourage high profile hoaxes and once having been uncovered as a sham, would not the networks, organizations and people deluded demand reimbursement and commence other substantial legal actions against the perpetrators?

A lot of this Sassoonery is raising above my level of understanding. BTW; National Geographic is not above some first look hoodwinking/news-scoop hoaxing too – think “Archaeoraptor” and the ensuing controversy. They knew that this fossil was suspect and yet they went whole hog with it. I’m sure that the cost of space in printing the retraction in a later edition did not surpass the sales of the edition with the “Missing-link” cover story. William February 25th, 2013 at 2:41 pm It certainly appears that Bill Munns (who has also somehow attained additional footage of this so called “Matilda” sasquatch) has identified this as a fake beyond any shadow of a doubt. While this is bad enough, it sheds ever further doubt as to the credibility of Melba Ketchum to associate herself with this fake footage, which to me is extremely troubling. MR JOSHUA February 25th, 2013 at 3:35 pm I thought Sasquatches had broad flat noses and faces similiar to ours ? At least according to thousands of reports over the last two hundred years.

This “purported” creature looks like the hybridization event of a Wookie and an Ewok. (it happend 15,000 years ago in a galaxy far far away) This entire Erikson project is beginning to stink to high heaven. If this is truly the video Matt Moneymaker/Melba Ketchum are supporting to be real than I believe we are on to a grander scale of hoax than we imagined. Cryptoraptor February 25th, 2013 at 3:42 pm “Belief” in Matilda reminds me of the “Johor Bigfoot” stir where some otherwise sane individual suspended reasonable skepticism in order to have their reality fall in line with their fantasies. On the other hand, the justified skeptics/skoftics regarding Matilda have never wavered from their unclenching faith in a 40 year old hoax. “Won’t the rest of the humanity feel stupid when tribes of 8 foot tall hairy ape-men-women living in the United States turn out to be real.” jerrywayne munns has a real valid point here folks….

our obligation is to find the truth… and most of the stuff passed on for “evidence” is crap and easily dismissed. Kopite February 26th, 2013 at 8:19 am Cryptoraptor wrote: “On the other hand, the justified skeptics/skoftics regarding Matilda have never wavered from their unclenching faith in a 40 year old hoax.” Are you referring to the Patterson/Gimlin footage? If so there is no proof it was a hoax. All evidence indicates it was real. Asserting the PGF was a hoax doesn’t mean it actually was. edsbigfoot February 26th, 2013 at 10:37 am Hi Y’all….Ok, so I am new to all this, the whole thing is pretty bizarre…but I’m enjoying it and excited about the possibilities, and saddened by the possible hoaxes, its too bad. So in my confusion, seriously, I’m not looking for an argument, or putting one forward, I’m just asking for some help navigating this…. 1-What does a bigfoot look like? What’s it supposed to look like?

Should all of them look like what is in the PG film? Do they all look the same, in different parts of the country, if they are out there at all? My only experiences are from living in different rural areas with regular animals, and I do know that elk and deer, and even some coyote for example, have different colors in their coats according to their surroundings, the facial features in those animals don’t change that much, in my experience. That’s stuff I have witnessed since I was young, so that I can say. 2-Why would anyone be dumb enough to use a star wars mask, especially anyone who has been in this for as long as some of these folks appear to have been….are they selling the photos, or books or movies? How are they making money and ripping people off if they are? I read online, I don’t know if its true, that Steven Spielberg’s own bigfoot encounter years ago influenced that mask…is that true or more internet non-sense? So, in my search to find some of Dr.

Ketchum’s responses to some of this stuff since her paper seems to be the spearhead for a lot of this right now…I found these on her FB page from yesterday, I know the first post relates to this, not sure about the second one. 1-“I’ m sorry to say the picture of Matilda had to be taken down. While she is adorable, that picture is owned by Adrian Erickson. It was allowed to be in the paper only. That picture is copy written and licensed. Anyone distributing or posting it is doing so illegally. Adrian is a good person and out of respect for him we will not post it publicly . We advise everyone to do the same.” 2-“Do to the wild rumors out on the internet. I felt it important to address a new rumor about a possible hoax. First we have never hoaxed anything as there is no need to. We have the proof we need in the science. I hope this helps everyone to understand. One of the early reviewers asked for “any and all references related to our subject matter”.

We neither agreed, with nor endorsed with any of those references used, though Bindernagel’s books are a good effort since at the time he didn’t know the human element involved. It was not our choice to use any of them though. That reference was a testament to the idiocy surrounding not only the scientific bias against the existence of these “people” but also the request by reviewers for references that we had not felt had any place in our manuscript, and were not included originally. This same reviewer, required the “so-called folklore” that is in the introduction. That also was not in the original manuscript” Finally, What does all this mean? Who has “what” to gain, and who has “what” to lose? I don’t know what her post is referring to, I guess she is saying she added things the reviewers requested even though its stuff she didn’t like? I do find it interesting how when people believe in something, no matter what, they won’t let go of their beliefs, and maybe this is some of what we are seeing on all sides?

I don’t feel like a total believer, or a total non believer, I’d like to give the paper the benefit of the doubt until the next set of reviews come thru…I’ve seen people get pretty nasty on here, and I’m not looking for a fight, just a little clarity, and if its not possible, that’s cool too:) February 26th, 2013 at 1:08 pm I support Bill Munns in his belief that the creature in the supposed Matilda footage looks remarkably like Chewbacca the Wookie. The resemblance is uncanny. I have had trouble since day one with this footage as the fur on the sleeping object in the footage looks unnatural. In fact, to me, this looks like those carpets from the 1970’s. You know what I am talking about. The reports of alleged Wookie type sasquatches are few and far between. They do exist, but they are in a distinct minority. I have always taken that the witness described them as wookie-like because they were hair covered like Chewie was. The nose in this footage is like that of a canid or felid. It is not human, pongid or otherwise.

I have never heard any witness describe a sasquatch nose as being like the one in the series of photos above. It is completely out of sync with eyewitness reports. In addition to the other bizarre features of this supposed sasquatch, where are the classic sasquatch anatomical features so widely reported such the sloping forehead, conical cranium and absence of a neck as described in a preponderance of sightings? This creature is entirely different. In my opinion it is not a sasquatch and does bear a remarkable resemblance to Chewbacca or some other fantasy film creature. It does not look like at all like a sasquatch. If, in fact, this is the footage that is supposed to lend credence to the recent DNA study in Texas, then I would have to say that is a failure in proving any support for the DNA quest. Dufusyte February 27th, 2013 at 12:38 pm Kudos to Munns for identifying the costume. I would advise Ketchum to stick strictly to her data. People may be feeding her bogus footage/info etc in order to muddy the waters of her discovery.

The establishment would like to see her discarded, and give Sykes the crown for the DNA finding. outoffocus

Question: What type of creature is Chewbacca?
Answer: Wookiee