Chewbacca (/tʃuːˈbɑːkə/ choo-BAH-kə), nicknamed "Chewie", is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is a Wookiee—a tall, hairy, highly intelligent species originating from the planet Kashyyyk.[2][3] He is 7.5 feet (2.3 m) tall, and typically wears only a bandolier and a tool pouch.[1][4] He carries a bowcaster, a traditional Wookiee weapon, and he speaks the Wookiee language Shyriiwook.[5][6] He first appeared in the original Star Wars film (1977)[c] and its novelization (1976) as the loyal friend of the smuggler Han Solo. Chewbacca is also the co-pilot of Han's starship, the Millennium Falcon.[1][7]
Chewbacca is portrayed by Peter Mayhew in the original film trilogy, the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), and Revenge of the Sith (2005).[8][7] Mayhew shares the Chewbacca role with his body double, Joonas Suotamo, in The Force Awakens (2015).[9] Following Mayhew's retirement in 2017, Suotamo took over the role, appearing in The Last Jedi (2017) and The Rise of Skywalker (2019).[10] Suotamo also plays Chewbacca in the standalone film Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).[11] Chewbacca also appears in Star Wars animated series, novels, comics, and video games.
Creation and portrayal
George Lucas invented many fictional characters while writing the original 1977 Star Wars film.[d][12] Chewbacca was inspired by his dog, an Alaskan Malamute named Indiana. She would sit in the passenger seat of his car while he was driving, and he referred to her as his "co-pilot".[13][14] Chewbacca's name was derived from the Russian word sobaka (собака), which means "dog".[15] When creating concept art for Chewbacca, the Star Wars illustrator Ralph McQuarrie drew inspiration from John Schoenherr's 1975 illustrations for the science fiction magazine Analog.[16][better source needed]
The Chewbacca costume used in the original trilogy and the Star Wars Holiday Special was made from yak hair, rabbit hair and mohair.[17] For The Force Awakens, multiple Chewbacca suits were crafted from yak hair, Lycra and a small amount of mohair.[18] Chewbacca's voice was created by Ben Burtt, the sound designer for the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy.[19] He generated the Wookiee's vocalizations by mixing together recordings of four bears, a badger, a lion, a seal, and a walrus.[20] Mayhew modeled his performance of Chewbacca on the mannerisms of animals he observed in public zoos.[e]
In other countries
In the French version of the original Star Wars film, Chewbacca's name was changed to "Chiktaba"[f] and his nickname was "Chico".[g][24] In Italian-language versions of the films and in the most recent Star Wars media, Chewbacca is named "Ciubecca"[h] and his nickname is "Ciube".[i][25]