Wookiee

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For uses of "Wookie", see Wookie (disambiguation).
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Wookiee

The Wookiee Chewbacca in Star Wars Episode IV: A

New Hope.
Home world Kashyyyk
Shyriiwook, Xaczik
Language
Distinctions Brown, white, or black fur
Rwook
Races
Wookiees (/wkiz/) are a fictional species of intelligent bipeds from the planet Kashyyyk in
the Star Wars universe. They first appeared in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in
1977. The most notable Wookiee is Chewbacca, a companion of Han Solo.

Contents

1 Inspiration
2 Depiction
o 2.1 Physical characteristics
o 2.2 Behavior
o 2.3 Language

o
o

2.4 Bowcasters
2.5 Home world
3 References
4 External links

Inspiration
According to an interview with creator George Lucas, the inspiration for the Wookiee was
Lucas' dog, Indiana (whose name is used in the Lucas-inspired Indiana Jones movies). "He
was the prototype for the Wookiee. He always sat beside me in the car. He was big, a big bear
of a dog."[this quote needs a citation] During the climactic chase scene in THX 1138, one of the robotic
cops, voiced by actor Terry McGovern, says: "I think I ran over a Wookiee back there", and
thus the word was born.[1][2][3][4]
In one episode of Animal Planet's series Animal Icons, focusing on the creation of Star Wars
figures, it was revealed that the Wookiees were also based on orangutans and lemurs, which
are long-haired creatures that live in a warm forest climate.[citation needed] The net effect in terms
of the Wookiees' appearance is a marked resemblance to descriptions of the legendary
Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest.

Depiction
Physical characteristics
Adult Wookiees are typically taller than most humans, averaging 2.1 meters (6 feet
11 inches).[5] They possess enormous strength; Solo states that a Wookiee can pull a man's
arms out of his sockets if angered or slighted, and in books and comics no humanoid species
is shown to equal a Wookiee in pure strength. Wookiees have a keen sense of smell, are fully
covered with a thick coat of hair, have good handeye coordination, and are shown to be
excellent marksmen. Wookiees have been shown in many diverse environments, such as those
of Hoth, Tatooine and Endor, never wearing any protective clothing or showing any signs of
discomfort. Wookiees have a lifespan of several hundred years.[5]
Wookiees also possess retractable claws, the better to aid them in climbing the great trees of
their homelands. However, it is considered very dishonorable to use them as weapons in a
fight (explaining why Chewbacca was never seen using them in the films). Those who do use
them in combat are dubbed "madclaws" and are exiled from their community. Their leaping
and movement ability in arboreal regions is shown to be comparable to that of many treedwelling primates, and presumably comes with a lack of fear of heights and excellent natural
balance.

Behavior
Wookiees are devoted, loyal friends and are very distrustful of strangers.[5] Life debt is sacred
to them.
Despite a fearsome appearance and temperamental disposition, Wookiees are shown to be
very intelligent and are very adept at handling advanced technology. Chewbacca is co-pilot of
and performs maintenance on the Millennium Falcon, and also possesses a working

knowledge of robotics, managing to rather haphazardly reassemble C-3PO after the latter was
destroyed by Imperial Stormtroopers in the film The Empire Strikes Back. Wookiees are fast
learners; Chewbacca commandeers an Imperial AT-ST during the Battle of Endor and is
shown effectively maneuvering the machine and operating its weapons systems. They are
masters of fusion-cutting.
Wookiees greatly value morality, courage, compassion and loyalty. A sacred and ancient
Wookiee tradition is that of the honor family. An honor family comprises a Wookiee's closest
friends and companions. These family members pledge a commitment to lay down their lives
for one another, as well as members of any honor families these individuals may have. Like
the similarly sacred Wookiee life debt, Wookiees are willing to extend this tradition to
members outside their species. Chewbacca considered Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, their
children, and Luke Skywalker part of his honor family.[5]
Wookiees have an understanding of Star Warsuniverse warfare and fought alongside
Republic forces during the Clone Wars. Wookiees were betrayed and enslaved shortly after
that conflict.
Some Wookiees are sensitive to the Force. One such Wookiee is Lowbacca, Chewbacca's
nephew, from the book series Young Jedi Knights.

Language
The Wookiee language is Shyriiwook. Wookiees are capable of understanding Galactic Basic,
but generally none are able to speak it because of the structure of Wookiee vocal cords. In the
original Star Wars trilogy, it seems that Chewbacca can understand humans. His human
partner, Han Solo, also shows knowledge of Shyriiwook, or can at least understand
Chewbacca. In the Star Wars expanded universe novels, Chewbacca builds a miniature
translator droid ("Em Teedee") for his nephew Lowbacca when he later begins training as a
Jedi, to facilitate communications with his fellow student.

Bowcasters
Bowcasters are weapons developed and used by Wookiees. Bowcasters launch quarrels,
which are crossbow bolts that through magnetic propulsion appear as elongated blaster bolts
due to the velocity of the bolts.[6] The propulsion technique gives the quarrels extremely high
stopping power.[6] Wookiees can load their bowcasters with both standard and explosivetipped quarrels.[citation needed] The spring that powers the bowcaster is extremely hard to pull
back; humans are generally incapable of cocking a bowcaster,[6] although some exceptions do
exist, including Jedi Knight Kyle Katarn. Some Wookiees were known to have added extra
springs for multiple shots, and during the Imperial occupation of Kashyyyk, Wookiees bolted
on E-11 blaster rifles to the bottom of the bowcaster for extra firepower to save their
homeworld.[citation needed]

Home world
In Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith the Wookiees live in the lush forests and giant
jungles on the planet of Kashyyyk, where they originated. They live in villages among the
giant wroshyr trees. George Lucas has said that he originally planned Yavin IV, home of the
rebel base in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, to be the Wookiee home planet,[5] but

subsequent rewrites changed this to Kashyyyk instead, and it was ultimately shown on screen
as the setting for a battle in Episode III.[7] In the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old
Republic, Kashyyyk is one of the planets which may be traveled to. It shows the Wookiees'
homes in the treetops while the ground level is filled with deadly creatures and mysteries.
Kashyyyk first appeared onscreen in Star Wars Holiday Special.
Kashyyyk is a world enveloped in immense forests and beaches. Inland, the trees are so tall
and dense that a layered ecosystem has evolved within its branches. The closer one gets to the
forest floor, the more dangerous and primeval the environment becomes. Wookiees inhabit
the upper levels of the forest, having built their massive cities within the interwoven canopy.
The Wookiee city of Thikkiiana was one of the key manufacturers of sophisticated computer
components in the New Republic.[5]

References
Notes
1.
IMDb THX-1138 trivia
Microscopics.co.uk article on Wookie
Binarybonsai.com article on George Lucas
Terry McGovern's Star Wars page
"Star Wars: Databank|Wookies". Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
Star Wars Roleplaying Game (Second Edition, Expanded & Revised ed.). West End
Games. 1996. ISBN 0-87431-435-6.
7. Star Wars: Databank|Kashyyyk

External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wookiees.

Wookiees in the Official StarWars.com Encyclopedia.

Wookiee on Wookieepedia: a Star Wars wiki
[show]

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