Wookiees (/ˈwʊkiːz/) are fictional humanoid aliens in the Star Wars universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk.
"[1] The species' name was inspired when, during the climactic chase scene in THX 1138, one of the robotic cops, voiced by actor Terry McGovern, improvises: "I think I ran over a Wookiee back there", and thus the word was born.
[4] The net effect in terms of the Wookiees' appearance is a marked resemblance to descriptions of the legendary Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest.
In the Star Wars universe, adult Wookiees are typically taller than most humans, averaging 2.21 meters (7 feet 3 inches).
Wookiees have a keen sense of smell, are fully covered with a thick coat of hair (though some can be susceptible to balding), have good hand–eye 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.
Chewbacca is co-pilot of and performs maintenance on the Millennium Falcon, and also possesses a working knowledge of robotics, managing to haphazardly reassemble C-3PO after he was destroyed by Imperial stormtroopers in 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 vehicle and operating its weapons systems.
Wookiee cities on their home planet Kashyyyk, as seen in Revenge of the Sith, are built atop giant forest trees.
Matching the anachronistic appearance of their cities, a Wookiee such as Chewbacca resembles a primitive humanoid bear wearing only a bandolier, containing energy cartridges for his blaster.
Wookiees have an understanding of Star Wars-universe warfare and fought alongside Republic forces during the Clone Wars.
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 students.
Chewbacca in particular is shown to be an excellent shot, killing a Stormtrooper who was attempting to escape on a speeder bike in Return of the Jedi.
[6] Kashyyyk (/kəˈʃiːk/ kə-SHEEK), as depicted in Star Wars media, is the tropical, forested home world of the Wookiees.
[8] Lucas has also said that he originally planned Yavin 4, the location of the rebel base in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, to be the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk,[5] but subsequent rewrites changed this.
[9] Kashyyyk was first seen in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), as the program's frame story takes place there,[10] with the backdrop of the planet being taken directly from concept art by Ralph Mcquarrie.
The planet was more extensively seen in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, in which Jedi Master Yoda goes to Kashyyyk to aid the Wookiees in their battle against the Separatist Droid Army.
Phuket, Thailand, was used for main photography,[12] while the backdrops for Kashyyyk were filmed in Guilin, a city in southern China, which is famous for its karst formations.
Its ecology can be politely described as a "layered deathtrap," the planet's surface being encompassed in shadow by wroshyr trees that are many miles high.
To ensure a relatively peaceful presence, Czerka supported the installation of friendly chieftains into power over the native tribes and would then prop them up with mercenaries and weapons shipments.
On another such occasion, the Rebel Alliance, before the destruction of the first Death Star, formed a plan to free the Wookiee population from enslavement.
In the novel Inferno, large portions of Kashyyyk are destroyed in retaliation for their acceptance of several Jedi who opposed Darth Caedus's regime.
Kelnacca is a Wookiee Jedi Master introduced in The Acolyte and played by Joonas Suotamo, who previously portrayed Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy films and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).