Star Wars: 10 Memes That Perfectly Sum Up Chewbacca As A Character

Given the lifespan of Wookiees it’s possible that everyone’s favorite “walking carpet” could pop up in any of the latest live-action Star Wars series on Disney+, but until then, Chewbacca has been getting a lot of love for his appearances in 7 of the 9 movies that make up the Skywalker saga. As one of the most distinctly “alien” heroes in the original trilogy when he was played by Peter Mayhew, his loyalty and friendship belied his intimidating appearance.

With series like Andor and The Mandalorian taking place at a time when the Empire still has influence, it’s possible Chewie could pop up at any time, but until then, fans have been celebrating his strength, humor, and bravery with a variety of hilarious memes.

His Best Friend Is Han Solo

Without a doubt, Han and Chewbacca are one of the best duos of the original trilogy, each complementing the other in terms of resourcefulness, technical skill, and luck. As a team they work pretty well together, with the formidable Wookiee even balancing out Han’s rough edges.

As the meme suggests, even were Han reluctant to befriend the gentle giant, their epic friendship would be destined. As it happens, Solo: A Star Wars Story revealed that in their origin story, it was Chewbacca who was reluctant to go into smuggling with Han, despite the human saving is life.

Chewie Is On Good Terms With The Jedi

When Old Ben encounters Chewbacca in the Mos Eisley cantina, he’s able to arrange a meeting with Han Solo based on little more than a quick exchange of words. Why would a Wookiee agree to take an old man and a farmboy into Empire-controlled space, unless perhaps he saw what looked like Jedi robes, and remembered helping Master Yoda during the Clone Wars?

When Ben is training Luke on the Millennium Falcon, he enters into a debate about the Force with Chewie and Han, the latter clearly skeptical about the Jedi and their connection to a “hokey religion.” Despite having had dealings with the Jedi himself, it’s possible Chewie chose to never clarify the nature of the Force with Han because he knew he wouldn’t believe him, or he was scarred from his experience of Order 66. After all, when Yoda went into hiding, the Republic became the Empire, and Kashyyyk became an occupied planet.

Only Certain People Can Understand Chewbacca

While it’s an unpopular opinion about Chewie, some fans view his incessant roaring as an annoying habit that distracts from scenes he shares with more articulate characters. That being said, the inclusion of a character whose dialogue has no subtitles, who is accepted by his friends for how he chooses to communicate, is an archetype used in several other franchises decades later.

In this meme, which focuses on various pop culture characters seeing a “speech therapist”, it’s clear the influence that Chewie and his distinct way of speaking has had on science fiction and fantasy. There will always be a need for characters like Chewbacca to truly help transport fans to other worlds.

He Had To Watch All Of His Best Friends Die

The sequel trilogy is symbolic of the old guard passing the watch to the new guard. In the words of Kylo Ren, “let the past die.” Unfortunately, this meant a lot of loss for Chewbacca, who had lived through 3 separate galactic wars fighting alongside his friends. Of all the heartbreaking deaths in Star Wars, Han, Luke, and Leia’s hurt the most because they had all gone through so much together.

This meme positions Vector Prime, a novel from Star Wars Legends in an MCU meme, in which a young Gamora is asking Chewie whether he survived the timeline. In the novel, it’s Chewie that has the poignant death, which at the time earned the vitriol of the fandom. This time, it’s everyone else who has died, implying that in retrospect, their ire might have been misplaced considering the cost.

He Has His Own Look

Original character designs by Ralph McQuarrie featured a much different looking Chewbacca, with ears more like Master Yoda. Over time, his appearance was refined so that he still looked visibly alien compared to the other main characters, but slightly more streamlined.

Chewbacca’s concept art was eventually used to create Zeb, an example of skillful recycling McQuarrie did to many other character designs. Chewie rarely looks as luxurious as this meme spoofing a L’Oreal Paris ad, but it certainly pays homage to his unique aesthetic.

He Looks Good For His Age

Han and Chewie meet roughly 10-13 BBY, when Han’s act of selflessness and teamwork earn him a life debt from the mighty Wookiee. In that time, Han seems to age quite a bit, while Chewbacca doesn’t appear to age much (if) at all.

Chewbacca comes from a species that ages very slowly. While Wookiees can appear to be immortal, with some living several hundreds of years, they do eventually acquire gray fur. On Chewie’s homeworld of Kashyyyk, many elders have entirely gray coats, like Chewie’s dad in the Star Wars Holiday Special.

He Cares About Those He Considers Family

As one of the most frequently appearing characters in live-action Star Wars content, it’s not surprising that Chewie fostered strong bonds with those he considered family. While he would always be the closest to Luke, Han, and Leia, he came to consider Rey, Finn, and Poe as members of his extended tribe.

When Rey’s family abandoned her on Jakku, she claimed that they would be back one day. Well, her family did return, except it was in the form of an ex-stormtrooper and a Wookiee. To those he’s closest to, Chewie will be fiercely loyal and protective, even if it means rescuing Han from the bowels of Jabba’s Palace, or going all the way to Ahch-To to locate Master Luke Skywalker.

The Empire Treated Him Horribly

Following Order 66 and the transition of power from the Republic to the Empire, Chewbacca found his world upside down. The Grand Army of the Republic, which had previously been full of clone troopers he’d fought alongside, was now being turned into stormtroopers under Emperor Palpatine’s command. A garrison was stationed on Kashyyyk and Chewie, along with his tribesmen, were rounded up and indentured.

The Empire abused and mistreated Chewie to such an extent that he became incredibly mistrustful of humans. When a young Han, conscripted into Imperial service, was placed in is path, he had no idea that the smuggler would rescue him and forever alter the trajectory of his lif

He’s Been Known To Eat Local

Chewie horrified fans when he roasted a porg on Ahch-To while dozens of its brethren gathered around to watch, their tiny mouths agape. By all accounts, Chewie was a friend to the native species, even cohabiting with them aboard the Millennium Falcon, but as Han so memorably said on Endor, the Wookiee is “always thinking with his stomach.”

Chewie’s hunger was what forced Han, Luke, Threepio, and R2-D2 into the Ewok’s net trap, a humorous vignette that almost got the band of Rebels eaten themselves. As humanoid as Chewie can seem given his status as bipedal, it’s important to remember he’s still animalistic at heart and responds to very primal urges.

He Was Truly Brave

Fans were outraged when at the conclusion of A New Hope, Chewbacca wasn’t awarded a medal for his bravery during the Battle of Yavin. This got remedied in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker following the Battle of Exegol, but that scarcely made up for how many times Chewie hadn’t been recognized for his contributions to both the Alliance to Restore the Republic and the Resistance.

After all, had it not been for Chewie muttering in Han’s ear, forcing him to question whether abandoning the fight was a good idea, it’s hard to say if the smuggler would have turned the Falcon around and given Luke the cover he needed to destroy the Death Star. Better late than another 40 years.