Filmmaker George Lucas took viewers on an extraordinary journey when he launched the space opera franchise with 1977’s Star Wars. The first film was met with critical acclaim and commercial success, leading Lucas to expand the story into the Skywalker saga, which entertained fans with a vast and diverse cast of characters.
During an interview about the original trilogy, Lucas revealed his admiration for one of the several alien species in the franchise. However, Lucas admitted that he loved this species so much that he decided to give it a major role in the original trilogy. Moreover, the species continues to be a hit with the fans and remains a major part of the Star Wars franchise.
George Lucas Revealed Why He Made the Wookiee a Major Player in the Star Wars Saga
George Lucas directed 1977’s Star Wars, which introduced fans to characters such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, and Princess Leia. However, one of the breakout characters from the original film was Han’s trusted ally and co-pilot, Chewbacca, belonging to the humanoid alien race of Wookiees.
During an interview with Leonard Maltin, Lucas revealed how a Wookiee came about to have a pivotal role in his epic space opera saga. The filmmaker revealed that Chewbacca originally wasn’t meant to be the co-pilot in the first film.
Originally they were sort of a primitive race of people who couldn’t fly or couldn’t do anything.
Lucas made the above statement, explaining that the Wookiees originally were meant to be a species similar to the Ewoks from Return of the Jedi. However, Lucas admitted that he ended up loving the design of a Wookiee, resulting in him deciding to make Chewbacca the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon.
Moreover, Lucas also revealed that he changed the original film’s script to give Chewbacca more of the spotlight. Moreover, Chewbacca’s appearance in the first film laid the foundation for Wookiees to become the most formidable species in Star Wars.
George Lucas Prevented Star Wars From Using Wookiee Jedi For Sometime
Despite his love for the Wookiees, Lucas reportedly prevented other creators in the franchise from portraying the species as a Jedi. The Jedi are the primary heroes of most media taking place in the galaxy far, far away.
Lucas had prevented the Expanded Universe from creating any more Wookiee Jedi characters until a certain point. Nonetheless, the franchise is populated with several Wookiee Jedi, including Gungi, who appeared in episodes of The Clone Wars and The Bad Batch.
Similarly, Lowbacca, Tyvokka, and Kirlocca were extensively featured in the Expanded Universe media. Kelnacca became the first Wookiee Jedi to appear in live-action Star Wars media with the debut of The Acolyte.
Moreover, Black Krrsantan, a Wookiee bounty hunter made his live-action debut in The Book of Boba Fett, further proving the popularity of the species. As a result, it is safe to say that Lucas made the right decision all those years back, when he chose to make Chewbacca a main character, leading to decades of diverse Wookiee characters appearing in the franchise.
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