For years, Chewbacca served as Han Solo’s second mate on the Millennium Falcon, smuggling spice and living the life of a petty criminal under the Empire’s tyrannical rule. But as the original Star Wars trilogy progressed, he turned into one of the most iconic heroes of the Rebellion.
Chronologically speaking, Chewie first appeared in Episode III – Revenge of the Sith and helped Yoda get off Kashyyyk. After the fall of the Galactic Republic, though, Palpatine’s legions mercilessly destroyed his green home planet and enslaved the Wookies. It’s here when Chewbacca meets the scruffy-looking nerf herder for the first time, and in an Imperial prison, no less. The two decide to work together to escape and eventually turn into traveling companions. Later, when Solo and Beckett are going through Kessel, the hairy creature decides to help his fellow Wookies escape enslavement, an action that apparently later turned into a habit.
In fact, according to a short story in the recent tie-in publication, From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back, which celebrates the 40th anniversary of the film, Chewie had an epic nickname within the Imperial ranks for freeing Wookies in his travels. As the bounty hunter Bossk reveals, they know him as the “Chainbreaker.”
While the Skywalker Saga never even remotely touched on Chewie’s fearsome renown, the revelation is nevertheless an interesting piece of trivia. After all, within the Star Wars lore, the character is the ultimate pal, not to mention a most reliable ally. And even though most people know better than to get in his way, we never imagined him to be as menacing and reputable a figure as Chewbacca the Chainbreaker.
