What would Star Wars be without Chewbacca? A lot less exciting, that’s for sure.
The franchise’s walking carpet has been in the thick of the action from the very beginning – bowcaster and all – and part of Chewbacca’s charm is the way in which his dialogue is interpreted through the film’s leading stars, whether it’s Han Solo or Rey Palpatine Skywalker.
But there’s a moment in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker when Chewbacca’s speech isn’t made explicitly clear, as Daisy Ridley’s heroine simply replies with “it is,” which isn’t an awful lot to go on when the dialogue she’s responding to can be aptly described as: “Raarghhh!”
Well, wonder no more, for Chewbacca himself, Joonas Suotamo, has confirmed the exact dialogue in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter:
I think Chewbacca is saying something like, ‘It’s good that you’re back in the Falcon because Poe has been damaging the Falcon with his reckless, shifty flying.’ So, I think it’s a small jab at Poe at that point.
With Rey busy studying ancient Jedi text (and training under the watchful eye of General Leia, no less), Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron was given the keys to the Millennium Falcon, though his reckless flying at the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker practically set the entire Falcon ablaze. So you can imagine Chewie’s relief to see Rey climb into the cockpit as they set off to find the elusive Sith Wayfinder.
Now closing in on $1 billion worldwide, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is unlikely to top The Last Jedi when all is said and done, but it’s still a pretty epic conclusion to this most beloved saga. Up next? Nothing until 2022 – not on the big screen, at least – which isn’t so bad when you stop to consider the success of The Mandalorian.