Wookiee

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A Wookiee is a member of a fictional race of hairy bipeds in the Star Wars universe. The most famous Wookiee is Chewbacca, a companion to Han Solo.

The Wookiee homeworld and natural habitat is a forest world called Kashyyyk (though some sources contend that they are immigrants to this planet). Kashyyyk is covered with massive Wroshyr trees (carnivorous plant), in which the Wookiees construct their homes. Reportedly, Wookiees are descended from tree-climbing mammalians.

Adult Wookiees are tall, in excess of two meters in height, and are covered with a uniform, mid-length coat of thick hair. Young Wookiees (pups) are large at birth (averaging slightly less than one meter). Wookiees possess vicious-looking retractable claws, but a cultural code of honor prohibits using them for anything but climbing trees. Wookiees who use their claws in a fight are called "madclaws" and exiled from Wookiee society. Exiled Wookiees either banished to the very depths of Kashyyyk or are forced to leave the planet altogether. Female Wookiees have six breasts. Female Wookiees give birth to "live-born" litters and their gestation period is nearly a year long. Reportedly, Wookiees have a strong bond with the Force. The average lifespan of Wookiees is around 350 years. Although they resemble the terrestrial Sasquatch, they are intelligent, have a varied culture, and are starfaring. Wookiees possess great strength and exceptional skill in droid repair. It was revealed in Star Wars Expanded Universe that Wookiees became the source of food for remnants of the Imperial Army stuck on the planet Kashyyyk following the defeat of the Empire. A famous line commented that Wookiees had a distinct taste very similar to that of most Imperial Army rations.

Wookiees are often short-tempered. When Chewbacca complained about a move in a board game that R2-D2 had made during their inital trip to Alderaan, Han Solo told C-3PO it was not a good idea to upset a Wookiee — because an upset Wookiee would tear a person's arms out of their sockets. As if to confirm Solo's remark, Chewbacca then glowered menacingly at the droids while striking a nonchalant pose, arms crossed behind his head (Chewbacca and Han were almost certainly having fun with the droid, but the anecdote still illustrates one of the Wookiees' most famous characteristics).

Conversely, Chewbacca later demonstrated exceptional devotion to his friends by fully reconstructing C-3PO after the droid was blown apart by an unknown assailant on the Cloud City of Bespin.

The Wookiee language is Shyriiwook. While they are capable of understanding Galactic Basic, most of them are incapable of speaking it.

Wookiees possess a fierce style of fighting, typically eschewing standard blasters and grenades for bladed weapons and powerful bowcasters - weapons physically weaker species cannot use effectively. Despite their valiant efforts, the entire race was enslaved by the Empire in company with Trandoshan hunters; their role in saving Yoda during the Great Jedi Purge gave Palpatine the excuse he needed (the Alliance later released them from their bondage). Chewbacca was killed while trying to save Han Solo's son, Anakin Solo, from a villain in the post-Empire novel Vector Prime by R.A. Salvatore. His nephew, Lowbacca, plays an important role in the Young Jedi Knights series of novels.

Other Wookiees: Tyvokka, Zaalbar, Chuundar, Attichitcuk, Tarfful, Hanharr.

Wookiees and popular culture

Wookiees are referred to in popular culture through a variety of formats ranging from Ralph Wiggum's "I bent my wookiee" as popularized in The Simpsons to slightly less direct parodies such as the Spaceballs' character of Barfolemew.

In an episode of the animated television series South Park, real-life attorney Johnnie Cochran successfully wins two trials by confusing the jury with ramblings about Chewbacca that distract them from the actual issues of the case. Fans later dubbed this strategy the 'Chewbacca Defense'.

External links

• The Wookiee Species (http://www.starwars.com/databank/species/wookiee/) from official Star Wars pageda:Wookie