Chewbacca’s Entire Enigmatic Backstory Explained

Looper takes a look at the rather hidden history of the beloved Star Wars character Chewbacca. The public knowledge about this enigmatic Wookiee is that he is an honored warrior, has a legendary temper and was an incredibly loyal compatriot to his friends, especially Han Solo, but his lesser know backstory includes his origins, his family, his immense talent for all things engineering, his ability to understand other languages, his life-debt to Solo and his specific choice of weapon.

Why is his weapon so different from almost everyone else’s? Why does he talk like that when he clearly understands different languages? Is Chewbacca his actual given name? We took a deep dive into Star Wars lore to find what makes this Wookiee tick.

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.