What You Missed at the 'Star Wars' 40th Anniversary Panel at Star Wars Celebration10 of 18
Birth of a Wookiee
Sharing the stage with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), George Lucas reminded fans about the origins of the Wookiee character. Flashing an old picture of him and his beloved Malamute dog, named Indiana, Lucas shared that he loved the image of a man driving alongside a big furry creature. And that's precisely the reason why Chewbacca's role is as co-pilot. Lucas also revealed that it was his intention initially to have more Wookiees on screen but that plans quickly changed. "Originally, the Wookiees were what the Ewoks became – they are technical not primitive," he said. "I decided to save one and make him the co-pilot when I cut them from the movie."
Sharing the stage with Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), George Lucas reminded fans about the origins of the Wookiee character. Flashing an old picture of him and his beloved Malamute dog, named Indiana, Lucas shared that he loved the image of a man driving alongside a big furry creature. And that's precisely the reason why Chewbacca's role is as co-pilot. Lucas also revealed that it was his intention initially to have more Wookiees on screen but that plans quickly changed. "Originally, the Wookiees were what the Ewoks became – they are technical not primitive," he said. "I decided to save one and make him the co-pilot when I cut them from the movie."
PeopleHarrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew
Photo by Gerardo Mora - © 2017 Getty Images