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 do contend that they are immigrants to this planet). Kashyyyk is covered with massive Wroshyr trees (carnivorous flora), 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. Wookies who use their claws in a fight are exiled from Kashyyyk and Wookiee society. 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 Wookies is around 600 years. Although they resemble the terrestrial Sasquatch, they are intelligent, have a varied culture, and are starfaring. Wookies possess great strength and exceptional skill in droid repair.
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.
The Wookiee language is Shyriiwook. While they are capable of understanding 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 (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: Zaalbar, Chuundar , Attichitcuk, Tarfful , Hanharr.
Wookiees and the law
The word "Wookiee" has taken on a new meaning lately in informal discussions of the law, due to an episode of the animated television series South Park. In that episode, 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'.
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