Wookiee

Wookiees () are fictional humanoid aliens from the Star Wars franchise, originating from the forested planet Kashyyyk ( ). George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, was inspired to design the Wookiee Chewbacca by his dog, conceiving a character who was large, furry, and intelligent. The suit used to portray Chewbacca was similar to earlier suits constructed for 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the facial features as the main difference. The character's vocalizations were created using animal sounds combined in a way that sound designer Ben Burtt felt conveyed emotion. Since the release of Star Wars, Chewbacca and other Wookiees have appeared in a range of films, series, video games, and comics.

Star Wars media establish a number of details about the fictional culture of the Wookiees, as well as their language, Shyriiwook. They are shown to have a rivalry with the Trandoshan species. Life Day is often shown as a major Wookiee holiday, first created for The Star Wars Holiday Special but since depicted and referenced elsewhere. Among the Wookiees that have appeared in Star Wars media are several Wookiee Jedi. The name of Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki, is a portmanteau of Wookiee and Wikipedia.