Our beloved #resistance elder, often lovingly referred to as “Uncle Chew,” stirred up quite the Twitter storm yesterday when it was revealed in a new biography (the latest Official Star Wars Visual Dictionary) that famous rebel leader Chewbacca considers himself to be “apolitical.”
Chewbacca disagrees with the First Order’s social policies but is a fiscal conservative pic.twitter.com/whSMoLgESC
— David Mann (@DavidMann95) December 28, 2019
While it might be shocking to some that a Wookiee who has spent a literal century fighting fascist regimes on behalf of the rebel alliance might claim to be “apolitical,” anyone who has been following Chewbacca closely will not be surprised that the aging family Wookiee has more centrist leaning personal views. After all, you know that old Wookiee saying: “Any Wookiee under 100 who is not a liberal – tear their arm off! And any Wookiee over 100 who is not a conservative – tear the other arm off!’
Yes, Chewbacca helped Jedi Master Yoda escape Order 66 after the battle of Kashyyk. Yes, Chewbacca is close personal friends with the leaders of the rebel alliance: Luke Skywalker (whose tagline of “a new HOPE” revitalized the stagnant party), General Leia Organa and her husband Han Solo. But Chewbacca has always felt that there are “mighty fine people on both sides.”
When the Rebels voted to attack the Death Star, Chewie voted “present” bc because “removal of a sitting Emperor must not be the culmination of a partisan process, fueled by tribal animosities that have so gravely divided our galaxy” #Chewbacca #apolitical pic.twitter.com/mjgKFZ1wZz
— Chandan Khandai, MD (@chandan_khandai) December 29, 2019
Even when his home planet of Kashyyyk was under occupation by the Empire and stormtroopers invaded his family home on Life Day, threatening the safety of his son Lumpawaroo (“Lumpy” for short), Chewbacca still maintains that it’s not “Wookiee lives matter” or even “clone lives matter” but in fact “all lives that matter.” Though his son Lumpy does have an “ACAB” (All Clones Are Bad) bumper sticker on his speeder, both have agreed to not talk politics at the dinner table, per his wife Malla’s request. He also turns a blind eye to his father Itchy’s “Make Kashyyyk Great Again” baseball cap because confrontation, a thing Wookiees notoriously hate, makes him uncomfortable.
Chewbacca knows his entire race was enslaved and murdered by the Empire. But the Rebellion has done some bad things too. Chewbacca knows there are bad eggs on both sides, and we should all try to be nicer to each other.
— Kevin (@Anusien) December 29, 2019
And now that his good friends are gone it’s time for the resistance to take on new leadership. The more radical members of the party think that new young blood—like Rey or even Rose Tico—is what is needed to undo the damage caused by the First Order and move the galaxy towards a better tomorrow. But the old guard of the Republic thinks that a much older, and more centrist, figurehead like “Uncle Chew” is their only choice for uniting the galaxy and putting this ugly First Order business behind them. At least, that’s what they’ve been reading in the New York Times.
(Photo: Lucasfilms/Disney)
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