Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith’s Biggest Cameo Does More Harm Than Good

Emperor Palpatine has the Jedi scrambling in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Despite some decisive battles during the Clone Wars, the Grand Army of the Republic is unable to gain the upper hand against the Separatists, especially one of their new leaders, General Grievous. The terrifying creature kidnaps Palpatine before the start of Revenge of the Sith and escapes when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker show up to rescue the Republic’s leader. With him still on the board, the Jedi have to spread themselves thin across the galaxy, with even Grand Master Yoda giving himself an assignment. He heads to Kashyyyk, the home world of the Wookiees.

Including Chewbacca’s people in the final prequel film serves as a way to make the character’s fight against the Empire more personal. After all, the Republic arrives on Kashyyyk intending to help, only to turn around and become the Wookiees’ oppressor. However, George Lucas and Co. go too far by giving Chewbacca an important role in Revenge of the Sith.

Chewbacca’s Role in Revenge of the Sith Weakens His Relationship With Han Solo

When Yoda decides to head to Kashyyyk after Ki-Adi Mundi mentions the droid attack, it feels like a Chewbacca cameo is coming. The character doesn’t meet up with Han Solo until much later in the timeline, so his presence on the planet only makes sense. Rather than having Chewbacca appear briefly in the background, however, Lucas decides to make him a lieutenant in the Wookiee army and General Tarfful’s right-hand man. He’s instrumental in developing the Wookiee attack plan and spends most of his time watching over the battle with Yoda, who’s there to lead the Clones.

As the battle nears its conclusion, Chewbacca is there to witness Yoda feel a disturbance in the Force after Anakin falls to the dark side. The Jedi whips out his lightsaber in front of the Wookiee and kills a couple of Clones who are planning to kill him due to Order 66 activating their inhibitor chips. Chewbacca and Tarfful help Yoda escape the planet, and the three share an emotional moment before he departs, knowing the galaxy will never be the same again.

Chewbacca makes no mention of Yoda in the original trilogy, though, despite Luke Skywalker mentioning that he’s off to find him on Obi-Wan’s orders. That’s easy enough to forgive, as it’s possible Chewbacca wasn’t paying attention when Luke uttered his old friend’s name. However, what doesn’t get a pass is Han believing the Force is a hoax at the start of Star Wars: A New Hope. His best friend has plenty of experience with Jedi and surely mentions them now and again. Star Wars even doubles down on Chewbacca’s love of the Jedi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Gives Chewbacca Another Jedi Ally

Years before Revenge of the Sith, Chewbacca finds himself in a tough spot after being captured by Trandoshans who are looking for something interesting to hunt. Anakin’s apprentice, Ahsoka Tano, also finds herself at the mercy of the hunters, so she teams up with the Wookiee to find a way off the planet. Ahsoka’s knowledge of the Wookiee language, Shyriiwook, helps smooth things over, and the new friends take the fight to the Trandoshans. Tarfful and other Wookiees arrive to join the battle, which doesn’t last all that long.

With the prisoners safe, everyone heads back to Coruscant, and Chewbacca gets to visit the Jedi Temple before heading back to Kashyyyk. However, while Chewbacca’s appearance in The Clone Wars benefits his cameo in Revenge of the Sith, it doesn’t make him look any better in the original trilogy. Despite visiting the place where countless Jedi train and learn, he lets his best friend look like a fool in front of Obi-Wan and Luke. Sure, Han is headstrong and probably wouldn’t listen to his pal anyway, but at the very least, Chewbacca could’ve corrected him and shown love to the Jedi who helped him over the years.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith is streaming on Disney+.

How do you feel about Chewbacca’s cameo in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith? Does it make you look at his character differently in the original trilogy? Let us know in the comments below!