‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ Almost Included Wookiee Stormtroopers

After six movies of acting as little more than a sidekick, the latest Star Wars movie finally put Chewbacca in the spotlight.

And the Wookiee does run into some allies in Solo: A Star Wars Story, characters like Sagwa and the other escaped slaves only make a minor appearance. But there were almost many other Wookiees to appear in the film as Imperial Stormtroopers.

In the new book The Art of Solo: A Star Wars Story, concept designs from the movie’s pre-production phase revealed there were ideas fleshed out for a unit of Stromtroopers during the war on Mimban, where they would be Wookies with facemasks and armor plating designed to look like trooper helmets.

As Chewbacca explains in Solo, after Chancellor Palpatine enacted Order 66 in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the Republic became the Empire and the army enslaved the population on Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld.

Seeing Wookiees as part of a squad of Stormtroopers is someone against the Empire’s modus operandi, given how they usually prefer humanoids among their ranks. But knowing that they would utilize the Wookiees raw strength and fighting prowess is a nice touch, showing how far the Imperials are willing to go in order to win a war.

Forcing Wookiees to fight against the Mimbanese population is diabolical tactic, and unfortunately we didn’t get to see it on screen.

Of course, this concept was somewhat tweaked, and it could have been in place at one point in the draft. It’s a good way to get Chewbacca on that planet, where he would eventually meet his partner and best friend in Han Solo.

The movie doesn’t explain why Chewbacca is imprisoned on Mimban in Solo: A Star Wars Story, in fact we only ever hear about him when the arresting Imperial officer refers to the Wookiee as “the beast.”

The Empire’s attempts to imprison Chewbacca and feed him Han Solo spectacularly backfire, as the two plan an escape, become best friends, and eventually play a vital role in overthrowing Imperial rule throughout the galaxy. So, the joke’s on you, Stormtrooper scum.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is now playing in theaters.

Are you bummed you didn’t get to see the Wookiee Stormtroopers in action? Be sure to let us know in the comments!

[h/t ScreenRant]