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Star Wars Needs to Bring Back Chewbacca's Epic Legends Rivalry

When it comes to Star Wars stories featuring Chewbacca, he usually remains on the sidelines, even though he was one of the galaxy’s first main characters in its original 1977 debut—A New Hope. Since Disney acquired the franchise in 2012, Chewbacca has appeared in some comic book mini-series; even The Force Awakens had him as one of the most prominent characters. Still, it’s safe to say that Star Wars currently utilizes Wookiees simply as familiar creatures to remind audiences that they’re watching, reading, or experiencing content from “a galaxy far, far away.”

Wookiees have a few critically acclaimed stories in the Legends continuity—the collection of books, video games, novels, and other multimedia that made up the Expanded Universe before Disney bought Star Wars. The tale of the strongest Wookiee, Zaalbar from Knights of the Old Republic, for example, proves Wookiees have tremendous potential to carry a narrative and even have their own character development. Zaalbar’s exile from Kashyyyk, his loyalty to Mission Vao, and the drama between his family prove there is one thing Disney and Lucasfilm can do to make Chewbacca not only an icon but add to his status as an outstanding character. One of Chewbacca’s most epic vendettas from Legends was undoubtedly his rivalry with the bounty hunter, Bossk.

An Established Species Rivalry

Hardcore Star Wars fans, especially those who recall some notable Legends history, know about the epic feud between the Trandoshans and Wookiees. The most iconic characters from each species are Chewbacca and Bossk, which acutely exemplifies the rivalry. By establishing hostility between Chewie and Bossk, Star Wars stories can explore the historic feud—which exists both in Legends and the current canon—by using the primary Wookiee and Trandoshan in the galaxy. In Dark Horse’s old Star Wars comics, as is evident in Chewbacca #2 (by Darko Macan, Jan Duursema, Dave Gibbons, Dusty Abell), Chewie has an established abhorrence for Trandoshan slavers. The second issue of Chewbacca displayed how Trandoshans traffic Wookiees and skin them for sport. Chewie leads a freedom fight against these Trandoshan slavers long before meeting Han Solo and joining the Rebel Alliance. The story ends with the lead Trandoshan, who is regrowing two tiny arms, recalling when Chewie ripped his arms off to save a group of enslaved Wookiees.

If Bossk were to return as Chewie’s archnemesis in Star Wars’ current canon, the Wookiee/Trandoshan feud would have the attention it deserves. Some Star Wars comics and shows already set the tone for the potential rivalry. The Book of Boba Fett referenced how Trandoshans still skin Wookiees in the current canon, which is the first time this concept appears in any live-action Star Wars content. The show also featured a short battle featuring Black Krrsantan and the Trandoshan crime gang of Tatooine. Because this was only a small moment, it failed to give proper attention to the species’ bitter relationship. If Star Wars portrays a story like the one in Chewbacca #2 in the new canon, Chewbacca and Bossk can get the legendary animosity they deserve.

Chewbacca Can Get PERSONAL Again

Dark Horse Comics’ original Chewbacca series featured more unique aspects for Wookiees aside from the feud with Trandoshans; they translated Chewbacca’s grunts and roars into a comprehensible language for audiences to enjoy. Because Wookiees speak in the unintelligible Shyriiwook, it takes a great deal of skill to have C-3PO or Han Solo translate the language in a way that works with the characterization of Chewbacca. Because of this, Star Wars often strays from any personal connections to Chewie as a developed personality, despite his loyalty, intelligence, and tech-savvy skillset. A restored animosity toward Bossk would allow someone who knows Chewie to make personal threats.

Apart from those who translate his sentiments for him, nobody truly knows what Chewbacca is thinking. A comic book is a perfect medium for Chewbacca and Bossk so that they may speak in their native tongues. Having a villain who understands everything Chewbacca says would make for an engaging story to empathize with Chewie’s words for the first time since Legends. A personal battle could also allow Bossk to communicate in his native language of Dosh again, which Chewbacca can also understand. When Bossk first appeared in The Empire Strikes Back, he could only speak in Dosh. Modern Star Wars likes to have more creatures speak Galactic Basic to minimize the use of translations. However, Bossk is a character who sounds unquestionably more threatening when he snarls and growls. A situation where a towering, hairy giant defends himself against a relentless, reptilian creature is partly why Chewbacca and Bossk would fight so often.

Star Wars Can FINALLY Use Bossk Right

In Ethan Sacks and Paolo Villanelli’s Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #1, Bossk actually gets to fight Black Krrsantan, epically saying: “I always get my Wookiee. Always…” Bossk is the perfect foil to Wookiees, especially those that uphold honor like Chewbacca. Not only is Chewbacca the most famous Wookiee, he’s also the most heroic in the galaxy. Because Bossk is the most sinister Trandoshan, as well as the second strongest bounty hunter after Boba Fett, establishing him as Chewbacca’s nemesis doesn’t only enhance Chewie, it massively improves Bossk too. Great villains, especially those that aren’t Sith Lords, soldiers, or droids, are rare in Star Wars. Bossk is iconic, dangerous, and has direct ties to some of the most beloved characters in the galaxy.

If Star Wars uses Bossk more, fans can learn more about him. Trandoshans see in infrared vision, hunt enemies like prey, and skin the pelts of Wookiees for sport. Imagine what Bossk, the most notorious Trandoshan in the galaxy, is capable of achieving. Because Chewbacca is the only Wookiee Bossk can never capture, it also heightens Chewie’s reputation as one of the most resourceful and substantial Wookiees of all time. If Bossk and Chewie were to resume their Legends rivalry, it would increase their reputations among the Star Wars underworld, and the characters’ feats would outrank those of all other Wookiees and Trandoshans in their era.

Neither Character is Dead (In Canon)

Ethan Sacks returns to Bossk in Halcyon Legacy #5, along with artist Will Sliney, in a comic that confirms the survival of the galaxy’s deadliest Trandoshan. Until this comic, Bossk met his fate when Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge exploded during the first action sequence in Return of the Jedi. Now that both Bossk and Chewie remain alive, they can duel throughout any era, from the prequels to after the sequels. Both Chewie and Bossk appear in Dave Filoni’s The Clone Wars show, they play key roles in Star Wars comics set during the Original Trilogy timeline, and now they have the potential to appear in shows or comics like The Mandalorian.

In Legends, Dark Horse’s final issue of Chewbacca evidently has Bossk outlive the Wookiee. When the Wookiee hero helps Han Solo evacuate a doomed planet, Han has no other choice but to evacuate a group of children aboard the Millenium Falcon, leaving Chewie behind. When Bossk sees Han Solo again in James Luceno’s novel, The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero’s Trial, Bossk laughs at the mourning smuggler’s lost friend, which causes Han to punch the Trandoshan on the nose. This encounter remains one of the most epic exchanges involving Han, Chewie, and Bossk.

Because Chewie and Bossk still live in the current Star Wars canon, fans have the chance to see the two battle on screen or in an epic comic book collaboration. Even though fans may associate Chewbacca with actors Peter Mayhew or Alan Harris, Chewie and Bossk have the potential to be immortal; new actors with similar statures can easily be in perfectly designed ensembles. Whether it’s in Star Wars comic books (as it frequently was in Legends), movies, or TV, fans deserve to see Bossk and Chewbacca’s rivalry in the near future.