Kashyyyk is the homeworld to one of Star Wars’ most identifiable races. The forested world
houses a people who live among the branches whose culture has been exploited by galactic
powers in the past and to whom loyalty and family are the greatest bonds: the Wookiees.
Around 2.2 to 2.5 metres in height, the Wookiees are mammalian humanoids most recognizable
by their layer of thick shaggy fur that provides insulation against both extreme colds and
heats. The species are omnivores dinning both on the plentiful wild fruits and vegetables
of their homeworld and the abundance of animal life. They seldom wear excessive clothing
as their fur protects them and acts as camouflage for their forested environment. Their fur
continues to grow and grey with age especially around the face of males. Most commonly it
comes in shades of brown, varying from near black to almost blond, but genuine black and
occasional silver variants do exist. What little clothing they do wear is often for
practical purposes such as armour or carrying things, therefore bandoliers and straps are
common apparel. The Wookiees also create ornamentation from native materials, such as wooden and
metal beads and feathers woven in to their fur. They had sharp claws for climbing and
would probably make for deadly weapons, but a cultural taboo prevented them for being
used for anything except climbing. The average lifespan of a Wookiee was around 400 years.
The planet that supports them is interwoven with their culture to an unusual degree, or
rather its native flora and fauna, so before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s look at
kashyyyk shall we? The planet is located in the Mid Rim, Mytaranor Sector along the Randon
Run trade route, as such it has always been a contested hot spot for galactic trade and
a key location to hold many other neighbouring systems, a fact that has served to both prosper
and debilitate the Wookiees. Planet is known by several aliases, G5-623, Edean or Kashyk
with a single Y. It has 3 moons and an abundance of plant life giving rise to its designation
as a forest world, much like Endor or Yavin. The majority of foliage on the planet is dominated
by a type of tree known as the Wroshyr which itself is broken down into many different
subspecies and strains, each with markedly different growth. The most impressive of which
were those that grew in the heart of the forests and could be kilometres in height and many
millennia old. Others resembled mangroves, with tendril like branches supporting a thicker
trunk and others of even more alien design. Many of these trees could have hollows made
in them and their branches intertwined in close proximity, even fusing at points. This
lead to a network of branches, especially inland that created natural paths suspended
from the ground. It is in these canopies that the Wookiees settled and created their homes,
adding to the structures to form elaborate tree houses. The largest networks of branches
played host the cities, such as Awrathakka, Thikkiiana, Kachirho and Rwookrrorro. I think
I’m pronouncing those right? The native tongue of Kashyyyk was Shyriiwook
translated as the “language of the tree people”. I guess this means that Wook means
tree. There are other dialects, Xaczik and Thykarann and many Wookies learned Galactic
Basic, though their specialised vocal chords prevented them from mimicking many other languages.
Likewise Shyriiwook was learnable by others but many species are only able to approximate
the tones due to the harsh growls and guttural sounds.
Their appearance and growling language often leads outsiders to see them as bestial and
lumbering oafs, but this couldn’t further from the truth.
They are a proficient species with tools and make skilled mechanics and crafters forging
anything from small intricate Jewellery to building hyperdrives and planet killing superweapons,
though that last one was under duress (We’ll get to that later). They, unsurprisingly often
used wood in their creations, crafting structures out of the Wroshyr trees and even incorporating
it wherever possible in vehicle, weapon and starship design. The trademark Wookiee weapon
was the “Bowacster”, a combination of energy weapon and railgun and one that was
customized to an individual as it was crafted by hand.
To them, community, clan and family are all very close and bound by honour to look out
for one another. This honour system has many idiosyncrasies but ultimately boils down to
putting others before yourself. This comes naturally to a Wookiee as they are very empathic
creatures, the suffering of others distressing them more often than harm to themselves. Their
family consists of the immediate and extended blood relatives, their surrounding clan and
their honour family. The Honour family are friends who have been accepted into a Wookiee
structure akin to being brought onto a medieval house, but are treated as brothers and sisters
to the Wookiees in question. (The most famous example being a certain smuggler and his co-pilot.)
This compassion and empathy does not extended to those outside of their familial structure.
Especially to individuals inflicting harm. Wookies are quick to enrage, likely a survival
mechanism are fearsome in combat, shrugging off stun blasts with ease and able to throw
around smaller species. It varies from individual to individual, but Wookiees have been known
to exploit this reputation to their advantage where applicable. This means that stories
of Wookiees ripping people’s arms out of their sockets with their immense strength
are true. There are other aspects to their code of honour,
such as the aforementioned taboo about using their claws in combat, and the complex matter
of a life debt, where a Wookiee whose life was saved must repay the debt, by aiding their
saviour. Wookiees are also generally superstitious
and have tales of spiritual hauntings, such as the Black Forest of their homeworld, the
site a location of a crashed alien vessel. It doesn’t appear that the Wookiees have
a true religion, but these tales suggest a sense of spirituality. Their cultural attachment
to the Wroshyr Trees itself could be seen as bordering on worship, but is honestly more
of an immense respect from a practical understanding of the natural balance of their world and
the desire to not upset it. Tales of hauntings are also likely to stem from stories of how
dangerous the Shadowlands are, the floor level of the densest parts of Kashyyyk’s forest,
home to all sorts of predators. We don’t get to see many Wookiee craft outside
of legends material, but this is due more to their history than any lack of technical
knowledge. The fact that they have always been positioned along a busy trade route meant
that there have always been ships coming and going from Kashyyyk and therefore a method
of transport readily available for any Wookiee looking to set off into the wider galaxy.
They often loaned their services as mechanics, mercenaries and the like for generations.
It wasn’t unusual for a Wookiee, even a parent, to leave Kashyyyk for a decade or
two to forge their own adventures. This is likely because of the intense trust they had
in their family to raise their children. Unfortunately, this cultural makeup lead them
to be easily subjugated despite their ferocious prowess in battle. Their empathetic nature
led to hostage taking being a sure-fire way to secure an individual’s cooperation and
then when the Galactic Empire had one under its thumb, it was easier to leverage the next
into chains and so on. Their power and skills were utilised by the Empire into creating
all sorts of projects and captured Wookiees were often treated terribly, killed, treated
as monsters for entertainment by bored soldiers. Inhibitor chips helped to placate the species
further and eventually Kashyyyk in its entirety fell to the Empire as a slave planet. The
only Wookiees who escaped the reaches of the Empire often found themselves involved in
unsavoury practices such as criminal activities to avoid detection. The empire’s treatment
of them as beasts did much to harm public perception of them and they were frequently
hunted for sport and their pelts. Naturally this led many to become stalwart allies to
the Rebel Alliance and eventually they were Liberated from the ashes of the fallen Empire
by the New Republic, having their way of life restored to them once again and joining the
Galactic scene in earnest and became a more frequent sight off-world.
Their political structure too was all but destroyed by their enslavemen t, but originally
they operated a monarchy who oversaw planetary decisions and ruled over the chieftains of
the many clans. Wookiee exports include much of their crafted
works, the inclusion of wood as the material appeals to many who prefer the organic look
and feel. Although Kashyyyk was subjugated by the empire, much of their actual food and
prepared meals were not available to the common citizens, partly as Wookiees are able to consume
much rougher, unprocessed foods that your standard humanoid couldn’t, but likley also
because the empire wanted to distance the species from the perception of a cultivated
life. Though the Wookiees had a reputation for producing incredibly potent alcoholic
drinks, Thikkiian and Cortyg Brandy, Garrmorl brandy, Grakkyn and Accarragm… Brandy. Huh…So
I guess Chewbacca was a Brandy guy? The Wookiees overall may be a bit unpredictable
and intimidating to an outsider to their circles of trust, but if you don’t antagonize one
and show to be a compassionate individual yourself, you likely have nothing to fear
from them. Although there are outliers in any society. Loyalty is a key factor in their
lifestyle with favours and aid being repaid forging strong friendships. If these bonds
are tested and found resilient, you may have found yourself with a friend for life despite
the passage of many years. Unless you’re a Trandoshan.
Thanks for listening. The Wookiees are presented as both ferocious and sympathetic creatures
in Star Wars lore and their treatment at the hands of the Empire exemplifying how horrific
a regime it became at its worst. So there’s actually not going to be a vote
for the next episode this time as I the vote is so close, only 4 points between them, that
I’ m going to do the Dalek Index next week anyway. Edit, as I check while editing this
now, the Dalek’s have actually overtaken by 1 point so I guess it’s good that im
doing both anyway. So until next week’s episode, thanks for watching! I’ve been
Ric. Thanks again and goodbye! Alright I have to try once just to see how
it sounds, Rooooarrgh ur roo! (coughs) nope.