Star Wars: The Real Hero

[elfs]

David Brin once pointed out that the real hero of the Rebellion is Chewbacca. Really. When the mission on Yavin goes to heck, who is it gets the bright idea to commandeer an AT-ST, giving the rebellion a chance to get into the communications network the Ewoks are trashing? Chewbacca. More importantly, once the force field is down who really flies the hottest, most important, most powerful medium-scale fighter in the galaxy? Chewbacca. The whole opera on the Emperor's Stage is just that, an opera, a performance, irrelevant to the course of events: It is Chewbacca who, twice in the course of the film, works with more competency than anyone else toward ensuring the death of Palpitaine. It doesn't matter that Vader, Luke, and Palpitaine are passing back pithy bon mots; Chewbacca is working hard to ensure they all die, and nothing those three can do will stop him.

Which is why this makes so much sense!. Where Chewbacca gets his skill set, what he's been doing between the third and fourth films, who his co-worker is, what he really is.