| SPOILERS | Ahead for Star Wars The Force Awakens |
|---|
The first thing you have to admit about Chewy in The Force Awakens is that he’s awesome. The Force Awakens is the best Chewbacca movie yet. He’s physical, played in large part not by original actor Peter Mayhew, but by newcomer Joonas Suotamo and the result is a more action oriented Wookie. He’s also funny and expressive. With just a head move or grunt, Mayhew and Suotamo communicate as much information as any actor playing humans do in the movie.
That’s not what I want to talk about though. I want to know what Chewie knows. Given what we see in The Force Awakens, Chewie knows:
- Kylo Ren is Ben Solo
- Rey's lineage
- Who Supreme Leader Snoke is (not Darth Plagueis)
- Why doesn’t Chewy go for the kill shot?
- Why doesn’t Chewy’s bowcaster knock Kylo off the platform?
- Why does Chewy go with Rey without comment?
Mikey’s theory is that while Kylo and Rey fight, Kylo is not using the Dark Side, but Rey does. The theory is that Ren and Rey will flip Force sides by the end of the trilogy and Kylo Ren is in deep cover.
If you think this theory has any credence, then I’d propose that Chewy shoots Kylo Ren with a lower power, non-fatal bowcaster shot on purpose. Through The Force Awakens, we see Han and Chewy blow foes away with impunity using the bowcaster, catapulting them several feet upon impact. Yet Kylo Ren doesn’t move.
Of course Kylo’s force abilities could explain him being able to absorb the energy of the blaster bolt without moving. However, we see Kylo able to stop blaster fire in mid-air after being fired. If he was using his powers, he wouldn’t simply diminish the energy, he’d stop it.
On the other hand, if Chewie doesn’t miss a Kylo Ren kill shot on purpose, he’s responsible for allowing one of the galaxies greatest evils to escape justice just after his best friend of all time was killed.
Or Chewbacca is relieved his life debt is over, but feels he must take some kind of shot to keep up appearances that he actually liked Han Solo 😉