Chewbacca was in the prime of his life by Wookiee standards when he arrived on the Star Wars scene in 1977’s Episode IV: A New Hope. So, just how old is Chewbacca in A New Hope, exactly?
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Chewbacca’s Age in Star Wars: A New Hope, Explained
Chewbacca is 200 in Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope. This isn’t covered in the movie itself, however, we can easily reverse-engineer Chewie’s age using other canonical sources. Notably, in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Chewbacca tells Han Solo that he’s 190 years old. According to the official Star Wars timeline, Solo: A Star Wars Story takes place in 10 BBY – or 10 years before A New Hope. So, all we need to do to work out Chewbacca’s age in A New Hope is add a decade to his age in Solo, which shakes out at 200 years old. And we’ve gotta agree with Han’s assessment of Chewbacca in Solo: he does indeed look great for a guy who’s been getting around for two centuries!
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Obviously, the actor who played Chewbacca in A New Hope, Peter Mayhew, was much younger than his character. When principal photography on the film kicked off in March 1976, Mayhew was 32. Mayhew portrayed Chewie on the big screen a further four times and still barely came close to half the Wookiee’s age. Even when Mayhew reprised the role for the final time in 2015’s Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens, he was only 70 years old. That said, he was closer than his successor, Joonas Suotamo, who was just 32 the last time he played Chewbacca, in 2019’s Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker.
How Old Is Chewbacca in Other Star Wars Media?
So, we know Chewbacca’s age in A New Hope and Solo – but what about the wider tapestry of Star Wars movies and TV shows? Here’s how old the Millennium Falcon’s resident walking carpet is across all his canonical appearances to date:
- Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 – 180
- Star Wars – Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – 181
- Solo: A Star Wars Story – 190
- Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope – 200
- Star Wars – Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back – 203
- Star Wars – Episode VI: Return of the Jedi – 204
- Star Wars – Episode VII: The Force Awakens – 234
- Star Wars – Episode VIII: The Last Jedi – 234
- Star Wars – Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker – 235
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Interestingly, while Chewbacca is the only core character from the original Star Wars trilogy still alive by the end of The Rise of Skywalker, he wasn’t so lucky in the pre-Disney Expanded Universe. According to this version of Star Wars continuity – now relegated to extra-canonical “Star Wars Legends” status – Chewbacca died 10 years earlier, in 25 ABY. As such, the Wookiee warrior didn’t live to see his 235 birthday. But as these events are no longer canon, Chewie is still very much alive and kicking in a galaxy far, far away!
Star Wars: A New Hope is currently streaming on Disney+, as part of the platform’s Star Wars collection.
