PT Kashyyk as seen by Lucas and Zahn

In ROTS we finally get to see the wookie planet of Kashyyk. In 'Heir To The Empire' Timothy Zahn wrote in great detail about the planet (trees that towered into the atmosphere, cities built in the canopy - so high that you couldn't see the ground below - held up by the strength of branches). It was a realistic world where you'd expect only a Wookie to survive.

In ROTS, Kashyyk mirrored the landscape of Vietnam with a few large trees. It wasn't nearly as impressive as Zahn's vision.

So two questions:

I was curious about how you guys felt about the look of Kashyyk in ROTS. Was it underwhelming? Or just right? Am I just nitpicking?

I'm also curious as to why George didn't use more of Zahn's realistic vision of Kashyyk. I know the EU is outside the bubble of George's imagination...but you'd think that George's imagination would've come up with a better setting for the Kashyyk clone wars battle. Just my opinion.

 

ROTS' Kashyyyk was based on Ralph McQuarrie's design work for Kashyyyk.

What a strange statement.

 

I agree with you on this. I enjoyed the planet in the movie though. Very beautiful. If you think kashyyk looks boring in episode 3. You should see it in star wars battlefront game!

 

Realistic in the sense that it's Star Wars (not scientifically accurate 100% of the time). I meant that Wookie's are incredibly rugged and adept creature - with claws that can easily latch onto trees/vines etc. From what I can see in ROTS, it's not a world where these evolutionary traits are that necessary.

CloneTrooperFox - don't get me wrong, I think it's a beautiful planet in the movie...but it does seem a less dimensional world than I would've expected for a creature like the Wookie to live.

 

I always assumed the place in ROTS was, like, the beach. Since there was a beach and all. The other-type of Kashyyk is still there but, y'know, deeper.

 

I felt like the humongous Kashyykk was in there somewhere in ROTS. I don't know if TFU is the best example but the Vader-intro of the game seemed to have pretty large tress at times.

 

Lol...
I saw Kashyykk first in the holiday special, not in a Zahn novel.

. "In ROTS, Kashyyk mirrored the landscape of Vietnam with a few large trees. It wasn't nearly as impressive as Zahn's vision."
That was on a coast. The super forest with the multi layered death trap is inland I assume.

 

That is precisely what Dark Lord said about it: Rwookrrorro was "on the other side of the escarpment".

 

If I recall correctly, some of the special features in the DVD bonus disc remark that they drew on paintings from the Holiday Special for inspiration, especially for the tree homes and general environment.

 

Ahh, the Holiday special was a bit before my time. Thanks for the replies everyone! Makes a bit more sense now.

 

I faintly remember that.

It was before my time too, but between crappy video recordings and the internet, I saw it.

 

I love the picture of the little one!!!

 

I sat three feet in front of the tv and made sure to tell the room to shut up each time somebody talked.

 

Did that include unintelligible wookie growls? Which eats up, like, 20 minutes of the special.

 

Maybe he understands Wookiee.

 

As a child of the OOT who also remembers that Wookie Storybook (though has dim memories of the HS), it was great to see finally see Kashyyk in a SW film after hearing about it for 25+ years. To finally actually see Chewbacca's home planet was the culmination of years of wondering what it would look like on-screen. Specifically, the fast-paced scene when the droids came out of the water & the wookies charged to attack them was superb.

I didn't feel that the sequence was underwhelming - however, my beef with the Kashyyk sequence is that it was way too short. I remember when I first saw ROTS in the theatre, seeing that scene, and then thinking to myself, "That's it?" At the least, I would have liked to have seen more of the planet - even 5-10 more minutes would have been nice. Granted, I understand that this was intended to be a fast-paced battle scene, but IMHO it went way too quickly...I don't think there were any deleted scenes from Kashyyk either...

 

Or, maybe I was yelling at my family in the room and NOT at the walking carpets on TV.

 

I'm sure this occurs in Lucas' vision of Kashyyyk: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Kashyyyk_Beauty_Contest

 

Hahaha.

 

The EU Kashyyk was too much of an Endor retread. Only thing disappointing about the ROTS version of the planet was that it was such a blink and miss it appearance.