Get behind me! Get behind me!

I was just watching ANH for the 1000th time and suddenly noticed something touching. Obviously, Han and Chewie are best of friends, but I never realized Han's affection for the wookie made him protective -- even putting himself in danger to protect his large friend. Seconds before stormtroopers broke through the elevator door and blasted their way into the cell block in ANH, Han yells to Chewie 'Get behind me! Get behind me!' even though Chewie is big and strong enough to take care of himself. I don't know why I never saw this before. 26 years later and I'm still noticing something new? That's what makes the OT so great.

 

I think an even more touching moment is in ROTJ where Han is thrown in prison after he's dethawed. That's a cool scene when Han and Chewie are reunited.

 

These are just nice little hints of the friendship and unbreakable loyalty between the two that is only briefly depicted on-screen.

 

I also think it's funny how Han opens up to Chewie and doubts himself when he's trying to fix the hyperdrive. It's the first time he really doubts himself and he has no trouble telling Chewie.

It's also cool how Han calms Chewie down in the freezing chamber.

 

Yeah, that's one of my favorite moments in ESB.

 

I think that relationship is really underrated. For Han to be such a loner, he has an unshakeable bond with Chewie.

That scene in the freezing chamber is one of my favorites as well.

 

And I also love it when Han leans up against Chewie and says, 'Boy, you said it, Chewie. Where did you dig up that old fossil?' I wonder if it was Harrison's idea to lean on Chewie. Hmm.....

 

I never considered that before, but I think you're absolutely right about those little things being intentionally included to show how deep Han and Chewie's friendship was. I'm sure some people will snicker about this, but I think physical contact between friends is a sign of an intimate friendship, so it's significant that Han leans in to Chewie like that (and also reaches up to him on the landing pad in Cloud City). You don't see Han snuggling up with Lando.

 

Nope, you see Lando snuggling up to Han, heh. At least before the whole "Lets have dinner with Vader" bit, so I suppose that was just Lando using his con-man origins to set Han at ease.....hey. Why all the Lando hate? The man just wants his Colt 45 in peace.

 

I'm curious how Han learned to interpret what Chewie was saying. I love in ANH when Han tells 3PO that it's not wise to upset a wookiee. That was priceless.

 

Wouldn't that be explained in the Han Solo books by Crispin? Because from what I know, he frees Chewie in those books...doesn't he? Heh.

That was definitely a great joke, and I liked Luke's bit of remembering how Chewie put his arms behind his head after the incest kiss in ESB.

 

I liked the part in RotJ in the cell where Chewie grabs Han into a huge hug and then ruffles his hair. It's like Han's his long lost son coming home.

 

Wouldn't that be explained in the Han Solo books by Crispin?

I don't read much EU.

 

THe Han and Chewie scenes are great, you can tell they are real friends.

 

yeah it really is cool to watch

 

Very interesting!

 

I think Han picked up the Wookie language from his time spent with Dewlanna in THE PARADISE SNARE, and I believe in one of the Brian Daley stories, it's mentioned that he had even tried to speak the language himself before, but it hurt his vocal cords. haha!!

As for Han leaning against Chewie in ANH, that might have been Harrison Ford's idea. In THE MAKING OF STAR WARS, he mentions that he thought kids would find Chewie scary, so he wanted an interaction between the two that suggested friendship and trust.

I love in ANH when Han tells 3PO that it's not wise to upset a wookiee. That was priceless.

And speaking of that, has anybody seen the "Let the Wookie" t-shirt yet? I don't know how long it's been out, but I came across it at J.C.Penny's a few weeks ago and snatched it instantly.

 

I found it especially touching when Han yelled, "Come here, you big coward!" to Chewie.











They're going to make it, those two.

 

Han and Chewie, it just goes.

ROTJ when Chewie springs the Ewoks trap, the dialogue between the two is another classic moment.

The best scenes for me are in ESB. When the doors are closed Chewie wails at the plight of his friends

And when they lose it with each other whilst repairing the Falcon on two occasions.

And on cloud city when he grabs Lando with Leia calling the shots, priceless.

But the freezing chamber is my fav, Chewie seems reluctant at first at the risk of losing Han.

Brilliant scenes.

 

"Great, Chewie! Always thinkin' with your stomach!"

 

"Hey! Hey! Save your strength! You have to take care of the Princess! You hear me, you big lug?"
That's maybe some of the greatest dialogue in movie history.

 

I always assumed the "Get behind me! Get behind me!" line was to get Chewie out of the way. After all, he's a big Wookie and shooting around him wouldn't be too easy without hitting him in a confined corridor.

Chewie on the other hand could easily shoot around or over the top of Han.

But that's just me being all unsentimental I suppose.

 

I've always found the Han/Chewie relationship fascinating. To me they seem to come across as family rather than friends. It may seem obvious to some of you, but I just recently noticed that Chewie seems very jealous of Han and Leia. Not of Leia, herself, but of the relationship that could replace his with Han. He doesn't overcome it until Han is being put into carbon freeze. The fact that Chewie and Leia are suffering from the same loss changes everything.

This kind of depth, my friends, is why TESB is not overrated (as has been suggested).

 

Funny you should mention the family thing, because there's a called a "Wookie honor family." It's a special bond of friendship that joins one Wookie with another or members of other species. Chewie eventually extended the bond to include Leia, Luke, the droids, and Han and Leia's kids.