Why was Chewie scared to death of the dianoga?

I've always wondered about this. Is the dianoga like a snake, in that it can swallow you whole and slowly digest you? Maybe he had a bad run in with one at one point.

 

I think it is more along the lines of a fear of the unknown scenario. Imagnie you are in a dump heap and something just "moved past your leg". I would probably jump ten feet high, and I'm a fearless man. And a sarcastic one too.

 

I seem to remember reading somewhere (probably in one of the RPG books or the EU, Dark Horse comix) that Dianogas are natural enemies of Wookies.

Don't ask me for clarification though, as I don't remember where I read it. Sorry.

(although, in the Dark Horse series Dark Empire, Chewie does go into a bar on Nal Hutta and order a slice of Dianoga Pie...)

 

If you want a real world answer I seem to remember reading somewhere that they couldn't afford to get the Wookie suit wet (I'm asuming it would be ruined), so keeping him scared and up by the door took care of that problem. Not to mention it was kind of funny to see the fearless wookie frightened to death of something we counldn't even see! I always wondered if that was the only costume they had during production.
I'm sure there a plenty EU explanations, none of which I know.

 

Chewie's a big coward at first but that changes in RotJ.

[tarzan-yell]Aaaaahhha AAAHhhhA AAHHAHAHHAAHH!!![/tarzan-yell]

 

One moment of fear of the unknown doth not make a coward, especially since escape was one everyone's minds on that point.

Literary purpose-wise? Comic relief. Chewie's fairly intimidating himself, yet he's having the most jittery reaction to the diagona. And to raise tension - the most fearsome member of the cast is scared of whatever's in there.

Story-wise? Well, if you were trapped in a smelly room with no way out, and there's something big and nasty skulking around underneath you making creepy noises, woudln't you be more than little freaked out? It's not like the rest of the cast didn't have the same, "Oh, crap!" reaction. Chewie just happened to be closest to the door.

 

He just didn't want to step in the dead stormtrooper goo.

 

Wouldn't you be scared? I know I would be, I would've probably crapped myself.

 

Heck, if I wasn't wearing shoes and standing in murky knee-deep water I wouldn't be too thrilled about predacious aquatic lifeforms myself..

 

Why does an elephant fear a mouse?

 

Why does an elephant fear a mouse?


Answer: they dont thats only made up.
I think it was just meant to be a funny moment in the movie.

 

An earlier version of the script had Chewbacca as a huge coward. Like the lion in Wizard. That changed, but the trash compacter scene, and the hallway scene after it remain.
As a more practical note, SITHlover is quite correct, and they didn't want to get his suit wet. But that really explains why he was standing on a box, not really why he was scared.