The Star Wars original trilogy has penetrated so deeply into popular culture that I bet you can’t find a single person alive that doesn’t know the term “Jedi knights” or the names “Darth Vader” and “Luke Skywalker.”
George Lucas’ fictional sci-fi world is as ubiquitous as most common fairytales.
The humans in the Star Wars story are great and all, but the alien and non-human protagonists are, without a doubt, some of the most remarkable features of the movies.
Characters like Yoda, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Grogu (check out our article on the little guy) make the world feel complete.
In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, we meet the fuzzy Wookiee fellow, friend to Han Solo, and often imitated cry-having Chewbacca.
We all know someone who thinks they have a dead-on Chewbacca impression, and a lot of us will remember that mom losing her mind with laughter wearing that plastic Chewbacca mask.
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Chewbacca’s Age and Birthday
Wookiees live way longer than humans, around 400 years, to be exact. Tragically, Chewie didn’t make it to full Wookiee maturity but still lived for a while.
As we explained in our article on Grogu (Baby Yoda,) years in the Star Wars universe are labeled Before or After the Battle of Yavin (AKA Battle of the Death Star.)
When Was Chewbacca Born?
To discuss this Wookiee’s age, it’s helpful to know Chewbacca’s birthday. Chewbacca was born in the year 200 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin.)
Since the Death Star is the focal point of the first installment of the original trilogy, this is very convenient.
How Old Is Chewbacca in the Original Trilogy?
The original trilogy consists of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.
Since the Battle of Yavin literally takes place in Star Wars: A New Hope, Chewbacca is 200 years old at the beginning of the first films.
Since only four years or so pass over the course of the three films, Chewbacca is 204 years old after Return of the Jedi.
How Old Is Chewbacca in Solo: A Star Wars Story?
The Han Solo movie is set around 10 BBY; even if our Wookiee bud didn’t directly confirm his age, we’d be able to calculate it with ease.
Chewbacca straight up tells Han solo his age; Chewbacca is 190 years old in Solo: A Star Wars Story, according to himself.
This lines up with his birth year of 200 BBY and the movie’s setting of 10 BBY. It’s simple arithmetic.