A myth that has surrounded the Star Wars franchise for more than forty years was busted wide open yesterday with the news that the Wookiee character, Chewbacca, was actually a man dressed in a monkey suit!
The story broke after the sad news of the death of British-born actor, Peter Mayhew, who, it has been claimed, "played" Chewbacca in the original Star Wars movie, and several others.
Fans of the series reacted angrily to the news, with some refusing to believe it.
Geoff Threepio, who is such a staunch fan, he changed his name, said:
"You can't kid a kidder! I'm a kidder, and I can't be kidded! I'm also a kid, and I know, for sure, that Chewy was a Wookiee, and not a man."
Another lifelong fan, Ben Smith, aged 6, said:
"You're living in a fantasy world! Chewy is not a man. Men aren't that big."
And even the girls were at it. Princess Leer Johnson, from Stoke, who was another one who felt the lure of fandom enough to have changed her name, said:
"Chewbacca was a 242-year-old Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk. He escaped from the planet Minban with Han Solo, and worked as Han's co-pilot on the Millennium Falcon in the smuggling trade. If Han were around, he'd confirm that."
George Lucas is 127.
