A humanoid ( / ˈ h juː m ən ɔɪ d / ; from English human and -oid "resembling") is a non- human entity with human form or characteristics. By the 20th century, the term came to describe fossils which were morphologically similar, but not identical, to those of the human skeleton .
57-549: Wookiees ( / ˈ w ʊ k iː z / ) are fictional humanoid aliens in the Star Wars universe, native to the forest planet Kashyyyk . They are distinguished from humans by their gigantism , hirsutism , and physical strength . The most prominent Wookiee in the films is Chewbacca , the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon , and best friend to Han Solo . According to an interview with creator George Lucas ,
114-416: A humanoid of dinosaur origin. Over geologic time, Russell noted that there had been a steady increase in the encephalization quotient or EQ (the relative brain weight when compared to other species with the same body weight) among the dinosaurs. Russell had discovered the first Troodontid skull, and noted that, while its EQ was low compared to humans, it was six times higher than that of other dinosaurs. If
171-509: A Wookiee back there", and thus the word was born. "Wookey" was the surname of a friend, Ralph Wookey, and McGovern thought it would be a funny in-joke to include his friend's name in the soundtrack for THX-1138 . In one episode of Animal Planet 's series Animal Icons , focusing on the creation of Star Wars figures, it was revealed that the Wookiees were also based on orangutans and lemurs , which are long-haired creatures that live in
228-584: A Wookiee...droids don't pull people's arms out of their sockets when they lose. Wookiees are known to do that." In response, C-3PO says "I suggest a new strategy, R2: let the Wookiee win. " This phrase (sometimes referred to by its initialism LTWW) has gained the proverbial meaning of "In trivial disputes, let the person who cares more have their way." It can also be interpreted as advice to avoid arguments, especially those with shallow motivation such as to appear more intelligent than one's opponent. The phrase and
285-428: A bandolier, containing energy cartridges for his blaster. Wookiees greatly value morality, courage, compassion, and loyalty. A sacred and ancient Wookiee tradition is that of the honor family . An honor family is composed of a Wookiee's closest friends and companions. These family members pledge a commitment to lay down their lives for one another, as well as members of any honor families these individuals may have. Like
342-543: A fearsome appearance and temperamental disposition, Wookiees are very intelligent and are very adept at handling advanced technology. Chewbacca is co-pilot of and performs maintenance on the Millennium Falcon , and also possesses a working knowledge of robotics, managing to haphazardly reassemble C-3PO after he was destroyed by Imperial stormtroopers in The Empire Strikes Back . Wookiees are fast learners; Chewbacca commandeers an Imperial AT-ST during
399-405: A generally humanoid shape is likely, though octopus- or starfish-like bodies are also possible. An opposing view is given by Mike Wall, who argues that intelligent extraterrestrials able to contact Humans would most likely have reached a phase allowing them to develop themselves into machines. Several in-universe explanations have been offered for the abundance of humanoids. One of the more common
456-494: A hierarchy of cooperating systems that make up any organism . Luis Villazon points out that animals that move necessarily have a front and a back; as with animals on Earth , sense organs tend to gather at the front as they encounter stimuli there, forming a head . Legs reduce friction, and with legs, bilateral symmetry makes coordination easier. Sentient organisms will, Villazon argues, likely use tools, in which case they need hands and at least two other limbs to stand on. In short,
513-564: A hot forest climate. The net effect in terms of the Wookiees' appearance is a marked resemblance to descriptions of the legendary Sasquatch of the Pacific Northwest . In the Star Wars universe, adult Wookiees are typically taller than most humans, averaging 2.21 meters (7 feet 3 inches). They also possess enormous strength. Han Solo states that a Wookiee can pull a man's arms out of his sockets if angered. Wookiees have
570-425: A keen sense of smell, are fully covered with a thick coat of hair (though some can be susceptible to balding), have good hand–eye coordination, and are shown to be excellent marksmen. Wookiees have been shown in many diverse environments, such as those of Hoth , Tatooine , and Endor , never wearing any protective clothing or showing any signs of discomfort. Wookiees have a life span of several hundred years: Chewbacca
627-400: A mixture of traditional, almost primitive-appearing woodwork and decorations intermixed with starships and energy generators. Due to their heavy coats of long fur, Wookiees do not generally wear clothes - though for practical purposes they will wear toolbelts, etc. Matching the anachronistic appearance of their cities, a Wookiee such as Chewbacca resembles a primitive humanoid bear wearing only
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#1732765152156684-720: A multitude of worlds toward a humanoid form. In the television series Stargate SG-1 , the Jaffa are explained as being a hundred-thousand year offshoot of humanity bred by the Goa'uld to suit their purposes, hence their almost-human appearance and physiology, while many other "alien" characters are actually the descendants of human- slaves who were removed from Earth by the Goa'uld. Any humans isolated on multiple planets after 100k+ years of adaptations would most certainly seem "alien" to Earthlings. Similarly, in its spin-off show Stargate Atlantis ,
741-410: A navel, as a placenta aids the development of a large brain case. However, it would not have possessed mammary glands and would have fed its young, as birds do, on regurgitated food. He speculated that its language would have sounded somewhat like bird song . Russell's thought experiment has been met with criticism from other paleontologists since the 1980s, many of whom point out that his Dinosauroid
798-519: A real person as possible, although these words are frequently perceived to be synonymous with a humanoid. While there are many humanoid robots in fictional stories, some real humanoid robots have been developed since the 1990s, and some real human-looking android robots have been developed since 2002. Similarly to robots, virtual avatars may also be called humanoid when resembling humans. Deities are often imagined in human shape (also known as " anthropotheism "), sometimes as hybrids (especially
855-498: A result of similar evolutionary pressures. American psychologist and Dinosaur intelligence theorist Harry Jerison suggested the possibility of sapient dinosaurs. In a 1978 presentation at the American Psychological Association , he speculated that dromiceiomimus could have evolved into a highly intelligent species like human beings. In his book, Wonderful Life , Stephen Jay Gould argues if
912-857: A significant difference between the two. Wookiees have an understanding of Star Wars -universe warfare and fought alongside Republic forces during the Clone Wars . Wookiees were betrayed and enslaved shortly after that conflict, as well as on certain occasions during the war by the Separatist Alliance. Some Wookiees are shown to be sensitive to the Force , including Gungi, who appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Chewbacca's nephew Lowbacca, and Kelnacca, who appeared in The Acolyte . The most common Wookiee language
969-634: A trait of primates , crows , and dolphins , at some point. In 1982, Dale Russell , curator of vertebrate fossils at the National Museum of Canada in Ottawa , conjectured a possible evolutionary path that might have been taken by the dinosaur Troodon had it not perished in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago, suggesting that it could have evolved into intelligent beings similar in body plan to humans, becoming
1026-499: Is Shyriiwook . However, other dialects used by Wookiees from Kashyyyk are Thykarann and Xaczik. Wookiees are capable of understanding Galactic Basic , but generally none are able to speak it because of the structure of Wookiee vocal tract . In the original Star Wars trilogy, it seems that Chewbacca can understand humans. His human partner, Han Solo , also shows knowledge of Shyriiwook, or can at least understand Chewbacca; in Solo it
1083-419: Is 200 years old during the original trilogy and is still in his prime. "Chewie" has also appeared twenty years before at the end of the prequel trilogy, and thirty years later in the sequel trilogy, yet his appearance does not significantly change across this fifty-year time span. The Wookiees of Lucas's fictional universe are usually depicted as devoted, loyal friends and very distrustful of strangers. Despite
1140-594: Is a male Wookiee who is training to be a Jedi. Gungi appears in Star Wars: The Clone Wars . Gungi was trained as a youngling by Ahsoka Tano and was at the top of his class. He also appeared in season 2 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch . Black Krrsantan first appeared in the Darth Vader comic series as an antagonist and later appeared in The Book of Boba Fett , where he is an assassin for
1197-471: Is a robot that is based on the general structure of a human, such as a robot that walks on two legs and has an upper torso, or a robot that has two arms, two legs and a head. A humanoid robot does not necessarily look convincingly like a real person, for example, the ASIMO humanoid robot has a helmet instead of a face. An android (male) or gynoid (female) is a humanoid robot designed to look as much like
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#17327651521561254-452: Is a type of secondary suite . It is a part of a house or a separate structure on the same lot that may contain a relative but which may not be rented to the general public. The word is referenced in Disney's 2002 film, Lilo & Stitch , and throughout its franchise ("ʻOhana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind—or forgotten."). This Hawaiʻi -related article
1311-531: Is overly anthropomorphic. Gregory S. Paul (1988) and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. , consider it "suspiciously human" (Paul, 1988) and Darren Naish has argued that a large-brained, highly intelligent troodontid would retain a more standard theropod body plan, with a horizontal posture and long tail, and would probably manipulate objects with the snout and feet in the manner of a bird, rather than with human-like "hands". (Although bipedal dinosaurs often do have hands , if they don't turn them into wings.) A humanoid robot
1368-603: Is shown that Han does indeed have the ability to speak Shyriiwook at a rudimentary level. In the Star Wars expanded universe novels, Chewbacca builds a miniature translator droid ("Em Teedee") for his nephew Lowbacca when he later begins training as a Jedi , to facilitate communications with his fellow students. In the Star Wars films, Chewbacca carries a "bowcaster," the traditional weapon developed and used by Wookiees. Bowcasters launch quarrels , crossbow bolts that through magnetic propulsion appear as elongated blaster bolts due to their velocity. The propulsion technique gives
1425-404: Is that authors use the only example of intelligent life that they know, humans. In live-action television and films, using humanoid aliens makes it easier to cast human actors to portray alien characters. A study by the zoologist Sam Levin suggests that aliens might indeed resemble humans, given that they are presumably subject to natural selection . Levin argues that this can be expected to produce
1482-529: Is that the humanoids in the story have evolved on an Earth-like planet or natural satellite , totally independently from Humans on Earth . However, some works have offered alternative explanations: In Star Trek , the explanation is given that a primordial humanoid civilization, the Ancient humanoids , seeded the Milky Way Galaxy with genetically engineered cells to guide the evolution of life on
1539-482: Is the loyal friend of Han Solo and serves as first mate and co-pilot on Solo's starship, the Millennium Falcon . As such, he appears in seven of the main Star Wars films, episodes III through IX, as well as in Solo: A Star Wars Story . Lowbacca is a Jedi Knight and the nephew of Chewbacca. He studied at Luke Skywalker's Jedi Praxeum and was a companion of Jaina Solo . He wielded a bronze-bladed lightsaber. Gungi
1596-583: Is the tropical, forested home world of the Wookiees. In the original scripts for Return of the Jedi , the second Death Star was to be built in orbit around Kashyyyk by Wookiee slave labor, with the primitive Wookiees ultimately helping the rebels to fight off the Imperial garrison. However, Lucas decided that since the Wookiee Chewbacca , being co-pilot and mechanic on the Millennium Falcon ,
1653-1036: The Marvel Comics Star Wars and in the newspaper comic strip "The Kashyyyk Depths," by artist Russ Manning . In the "Chewbacca" comic series, set during the New Jedi Order era, many scenes are set on Kashyyyk as well. It is written as 'Kazhyyk' in Way of the Wookiee! in the Marvel Illustrated Books. November 1981. ISBN 0-9604146-8-1 Kashyyyk appears in the video games Star Wars: Galaxies , Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds , Star Wars: Battlefront , Star Wars: Battlefront II , Star Wars: Republic Commando , Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars: Empire at War , Lego Star Wars: The Video Game , Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga , Star Wars: The Force Unleashed , Star Wars Battlefront II , Star Wars: Knights of
1710-592: The gods of Ancient Egyptian religion ). A fragment by the Greek poet Xenophanes describes this tendency, ...Men make gods in their own image; those of the Ethiopians are black and narrow-nosed, those of the Thracians have blue eyes and red hair. In animism in general, the spirits innate in certain objects (like the Greek nymphs ) are typically depicted in human shape, e.g. spirits of trees ( Dryads ), of
1767-607: The Battle of Endor and is shown effectively maneuvering the vehicle and operating its weapons systems. He also fought during the Clone Wars alongside Jedi Grand Master Yoda . Chewbacca is also shown to be an adept strategist at holo-chess (leading to his surprise when R2-D2 outmaneuvered him in a game). Wookiee cities on their home planet Kashyyyk, as seen in Revenge of the Sith , are built atop giant forest trees. Their society contains
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1824-647: The Black Lagoon , made in 1954 by Jack Arnold . Ohana ʻOhana is a Hawaiian term meaning " family " (in an extended sense of the term , including blood-related, adoptive or intentional). The term is cognate with Māori kōhanga , meaning "nest". The root word ʻohā refers to the root or corm of the kalo , or taro plant (the staple "staff of life" in Hawaii), which Kanaka Maoli consider to be their cosmological ancestor. In contemporary Hawaiian real estate jargon, an " ʻohana unit"
1881-520: The Czerka Corporation's explorers, around 4,000 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin ), it was given the catalogue name G5-623 , sometimes known as Edean. Czerka conducted extensive Wookiee-slaving operations on "Edean," as well as hunting several of its species almost to extinction. To ensure a relatively peaceful presence, Czerka supported the installation of friendly chieftains into power over
1938-594: The Empire raided Chewie's home. They did not find him. Darth Vader also discovered his secret apprentice Galen Marek while raiding Kashyyyk in The Force Unleashed . On another such occasion, the Rebel Alliance, before the destruction of the first Death Star, formed a plan to free the Wookiee population from enslavement. Together with Han Solo , the Rebel Alliance attempted to raid the planet but
1995-496: The Hutt Twins. He attacked Boba Fett while he slept in his bacta tank. Kelnacca is a Wookiee Jedi Master introduced in The Acolyte and played by Joonas Suotamo , who previously portrayed Chewbacca in the sequel trilogy films and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). In A New Hope , when Chewbacca is upset after losing a game of dejarik (a game similar to chess ) against R2-D2 , Han Solo says "It's not wise to upset
2052-670: The Old Republic , Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order , and Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga . Kashyyyk appears in the various Disney theme parks attraction Star Tours – The Adventures Continue . In the millennia before the rise of the Galactic Republic , Kashyyyk was a member world of the Infinite Empire . Its surface was terraformed by the Rakata , resulting in the abnormally large foliage which still covers
2109-542: The Wookiees in their battle against the Separatist Droid Army. In Revenge of the Sith the Wookiees live in the lush forests and giant jungles on the planet, in villages among the giant wroshyr trees. Phuket , Thailand was used for main photography, while the backdrops for Kashyyyk were filmed in Guilin , a city in southern China , which is famous for its karst formations. The planet's unique biosphere
2166-900: The ability to walk on heels and metatarsals in an upright position). Humanoids may also include human-animal hybrids (where each cell has partly human and partly animal genetic contents) and human-animal chimeras (where some cells are human and some cells are animal in origin). Science fiction media frequently present sentient extraterrestrial lifeforms as humanoid as a byproduct of convergent evolution . Humanoid characters are defined by their human-like physical characteristics and forms, which can vary. These characters may appear entirely human, predominantly human-like (e.g., Saiyans from Dragon Ball Z , Martians and Kryptonians from DC Comics ), or they may possess general non-human traits while still having human-like physical characteristics (e.g., human-like Pokémon , ThunderCats characters, various characters from The Amazing World of Gumball ). In
2223-521: The attitude it describes have been criticized as potentially justifying the enabling of an abuser. Humanoid Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it is now considered rare. More generally, the term can refer to anything with distinctly human characteristics or adaptations, such as possessing opposable anterior forelimb - appendages (i.e. thumbs), visible spectrum - binocular vision (i.e. having two eyes), or biomechanic plantigrade - bipedalism (i.e.
2280-523: The clones successfully defended the planet from Separatist advances. Jedi Quinlan Vos and Luminara Unduli were on Kashyyyk during Order 66. Before Order 66 was given, an elite squad of clones known as Delta Squad arrived, delaying the Separatist advance on Kashyyyk. During the period of the Galactic Empire's reign, Kashyyyk, like all other planets in the galaxy , was forced into obeying
2337-648: The explanation offered for the humanoid appearance of the Wraith is that the Wraith evolved from a parasite which incorporated human DNA into its own genome after feeding on humans, giving the Wraith their present form. In the field of ufology , humanoid refers to any of the claimed extraterrestrials which abduct human victims, such as the Greys , the Reptilians , Nordics , and Martians . In fantasy settings
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2394-500: The inspiration for the Wookiee was Lucas's dog , Indiana (whose name is used in Lucas's Indiana Jones movies): "He was the prototype for the Wookiee. He always sat beside me in the car. He was big, a big bear of a dog." The species' name was inspired when, during the climactic chase scene in THX 1138 , one of the robotic cops, voiced by actor Terry McGovern , improvises: "I think I ran over
2451-486: The latter case, they often overlap with anthropomorphic characters, with humanoid characters being a subtype of anthropomorphism, specifically in terms of physical characteristics. Although there are no known humanoid species outside the genus Homo , the theory of convergent evolution speculates that different species may evolve similar traits, and in the case of a humanoid these traits may include intelligence and bipedalism and other humanoid skeletal changes , as
2508-445: The native tribes and would then prop them up with mercenaries and weapons shipments. In response, the chieftains would train their tribe to understand Galactic Basic (ostensibly to "know thine enemy" but in reality to make them better slaves) and allow Czerka to enslave a percentage of the tribe's population. Eventually Czerka was driven out by Revan and rebel Wookiees. During the Clone Wars of 22 to 19 years BBY, Kashyyyk fought on
2565-469: The planet's surface in modern times. Its ecology can be politely described as a "layered deathtrap," the planet's surface being encompassed in shadow by wroshyr trees that are many miles high. The dangerous and hostile animals increase closer to the forest floor. Hidden on the planet's surface is a Star Map, another piece in the puzzle of the location of the Star Forge . When Kashyyyk was discovered by
2622-428: The policies of the Empire. On one such occasion, following the destruction of the first Death Star , the Empire, under the direction of Darth Vader , went on a search for the rebels responsible. Kashyyyk was put under a blockade, along with Tatooine , in an attempt to locate Han Solo and Chewbacca . It was on a day when Chewbacca was returning home to his family to celebrate the sacred Wookiee holiday of Life Day that
2679-500: The quarrels extremely high stopping power. Chewbacca in particular is shown to be an excellent shot, killing a Stormtrooper who was attempting to escape on a speeder bike in Return of the Jedi . The spring that powers the bowcaster is extremely hard to pull back; humans are generally incapable of cocking a bowcaster, although Han Solo was seen to do so. Kashyyyk ( / k ə ˈ ʃ iː k / kə-SHEEK ), as depicted in Star Wars media,
2736-753: The side of the Galactic Republic. During one such battle, Yoda of the Jedi Council flew to Kashyyyk to assist in the fighting. This particular battle, known as the Battle of Kashyyyk , would be one of the last battles fought in the Clone Wars before the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire. During this battle, Order 66 was initiated and two clones unsuccessfully attempted to kill Yoda. Yoda later escaped with help from his friends and prominent Wookiees, Chewbacca and Tarfful. After this,
2793-455: The similarly sacred Wookiee life debt, Wookiees are willing to extend this tradition to members outside their species. Chewbacca considered Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo , their children, and Luke Skywalker part of his honor family. In the Solo film, Han says that the Wookiee words for "tribe/friends" and "family" are so similar he has trouble distinguishing them. Wookiees themselves don't recognize
2850-403: The tape of life were re-wound and played back, life would have taken a very different course. Simon Conway Morris counters this argument, arguing that convergence is a dominant force in evolution and that since the same environmental and physical constraints act on all life, there is an "optimum" body plan that life will inevitably evolve toward, with evolution bound to stumble upon intelligence,
2907-595: The term humanoid is used to refer to a human-like fantastical creature, such as a dwarf , elf , gnome , halfling , goblin , troll , orc or an ogre , and Bigfoot . In some cases, such as older versions of the game Dungeons & Dragons , a distinction is made between demi-humans , which are relatively similar to humans, and humanoids, which exhibit larger differences from humans. Animals that are humanoid are also shown in fantasy. Humanoids are also used in some old horror movies, for example in Creature From
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#17327651521562964-651: The trend in Troodon evolution had continued to the present, its brain case could by now measure 1,100 cm ; comparable to that of a human. Troodontids had semi-manipulative fingers, able to grasp and hold objects to a certain degree, and binocular vision. Russell proposed that this " Dinosauroid ", like most dinosaurs of the troodontid family, would have had large eyes and three fingers on each hand, one of which would have been partially opposed . As with most modern reptiles (and birds), he conceived of its genitalia as internal. Russell speculated that it would have required
3021-406: The woodlands (the hybrid fauns ), of wells or waterways ( Nereids , Necks ), etc. With regard to extraterrestrials in fiction , the term humanoid is most commonly used to refer to alien beings with a body plan that is generally like that of a human, including upright stance and bipedalism , as well as intelligence. In much of science fiction , humanoid aliens are abundant. One explanation
3078-545: Was clearly proficient with advanced technology, it would be confusing to show the Wookiees with a primitive, "Stone Age" culture. Endor and the Ewoks were created instead to serve this purpose. Lucas has also said that he originally planned Yavin 4 , the location of the rebel base in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , to be the Wookiee home planet of Kashyyyk, but subsequent rewrites changed this. Kashyyyk
3135-567: Was first detailed in The Wookiee Storybook . The planet was revealed to be a densely forested planet, on which one can encounter vast plains and island areas suitable for large, sweeping battles. It was in this book that the family of Chewbacca once again appears in a situation similar to that of the Holiday Special . The planet appears in several other books, as well. Among them are: Kashyyyk also features in issue #91 of
3192-592: Was first seen in the Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), as the program's frame story takes place there, with the backdrop of the planet being taken directly from concept art by Ralph Mcquarrie . In the Holiday Special , the first mention of the planet carries the pronunciation "ka-ZOOK." The planet was more extensively seen in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith , in which Jedi Master Yoda goes to Kashyyyk to aid
3249-547: Was ultimately stopped by the Empire. Han Solo then fled in the Millennium Falcon . Following the defeat of the Empire, Kashyyyk joined the New Republic and its successor state the Galactic Alliance, formed by the leaders of the Rebel Alliance. In the novel Inferno , large portions of Kashyyyk are destroyed in retaliation for their acceptance of several Jedi who opposed Darth Caedus's regime. Chewbacca
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