How Old Was Chewbacca When He Died In Star Wars - And How Was He Killed?
"Star Wars" characters don't get much more adored than the lumbering Wookiee who has taken to the use of a bowcaster, Chewbacca (formerly Peter Mayhew, now Joonas Suotamo). Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) best friend and co-pilot has been a widely-loved character since 1977 "Star Wars" began. He has popped up in all kinds of canon productions, taking part in tales set during the Clone Wars up to those at the tail end of the First Order-Resistance War. He's still alive in this continuity, though in the non-canon "Star Wars" Legends, his extended Wookiee lifespan only takes him so far.
Chewbacca is killed in the 1999 book "The New Jedi Order: Vector Prime" by R.A. Salvatore in the most unexpected way possible. While on the planet Sernpidal, Chewie and Han and Leia Organa's (Carrie Fisher, who had the perfect reaction to her "Star Wars" casting) child, Anakin, are nearly crushed by the moon of Dubido. He gets Anakin safely to the Millennium Falcon before impact, but he's pulled away by high winds. With the doomsday clock ticking, Anakin is left no choice but to leave Chewie behind, who accepts his fate as the cataclysm takes place. At the time of his demise, he's roughly 225 years old.
As for canon Chewbacca, not only does he avoid being crushed by a moon, but he has lived a fair amount longer than his Legends counterpart. In "Solo: A Star Wars Story," he's said to be 190, meaning that by the end of "Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker," which is set approximately 45 years later, he's somewhere in his mid-230s. Still, some feel that Lucasfilm had a prime opportunity to kill him in canon, only for the trigger to not be pulled.
Some feel Chewie should've died in The Rise of Skywalker
In one of the most emotionally poignant moments in the frequently confusing "Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker" — at least on first viewing — it appears Chewbacca is killed. Rey (Daisy Ridley) tries to prevent him from falling into First Order custody, grabbing the transport he's been captured on with the Force. Unfortunately, her Palpatine side slips out, resulting in her shooting a bolt of lightning from her fingers and destroying the ship. She and her allies mourn Chewie's demise, only for it to be revealed that he was actually on a different transport and that he's perfectly fine. They rescue him, and all is well.
Some feel "The Rise of Skywalker" should've gone through with Chewie's death. "But in an otherwise boring movie, when Rey shot lightning at the ship and thought Chewbacca had died I actually thought they'd take some stakes in what they were promoting to be the "finale" to these characters," wrote Redditor u/8CDragon3000 in a thread on the topic. A good amount of the commenters disagreed with that assessment, but not all. Some, like a now-deleted Redditor, felt the fake-out and the subsequent one involving C-3PO's (Anthony Daniels) memory loss hurt the movie, and u/Shire_Hobbit believed that Chewbacca's death could've been more impactful than Han's.
Regardless of where you stand on "The Rise of Skywalker" and Chewbacca's death fake-out, the fact is that the iconic Wookiee isn't likely to go anywhere. He's universally loved, one of the final original trilogy characters around, and a merchandise mover. He may disappear from the spotlight, but it's doubtful he'll ever be killed off — by a moon, lightning, or any other method.