Chewbacca is just a 'pet'? (Battle of the Heroes & Villains)
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
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Please respond to this with your nomination for which character we should do next, or vote with a thumbs up if they're already listed.
Lando
baby Yoda
Fives
Plo Koon
Commander Cody
A ‘pet’, huh? Well... someone is getting their arms ripped out of their sockets.
Raarhroar
Indeed
Thor: "...what would Han be without Chewbacca?"
Star Wars EU: Good question, let's explore that.
Disney: What's a Chewbacca?
Disney: what would Chewbacca be without Han?
Uber driver.
What would Han be without me? He took my ship, after all.
Amen
Lando Calrissian You were too busy plowing your navigator robot to notice
Chewie dying was a heroic and somber moment in the EU
If Chewie got the Falcon after Han, it would be so emotionally satisfying
@TheSonicMaster76 who is thus ray you speak of? 🤔
@@gilly9666
I'm wondering that too. In all 3 star wars films made in the 80s I can't find mention of a quotation marks Ray.
Makes more sense than him getting that stupid medal. Frankly, his life debt is paid, so if they want Rey to get the Falcon then just let Chewie turnaround and give it to Rey so he can go back to Kashyyyk with his family. But to seemingly skip over a lifelong partner for some rando in Rey? It is just one more log on the Mary Sue pyre at this point...
Rey getting the falcon pissed me off more than anything else in the sequel. They did my boi chewie wrong there.
@@camcordernonsense5264 not the ones made in the 00s either
Chewy?
A pet?
I'd dare you to say that to his face.
Don't upset a Wookie
Ben the Sith Lord
Especially not a Wookiee that has survived 3 major galactic conflicts, and is revered as a war hero.
Well, you could say that, but then we'd have to clear out some arms and the rest of the mess......😉
RAAHHHROAR!
Blake Tyson and that nephew is a veteran of the yuuzhan vong war
Logically it would have been left to Leia who would have given it straight to Chewie. In no way shape or form would/should the Falcon go to Rey. Makes no sense.
@Gaius Wyrden rey isn't related to Leia
Rey gets everything. Like her grandfather before her, she's a sith who revels at seizing the worldly possessions of everyone around her
@Gaius Wyrden what ? Liea and rey are not related
@@qui-gone Rey is like Detroit, you can't have shit around her.
Hobo With An Oboe Rey is like Chicago, you go near her, you’re probably gonna get robbed.
Reminder of things the ST just gave Rey, for reasons!:
Anakin/Luke's Lightsaber
Han's Ship
Han's Best Friend/copilot
Luke's X-Wing
Anakin/Luke's droids
The Jedi Order
Chewbacca was just another prop in the ST to tie Rey to the OT, he and the Falcon were just "member berries". The character was totally disrespected and treated no better than a prop.
At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if she rolled up in one of Queen Amidala’s headdresses. They gave her Anakin’s status as Chosen One and rendered his role moot. Why not just give her Padmé’s wardrobe without so much as a nod to my homegirl?
Ooof. That jedi order point really hurts.
Don't forget she also took the Skywalker name, Leias lightsaber and Owens/Berus homestead.
Mere C I wouldn’t be surprised if she just elects herself Queen of Naboo
@@edoboleyn Actually that would be hiliarious
Please don’t be unfair! Everyone was Rey’s pet not only Chewy...
I'd expect Rey to take Poe to the vet and get him spayed the way she was acting towards him in Rise of Skywalker.
Rey had beta male orbiters
Daisy can make me her pet.
@@moffjendob6796 ...
1% of the poll: _Gives Chewie an F_
Me: I suggest a new strategy, guys. Let the Wookiee win.
He’s not a pet he’s a real person and the best friend of Han Solo.
Then why doesn't he get a medal at the end of A New Hope? Why doesn't he get the Millennium Falcon? I would agree that he was Hans best friend, but was treated as a pet for the most part, or a secondary character if you prefer.
One of the best things I enjoyed about Solo was Chewie freeing other wookies at Kessler. It showed more of him having a life and cares beyond either being Hans friend or a short cameo in ROTS. We needed more of that and the lack of that somewhere in the sequel trilogy was a mistake. It would have been far better than Canto Bight (though that's a low bar)
Is he real like you and me? Does he gots feelings too?
Blake Tyson - * tall
He's been Han Solo's best friend since they first met on that war torn mud planet.
Love the banter between c3po and Chewbacca
There's no way Chewbacca would let some random stranger take over the Millennium Falcon and become a chauffeur.
Rey should be missing a pair of arms.
Chewbacca is the most realistic 'alien' character in every way. Not once, does he look or feel like a man in a furry suit. Peter Mayhew portrayed him with just his eyes and a tilt of the head and the chemistry between him, Harrison, Mark and Carrie made us believe in him, love him and wish he was their best friend. Joonas has done a good job succeeding Peter and his reaction to Leia's death was the ONLY emotional moment in the ClusterF that was TROS but he does not have Peter's/Chewie's eyes or height and you can tell. I would give him an A+ all day long, especially for that moment in ROTJ when he pulls a rebel comrade to safety by the scruff of the neck. I love that that Wookiee!
Looks like a man in a fursuit in one of the desert scenes inTRoS.
Yeah, and that movie looks like a pile of shit in a Star Wars suit.
Yes, he looked very realistic, especially how goofy it could easily have been done.
Of course everything in the so called 'sequels' was rubbish, so they will never count in any question.
I always loved how Han and Chewie talked in their own languages yet could hold normal conversations. It's pretty much like when I talk with my italian friend online ( I'm brazilian) we can understand what the other is saying but can't really talk in each other's language.
I still dont get why they turned chewey into Rey’s chauffeur and side kick. It makes sense with Han. He owed Han a life debt for saving him and then they became good friends and partners in crime. There is no attachment to Rey here.
Unless there is. Maybe intuitively Chewie senses Rey’s connection to Ben. Maybe they had long talks on the falcon. He did after all fill in what she was trying to figure out to say to say to Finn. This is about their relationship. Don’t forget Chewie is used to losing humans. They live for such a short time. Han would have left the ship to Leia, to eventually give to his son who he was hoping to save even with his last breath. We don’t know what Rey says to him after she gets back. He is probably the only one she would bother to tell that Ben returned to the light and that they were a Dyad in the Force. He goes along with the plan to save Ben Solo because he knows that’s what Han would have wanted after Rey convinced him there is still hope. Chewie loved Ben, that’s canon.
@@hannahpreece3651 Or maybe she just gave him an occasional reach around.
It's just as plausible as the all the other 'sequels' rubbish.
If Chewbacca is a pet, then I'm a scruffy looking nerf herder.
Who's scruffy looking ?!
i love the walking carpet
When i read the EU i almost broke down in tears at work when i got to his death. Dying fulfilling his lifedebt unlike in the Disney movies, i feel Chewbacca would have hunted down Kylo for killing Han as his Lifedebt demands. Could have had this whole thing about being conflicted about killing his best friends son and it would have been interesting.
You know, ordinarily the life debdt is passed down through generations if unfulfilled... Image him owing the life debts to Kilo Ren
@@fazepapasito8166 also rey: *closes eyes and wins cus rey*
Chewie never should have stood by while Rey was desperate to save Ren. In a real story, he would have argued her til she gave up, or he walked out on her.
"Chewbacca is not a developed character"
The holiday special: i am a joke?
Apparently it is a joke, cuz Diznee erased it from RUclips on "copyright grounds."
And yet Chewie's kid isnt in the sequel trilogy at all.
Oh yeah that's kind of like Wyoming, doesn't exist
Literally yes
@@justinthomas7222 ruclips.net/video/6hH8rxarVG8/видео.html
I was a bit insulted about Chewie still being the co-pilot. Aside from Han and Lando, he’s piloted the ship longer than anyone. He should be the pilot.
I think by TFA he'd have piloted it more than Lando no? I guess it depends on when he and Han lost it.
That's for sure
Every character was badly handled in the sequels. The utter waste of potential that Finn originally presented for example.
Ikr, utterly disrespectful honestly. He was so much more interesting and had much more of a connection to Kylo than Rey did in TFA. A stormtrooper fighting the man who once ruled over him, how badass is that. But that’s the best we ever saw of him as he was absolutely sidelined in the last two
@@pretentiousplum and just a side character who always screams after rey...
Finn’s character was HORRIFICALLY treated after TFA! Chewy became Rey’s DOG, and I also wondered why the hell that wasn’t Chewie’s ship?!
Chewbecca being higher than Anakin is ridicolous
Chewbacca above anakin, Maul, ventures, mace windu, and grievous??? No baby what is you doing 😢
Hmm ... Good question.
Chewie was Groot before Groot. Always remember that.
Considerring Chewie's lifespan, Han is the pet in this situation.
One thing that always bothered me is seeing Rey piloting the Falcon and Poe just standing in the backround. Poe is supposed to be the best pilot, why is this sand queen doing the flying?!
@@emberfist8347 Where was he in the movies?
Blake Tyson The Best pilot is Anakin Skywalker.
@@emberfist8347
Luke:Do you want to tell him, or should I?
Lando:You do it, he can't violently murder a force ghost.
Chewie:GGGGWARRGH!
@@PoopaChallupa Wedge was manning the quads in the Falcon at the battle of Exegol. A blink and you miss it moment. Canon answer for the rest of the movies is in the book Resistance Reborn, haven't read it but I know Wedge has a arc in that book.
I think a lot of the people saying "Chewbacca is static, a side character, he should get a C or lower" are sort of missing the point. As a side/supporting character, he fulfills his job perfectly. Not every character needs a long arc where they change. While I wouldn't say he's a better character than say Luke, I think it is fair to say that he was nearly perfect at supporting and making the overall story better, and does all he needs to to be a great character (and more).
EDIT: I mean this in the context of the OT. Like Thor said, in the OT Chewie was treated as an actual character, while in the ST he was a space taxi.
Yeah but that doesn't exclude chewie being a C. It's not about how iconic the character is, or how good he fits his role. With this Logic grievous must get an A because he fulfills his role as a coward Droid general perfectly. Take of the nostalgia goggles and recognize, that chewie doesn't deserve to be over Anakin or Maul
@@hydreigon2709 "Yeah but that doesn't exclude chewie being a C. It's not about how iconic the character is, or how good he fits his role. With this Logic grievous must get an A because he fulfills his role as a coward Droid general perfectly" by your logic, only main characters should get high scores, which doesn't make much sense.
Also I'm talking mechanically in the story, not role/personality level stuff like "space co-pilot dog". Grevious serves as a minor antagonist. He does it well in ROTS, but imo not perfectly, so no, I don't think he's an A.
"Take of the nostalgia goggles and recognize, that chewie doesn't deserve to be over Anakin or Maul" I'm actually not more nostalgic for the OT than I am the PT. And no, I don't think he deserves to be over Anakin (I think the reason he is was because Vader and Anakin were voted on as separate characters). With Maul, it's debatable. I like both.
@@hydreigon2709 You've been watching too much 2008 clone wars. Grievous isnt a coward. That is one of 2008 clone wars biggest failures. To see how grievous is supposed to be, I recommend watching. the 2003 clone wars.
Chewie always gets screwed over
This is Darth Bullsith of the Galactic Notification Empire! All wings, report in!
Bullsith, standing by!
Lord Momin, standing by!
You are a bold one, standing by!
Black Leader, standing by!
Gold leader standing by
Red Five standing by!
Since darth vader and anakin skywalker are the same person he should be happy with his poll results
My dudes we should vote Rey to see how badly she does.
If Rey gets a video before Tarkin and Momin, I will burn a city of force users to ash...
Everybody's gonna give her an F
@Anson Hartzler And why would you give Rey a B ?
@@dereklopez9060 in TFA, sure. Her character might be a bit... op. However, there was room for growth and she really intrigued me. But then it all fell apart, and she never got the depth she needed
Inaren Commander she gets an FF+ from me
Chewie is the partner you have that has your back and you have his there is an unspoken bond .Most people just don't get that concept .
emperor palpatine
I love Chewie, he deserves a lot more respect from lucasfilm than he gets
Han + Chewie = Rocket + Groot. Chewie was really done a diservice in the sequels.
No way he would give it to Ray
Dog bark at 7:38
I always thought that Falcon would belong to Leia (Han's wife) and she gave it to the Resistance, so the sequels would make some sense
Did Chewbacca ever tell Luke he knew Yoda?
Chewie could be one of the best, but his entire role is background character, yet he serves his purpose, serves it well, and is iconic
Yep. It's cool that he works so well. I've only ever heard of people saying any negative thing as a joke. Like he carries a purse. What a cool creation and kinda pushed back and pulled forward at times. A some approach to the character and much love returned. So cool.
@a big brute, prone to anger, ends up befriending a scoundrel and actually has a soft sensitive, sometimes kinda pathetic side (fixing 3PO, rubbing Han’s head, the Ewok trap, etc).
He’s way more developed than people realize and he serves his purpose perfectly. An A+ side character :)
I don’t think Chewy should be above Anakin
Or Darth Maul
I suggest a new strategy, Bob Burger: Let the Wookie win.
A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one
It's outrageous, it's unfair, how can a character be the centre of the story and not be above Anakin?
Imagine being voted below your scruffy nerf-herding son-in-law’s walking carpet.
Chewbacca was reduced to Driving Miss Daisy (Ridley)
Chewie reacting to Leia die broke my heart and it was so, so heartwrenching
Gaius Wyrden gr8 b8 m8
Well at least you still feel things from the ST. I can't get worked up one way or another on Star Wars anymore.
It was the only moment in TROS that was emotionally impacting for me
Leia dying made me so sad but seeing Chewie have the same reaction half made me wanna leave the cinema
@@kossend1 same
YO THOR you noted chewy would want Ben dead or not care about him because he just killed his best friend...... BUT what about the fact that Chewy was Hans Best friend, who's best friend just sacrificed himself to try to try and save his son, a Son that Chewy would have been there for as a Uncle and protector and family himself for the last 30 years helping his friend trying to figure out a way to save said son, dealing with the grief of the losses togather, having lovve and confusion in his heart for ben, Chewy would have more of a connection to Ben than Rey any day, even though violence occurred he would have a deeper understanding why that occured, Chewy should have been the one to be pushing to save ben, with Rey being the one conflicted by anger, drawing her to the dark, and chewy guiding her away by telling her stories of young ben, as he understood why Han would sacrafice himself in this way, chewy is his family, and would have compassion, Chewy would be just as conflicted to see his nephew possibly godchild going down the dark path and should be struggling with the fractured and painful divide in his own family just as much as Han....... but alas chewy was used as a prop and plot device rather than having any other meaning or impact, and treated as a throw away item
Chewbacca is the one character who shows unconditional love to those he considers friends, even if said friends don't treat him well. Take Leia for example.
In the movies, one of the few lines she speaks directly to Chewie is to call him a "walking carpet". Outside of that, she mostly ignores him as if he isn't in the room. Yet Chewbacca is always there as the gentle giant that she can fall back upon. He even is willing to allow himself to be part of a rescue plan involving Leia where she seems willing to abandon him. Yet when she dies, Chewbacca, despite her rather detached attitude towards him, is shattered by it.
Lilith: Sanctuary is yours, Ava.
The Player: stfu Randy.
Chewy should have ended up with Lando driving the Falcon in search for more adventures.
True
He was a ubee driver in the disney trilogy. He did alittlr bit in TFA but again like all the OT characters he gets disrespected
You guys just love crapping on the ST. When you guys talk about how the ST disrespected Luke I can see where you're coming from there, but the other OT characters? None of them have this drastic change in character they're just pushed to the background (not entirely like with Leia and Han), but they're not the focus it's about the new characters. We already got their story in the last trilogy. Now granted the new characters aren't that great which is disappointing because they had so much potential, but that's a problem with the character development as a whole not disrespecting the OT characters. Chewie does the exact same thing in this trilogy as he did in the last he just has less screen time which again is because the OT characters aren't the focus. I get not liking the sequels they aren't good movies I will admit but you guys just take your hate to the next level and it seems like you intentionally ignore all the good aspects, and you say the ST is the worst thing to ever hit cinema and what not. The prequels aren't good movies either and I strongly dislike them, but I still look for the good in those movies.
@@austinmoss4134 we don't intentionally ignore the good parts, there's just simply not many good parts of the sequels. As for the OG characters, sure its not their story anymore, but they should still be a big part. Leia becomes Mary Poppins, dies of old people issues, chewie is just an uber driver, Lando... eh he's fine. Han was pretty good too. Luke became a hobo and died of a stroke. Every other jedi in existence is forgotten or only gets 1 line of dialogue in ep9 when it should have been force ghosts. Actually now that i think about it, other than the B1 battle droud in the background and the jedi saying 1 line, the prequels are completely forgotten. As for the OG trilogy, everything done there was for nothing since only 30 years later the galaxy is in the exact same situation. The battle of Exegol looked cool but has lots of plot holes
Disney really did treat Chewbacca very poorly -- the character has almost no agency to speak of in any of the sequel movies, and *barely* any in Solo.
I would love to see how CT-5555 "Fives" stacks up. He was never a main character, but we got to see his full arc from cadet all the way up to ARC, and eventually his death. No other minor/side character has been given this treatment, and with the notable exception of Rex, he gives us the best look at what it is to be a clone.
Chewbacca is a good comedic relief unlike Jar Jar
Anything is better then jar jar
UUUURRRGGGHHH
Hehe funnyy
Wookiee Supremacy yes
Jar Jar Is A Sith
Oliver Formby exactly thank you. people these days are so simple minded like Jesus
What's amazing is how lovable he is and never says a word that we can truly understand outside of emotion it sounds.
How come no one mentions how different Chewie looks in the sequel trilogy?
Are people forgetting Disney gave us Solo? The movie where Chewie acted the most like a "character"?
None of the stuff Rey ends up with makes a lick of sense. Falcon, BB-8, the Skywalker name, Lukes lightsaber...
The sequel writers are fake fans for making Chewie a dumb pet
They didn’t just make him a pet, they made him irrelevant. Literally, the only thing he did in the whole trilogy was shoot Kylo.
I'mTheReverse I wish he killed him there to just end the whole triology.
@@PureLightning811 lmao ikr
I always thought it would make more sense if Chewie inherited the Falcon and Rey was the co pilot.
chewy is the most epic side kick of all times, he is not meant to be fully flushed out alone, solo is the other half of chewy and vice versa. the two characters should be considered one, Chewy represents Hans emotions.
I don't know about anyone else, but Chewie in Solo was the best he'd been since the original trilogy.
How does it make sense story wise for Han to leave the Falcon to Rey?
Chewbacca wasn't a pet, he was literally Han's sidekick. The Wookies are miss understood by most people. Chewie should have inherited the Millennium Falcon.
The Falcon should’ve gone to Chewie he was background of a background in sequels
Rey never said she owned the Falcon. She just flew it on occasion. She even refers to it as Hans ship in TROS.
I always like to imagine that both Chewie and R2 are swearing like dockers the whole time.
You can so tell he is swearing, that was brilliant sound design
Chewy is consistent
This is what they diminished him to in the sequels. There was no reason for him to be in TROS and no reason for him to be in TLJ or at least where he was tbh. He owed a life debt to han and presumably would protect leia and maybe luke. Why was he with rey? That makes no sense
Edit: While he is just a side character with very little character development, as you said, that's all he needs to be there for. I think of him like I think of Toph in ATLA. She doesn't change nearly at all besides us learning her backstory and her insecurity, but besides that and training Aang she doesn't do much besides fighting and comic relief. That being said Toph is my favorite character in ATLA and i don't see why people think it's bad to just be a side character who has already developed as much as they need to for that story, so I give him an A
Anakin is definitely a better character. He had a great CW arc though.
They should have made Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader the same answer, for the purpose of this poll.
Something that always disappointed me was the Chewy and Luke never got a scene together in the Last Jedi. I know the two of them were never the closest but the loss of Han should have given a scene between the two. How fun would have been for the two of them to be telling old stories of Han together and reminiscing about him. Maybe it would have been out of place but it's still just something.
Instead Luke seems to actively avoid Chewy after the first time he meets him. While Chewy just stays at the ship and failing to guard it from the Porgs.
I say never in a million years would Han give the Falcon to anyone before Chewie especially Rey.
No as he said in force awakens, chewie WE ARE HOME that say it was as much chewies home as han's
Rey called the Falcon garbage, The Falcon was home for Chewy.
Grand Admiral Thrawn - please
@Gaius Wyrden because it looks like thor's doing canon characters - the rebel's version.
No, he's more then a pet. He's one of the background character but I love him.
Why would the Falcon belong to Chewie? Han just got it back in The Force Awakens!!!! It belongs to whoever found it. Damn who does the Falcon belong to since Rey stole it? Maybe it was hers because she brought it to Han. I mean seriously.
When have you ever known a pet being able to fix a hyper drive chewie is exactly who he meant to be he see hears everything and say nothing but you just get him through his emotions like when he laughs at Han when Leia kisses Luke "laugh it up fuzz ball "
Friend of mine pointed out that for all Rey's longing for parents...Chewie is always there for her, he waits for her and drives her everywhere she needs to go, he takes her to meet up with a guy he personally can't stand...He's basically her Dad!
Chewbacca had the only moment I liked in The Rise of Skywalker and that was him learning Princess Leia was dead and him breaking down and crying.
Chewbacca is the heart and the muscle of every star wars team he gets grouped up in. A nice balance of both the nature and unlawful points you often see touched in star wars story. He has one of the most iconic creature designs in history despite being relatively simple. The movies never give him a big role but the roles he does play are always done wonderfully.
Han wouldn't but Disney would.
Chewie ahead of Anakin? This is outrageous, it's unfair!
Seriously though that was surprising.
Last time I was this early Chewbacca was still treated fairly.
I give Chewbacca an A+ for the passing of Peter Mayhew...R.I.P Peter Mayhew.
THANK YOU! Chewie deserved to fly the Falcon not Marey Sue...
If not chewy or lando. Han would give Leia the falcon first. Easy 3 characters before Rey
Chebacca and R2D2 had the best lines on the entire franchise, alweys excelent dialogue and witty responses.
Characters don't need a lot of character development to be an A. If a support character makes every main character around them better in every scene they're in, then it's a good support character.
In A New Hope, Peter Mayhew actually has lines. They dubbed the Chewbacca sounds in post, so it's nice to know that he's not just growling, he's actually commenting on what's happening.
Chewbacca over Anakin Skywalker....YOU CANNOT RATE SOMEONE HIGH JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE IN THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY.
Holy GOD take off the rose tinted glasses. Jesus Christ.
Can't believe Palpatine barely beat him. One of the greatest villains of all time.
@@inarencommander4663 RIGHT?! Chewie LITERALLY has no character. LET'S be real.
this is just some nonsense.
@@AceHufflepuff
While I don't think Chewbacca is a better character than Anakin, I heavily disagree with your statement that he has no character.
This channel is full of OT fanboys because Thor mostly only criticise the prequels and the sequels lmao. I try to stay away from the comment section, but I fail XD.
Chewbacca is the Sun Dance Kid to Han Solos Butch Cassidy...Same dynamic and much better together than separate. Watch Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid and think of those 2 and you get it. Butch the much more outgoing and overly chatty, Sun Dance much more quiet but good in a fight and reliable
Chewy is way MORE then a dog!!!!
Chewbacca suffered possibly the most of the Original Trilogy characters, him being the only one really around for the bulk of the sequels.
Disney made him Mary Sue's uber driver... They handled both their own characters and the original trilogy and prequel characters badly. This is why palps is alive... Rey can do anything.. Luke is the opposite of what he was... etc etc etc.
I really wish all the OG characters had died before the force awakens, that I feel would be more fitting and respectful then what JJ and Rian did.
Chewbacca. Warrior. Mechanic. Loyal friend. A+
WTF???? Rex has better ranking than Luke and Han???
I always thought that they gave Chewie Han or Lukes metal and that's why it was significant.
The fact that we can’t understand what Chewie says doesn’t make him less of a character. R2D2 doesn’t speak either, but I doubt that any Star Wars fan would consider him a ”pet” or that he lacks personality. And the films sure would suffer from not having Chewie or R2 in them.
People voting F have only seen the sequels.
A character doesn’t need to have a “main character” treatment and arc to be good! Evaluate characters based on the role they serve. Chewie was a revolutionary and beloved character for cinema from his first appearance. Y’all make me so annoyed.
Umm, Chewie saves Hans ass how many times?
As Rich Evans points out in Red Letter Media's commentary track for Return of the Jedi, in Star Wars and Empire Chewie was a co-pilot and engineer. In Return of the Jedi Chewie was more like a dog, who would be stupid enough to fall for a trap, because he's thinking with his stomach. The RLM guys also point out that Han had a character and an arc, both of which ended with Empire. I agree with them and so I'd say Return of the Jedi already laid the ground work for Chewie (and Han) being less than they originally were.
Some people hate Chewie's cameo in RotS and TCW, but I personally think it adds layers to his character.
I mean, he goes from a high ranking war hero to a petty smuggler in the streets - that's a huge transition to just ignore. In TCW, Tarful literally commanded a squad into Trandoshan territory to rescue HIM - that's how important he was to the Wookiee army. I like to imagine that played a big role when convincing Han to return to the Rebellion - not only for Han's sake, but to restore a bit of his dignity.