TheForce.Net - Episode III - Just The Facts

Just The Facts: Story & Characters

Maintained By -Commander_Thigh-

Last Updated: February 6th, 2005

Please note, the info in this section contains spoilers.

Aayla Secura
Anakin Skywalker
Bail Organa
C-3PO
Chewbacca
Clonetroopers
Count Dooku
Creatures
Droids
EU Character
General Grievous
Jar Jar Binks
Ki-Adi-Mundi
Luke & Leia
Mace Windu
Mon Mothma
Nute Gunray & Neimodians
Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi
Owen & Beru Lars

Padmé Skywalker
Palpatine
R2-D2
Tion Meddon
Wookiees
Yoda
Other Character Info

The Duel
Fights & Battles

Timeline
Color & Theme
Plot Points
Ships & Vehicles
Scenes
Sets & Locations

Overall

(Blue text indicates an update)

Wookies

We will see wookiees in action and "it is something to see". - DG
"Some teams of Republic Commandos fighting side by side with Wookiees on Kashyyyk before the major Separatist invasion of that planet in the film happens." -Star Wars: Republic Commando game preview
There will not be any wookiees related to Chewbacca (i.e. "Holiday Special" family) . All wookiees are supporting characters and only Chewbacca has a name. - PH
The wookiee dialogue will not be subtitled. Much like Chewbacca in the original trilogy, what the Wookiees are saying will be conveyed by the reactions of those around them. - PH
In some shots, only the Wookiees' knees are seen behind Yoda. - OS
On the set, the Wookiees don't need to vocalize, but occasionally, Michael Kingma (Tarfful) and Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) do speak dialogue to better time the scene. "Let's get out of here" sounds very unusual coming from a Wookiee mouth. These scenes are shot MOS (without sound). The Wookiee roars will be added in later, a bizarre mixture of ursine and other feral sources. - OS
The designs for the Wookiees don't stray too far from the original sidekick Chewbacca. - OS
"[The Wookiee suits] are basically being built exactly the same as the original Chewie, so the actors have control of their own mouths," Elsey explains. "So when they open their jaws the lips move and the eyes are theirs, so you're basically looking into the eyes of the actors who are inside the Wookiees." - DE
A garrulous grouping of angry Wookiees spring forth from cover and begin their attack. - OS
The corporate barons of the Confederacy got more than they bargained for when they agreed upon a hostile takeover of Kashyyyk. - OS
Because there's going to be a lot of other Wookiees about, we don't want anybody to be confused which one is Chewbacca. - DE
The noble Wookiee warriors must defend one of their lagoon-side tree cities from encroaching Separatist droid forces. - OS
Yoda heads to Kashyyyk in Episode III because he is said to have good relations with the Wookiees. - OS
Aiding the Wookiees in their battle against the Separatists are clone troopers with the latest military hardware. - OS
"The Wookiees have a much bigger role in this movie than they've ever had before." - DE
The Wookiee warrior Chewbacca battles beside fellow warrior Tarfful to save their home planet from the invading Separatist forces. Yoda leads the courageous fight to save Kashyyyk from domination. - AFCB
Axel Dench plays an imposing Wookiee bedecked in armor and braids. - OS
The Confederacy droids attack a lagoon-side tree village, with hundreds of Wookiees fighting back. The Wookiees are bolstered by clone trooper ranks and the heavily armored vehicles of the Republic. - OS
In one scene, the Wookiee Tarfful must clear some foliage to make good an escape. - OS
A large tree serves as the Wookiee headquarters on Kashyyyk. - JB
We'll see Wookiees in positions of authority. - PH
The lagoon-side tree cities of Kashyyyk are teaming with Wookiees, warriors and civilians both. - OS
One shot shows hundreds of Wookiees running out from out of cover, striking against Corporate Alliance and Trade Federation droids. - OS
As reference material for the speed of running Wookiees, video was pulled up of Chewbacca loping through the Death Star from A New Hope. - OS
During the Wookiee shoot, appleboxes, c-stands and tennis balls stand for Jedi holograms, clone troopers and departing starships. - OS
It isn't all epic battles. In some cases, the Wookiee extras are guiding in helicopter traffic, loading supplies on landing platforms, or barking orders to clones and other Wookiees. In other cases, it's Wookiees leading clone troopers into the fray, jumping out from behind cover and charging forward, or recoiling from a near miss of heavy ordnance. - OS
"We wanted to have a sort of high-tech Frank Lloyd Wright feel where the Wookiees incorporated the natural environments into their living conditions," says Ryan Church. "George was very specific about not wanting to see the same thing over and over again. We're visiting a lot of planets in Episode III, so when we cut to Kashyyyk really quickly, you have to know where you are." The end result will be a single city on Kashyyyk that straddles several massive trees. Though other published sources have explored the thickest areas of jungle canopy, Episode III's location is on the shore of a tree-lined lagoon, offering greater visual dynamics and story potential. - Ryan Church
In Episode III, Kashyyyk will be at war, and as such, the Art Department needed to develop Wookiee instruments of warfare. "We wanted it to look distinct from what the rest of the cultures in the Star Wars universe use," says Ryan Church. "Feng Zhu did a lot of these technical illustrations, and came up with a very unique aesthetic. I wanted to come up with a type of vehicle that implied that only a Wookiee could handle it. Like they took some kind of technology that's out there, and they commandeered it and modified it for their own use." - Ryan Church
[The Wookiees'] gorgeous workmanship also shows up in the ground battle with their elaborate weaponry and the war machines. Their guns are made with hammered copper and the mixed metals and the design aspect alone of what they're using to fight with is amazing. - OS

When the Separatists invade the Wookiee world of Kashyyyk, Yoda leads the Republic's clone army into battle. Assisted by the mighty Wookiees Chewbacca and Tarfful, Yoda barely escapes a surprise ambush when the Clone Wars take a fateful turn. - MR

Acronym Key:

GL = George Lucas (Director)
OS = Official Site (starwars.com)
RM = Rick McCallum (Producer)
CF = Colin Fletcher (First Assistant Director)
NP = Natalie Portman (Actress)
HC = Hayden Christensen
RB = Roger Barton (Film Editor)
IM = Ian McDiarmid (Actor)
GT = Genndy Tartakovsky (Clone Wars Animated Series Creator)
C2 = Celebration II
BB = Ben Burtt (Sound Editor)
JEJ = James Earl Jones (Voice Actor)
JK = John Knoll (Visual Effects/ILM)
PE = Paul Ens (Official Site)
GB = Gavin Bocquet (Production Designer)
JE = Joel Edgerton (Actor)
PM = Peter Mayhew (Actor)
RC = Rob Coleman (Visual Effects/ILM Supervisor)
AA = Amy Allen (Actress)
BS = Bruce Spence (Actor)
BL = Bai Ling (Actress)
CSC = Caroline de Souza Correa (Actress)
NG = Nikki Gooley (Makeup Supervisor)
JB = Jon Berg (Modelmaker)
EL = Euisung Lee (Animatics Artist)
LP = Lorne Peterson (Modelmaker)
DW = David Weitzberg (Visual Effects Artist)
MR = Master Replicas (Prop Replica Company)
DE = Dave Elsey (Creature Shop Creative Supervisor)
AD = Anthony Daniels (Actor)
MW = Matthew Wood (Supervising Sound Editor/Voice Actor)
TB = Trisha Biggar (Costume Designer)
SLJ = Samuel L. Jackson (Actor)
PH = Pablo Hidalgo (Official Site, Webcam)
RC = Ryan Church (Concept Artist)
DG = Dan Gregoire (Pre-Visualization Effects Supervisor)
DB = Don Bies (Droid Unit Supervisor)
NG = Nick Gillard (Stunt Coordinator/Swordmaster)
THC = Topps Heritage Card
AFCB = Action Figure Card Back
MK = Michael Kingma (Actor)
CL = Christopher Lee (Actor)
JL = James Luceno (Writer)
BG = Brian Gernand (Model Supervisor)