Grakchawwaa

During the closing years of the Galactic Republic, Grakchawwaa, a member of the Wookiee species, reigned as King over their homeworld of Kashyyyk. He participated in the Clone Wars alongside fellow Wookiee warriors like Alrrark, defending Kashyyyk from the Separatists when they invaded in 19 BBY. Armed with a Klorri-clan battle shield, Grakchawwaa stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Jedi General Luminara Unduli and the Republic clone troopers under her command as the Clone Wars neared their end. They surveyed the beach of the tree-city of Kachirho on Kashyyyk, observing the approaching Separatist forces preparing for an amphibious assault. As the Republic and local forces readied their defenses, Wookiee fighters from across the planet of Kashyyyk converged on Kachirho, recognizing its strategic importance.

Although the Separatist Alliance was defeated in the ensuing Battle of Kachirho, the [clone troopers](/article/clone_trooper] betrayed their Jedi commanders during the conflict, acting on Supreme Chancellor Palpatine's Order 66. In Kachirho, Palpatine's troopers apprehended Luminara Unduli and attempted to assassinate Jedi Grand Master Yoda, a figure highly respected by the Wookiees. With former allies now enemies, the Wookiees became targets of the clones serving Palpatine's Galactic Empire, which replaced the Republic soon after Order 66 was issued. The Empire proceeded to enslave the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, including warriors like Alrrark who had fought alongside Grakchawwaa, until New Republic forces liberated the planet in 5 ABY.

Grakchawwaa, a male Wookiee, was distinguished by his predominantly light brown fur, interspersed with patches of darker brown on his limbs. He wore his hair in five braids, each adorned with a red knot, that extended from his head down over his chest.

Just prior to the Battle of Kachirho, Grakchawwaa, like some other Wookiees, carried a Klorri-clan battle shield. He also wore a brown belt around his waist and a bandolier that crossed both shoulders, converged at his chest, and wrapped around his torso. Grakchawwaa also possessed a Wookiee helmet with a fabric neck covering, though he chose not to wear it while the Wookiee and Republic forces prepared to defend Kachirho.

Grakchawwaa makes an appearance in the 2005 film Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, part of the prequel trilogy. Within the current Star Wars canon, the name "Grakchawwaa" was first used in the 2015 mobile game Star Wars: Uprising. A 2018 card from Star Wars: Card Trader then attributed the name to the Wookiee seen in Revenge of the Sith, confirming him as the same character who was established as Grakchawwaa in the Star Wars Legends continuity.

For Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Grakchawwaa was one of eight Wookiees for whom practical costumes were created. The creature department at Industrial Light & Magic built these eight costumes for the movie, a task described in Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels as the department's biggest challenge. While actor Peter Mayhew portrayed Chewbacca during the production of Revenge of the Sith in Sydney, Australia, local extras, including basketball players and a corrections officer, wore the remaining seven costumes. The film's credits don't specify which extra played which Wookiee, but official sources have identified four of the extras with their respective roles. Process of elimination suggests that Steven Foy, James Rowland, or Julian Khazzouh played Grakchawwaa, and was either Wookiee #1, 2, or 6 in the production of Revenge of the Sith.

Each Wookiee extra underwent a full body and head casting, which was then used to create a fitted fiberglass muscle suit covered in an elastic material knitted with modacrylic hair. Scenes of Wookiees preparing for and engaging in battle on Kashyyyk in Revenge of the Sith were filmed against a bluescreen on Stage 2 at Fox Studios in Sydney. These shots, excluding those of Chewbacca and Tarfful, were captured with a single camera on May 17, 2004. Rob Coleman of Industrial Light & Magic directed the shoots, having previously discussed the Wookiees' hero shots with director George Lucas. Coleman instructed the Wookiee extras that their characters were senior Wookiee leaders, and that Chewbacca was considerably younger.

Grakchawwaa appears twice in a tracking shot within Revenge of the Sith. Early in the shot set on Kashyyyk, part of Grakchawwaa can be seen on the right side of the screen, holding a long-gun and in conversation with Lachichuk as clone troopers pass by. Later in the same shot, Grakchawwaa is fully visible on the left side of the screen, holding a shield next to Luminara Unduli. In another scene, depicting the Wookiees charging towards the Separatists on the beach, Grakchawwaa and four other Wookiee characters were filmed repeatedly rushing over a barrier. Each take involved the Wookiees assuming new positions and carrying different weapons and accessories. These shots of the Wookiee charge were then digitally combined to populate the front line of the Wookiee army. Afterward, the Wookiees were digitally duplicated to create the illusion of dozens of additional warriors standing behind them and participating in the beachfront battle. In the final cut of the film, the multiple Grakchawwaa costumes are seen holding either a long-gun or a Wookiee bowcaster.