Jowdrrl

A female Wookiee originating from Kashyyyk, the planet, Jowdrrl was born before 100 BBY. She was part of a sizable family that included her cousins Chewbacca, Kallabow, and Shoran. These younglings spent their childhood together on the Wookiee homeworld. Jowdrrl's mother once shared a piece of advice with her young daughter: that placing a Wroshyr louse on a male Wookiee and offering to groom his fur would bind him to her forever. During her younger years, Jowdrrl maintained a close friendship with Mallatobuck, a female who harbored affections for Chewbacca and dreamed of one day marrying him. Mallatobuck felt frustrated that Chewbacca seemed more interested in mechanics than in her and was also too timid to express her true feelings to her crush. Nevertheless, Jowdrrl assisted them in developing their relationship.

On one occasion before 100 BBY, Jowdrrl and Mallatobuck were strolling through Kashyyyk's treetop levels when Mallatobuck noticed Chewbacca and his cousin Dryanta working on a starfighter. As the two females gathered lice from a Wroshyr tree, Jowdrrl shared her mother's advice with her friend. However, Mallatobuck's dropped louse landed on Dryanta's head. After the giggling girls hurried deeper into the forest, Mallatobuck found herself caught in a net. As Trandoshan slavers emerged from the forest, Jowdrrl swiftly retreated, following Mallatobuck's instructions. Jowdrrl's dropped basket of lice caused one of the pursuing slavers to slip and fall, allowing her to alert Chewbacca and Dryanta to Mallatobuck's danger. The two male Wookiees killed the Trandoshans and rescued Jowdrrl's friend.

Decades later, Kashyyyk was transformed into a slave world by the Galactic Empire, forcing Wookiees to labor on Imperial construction projects. In 2 BBY, the planet was under Imperial occupation, and an underground movement led by the Wookiee Katarra actively resisted them. Jowdrrl collaborated with Katarra to undermine the Imperial presence on her homeworld. Meanwhile, Chewbacca had sworn a life debt to the Human smuggler Han Solo and was traveling the galaxy with him. In that year, the two arrived on Kashyyyk with explosive bowcaster quarrels to sell to the resistance movement. Jowdrrl, Katarra, Dryanta, Kallabow, and other resistance fighters made their way to a cave outside the city of Rwookrrorro to meet Chewbacca and Solo, who arrived in Solo's YT-1300 light freighter, the Millennium Falcon.

Chewbacca introduced Jowdrrl and the others to Solo and Jarik, a street urchin from the Hutt moon Nar Shaddaa who was posing as Solo's long-lost relative. The Wookiees then placed the Humans into quulaar sacks and, carrying them, climbed across Wroshyr trees to Rwookrrorro, where they were greeted by Chewbacca's father Attichitcuk and several other Wookiees. Chewbacca and his companions remained in Rwookrrorro for several days, during which time he and Mallatobuck wed. Chewbacca soon departed the planet to fulfill his life debt, and he and Solo went on to join the Rebel Alliance and fight the Empire. Following the death of Galactic Emperor Palpatine in 4 ABY, Kashyyyk's Imperial Moff Hindane Darcc was overthrown, bringing an end to the Empire's Wookiee slave trade.

By 16 ABY, Jowdrrl had become a skilled mechanic and ship systems engineer. In that year, Chewbacca borrowed the Millennium Falcon from Solo and visited Kashyyyk to oversee the coming-of-age hrrtayyk ceremony of his and Mallatobuck's son, Lumpawarrump. After landing it on Rwookrrorro's Landing Platform Thyss, he entrusted the freighter to Jowdrrl and Dryanta's care. The ship and its adventures were renowned throughout the galaxy, and Jowdrrl and Dryanta felt honored to leave their homes and reside aboard it for the duration of Chewbacca's stay. Tourists from across the planet flocked to see the Millennium Falcon and have holograms taken beside it, but Chewbacca's two cousins kept the freighter sealed and arranged for the landing platform to be guarded around the chronometer. In the mornings and afternoons, when visitors were permitted, either Jowdrrl or Dryanta stood watch to ensure that the tourists remained more than an arm's length away from the ship's hull. During the several weeks that the Millennium Falcon was under their care, Jowdrrl closely examined the freighter and identified what she believed to be several weaknesses. Dryanta, a pilot, assisted her in devising improvements, and the two implemented several modifications to the ship's systems.

Given that the cockpits of YT-1300 freighters were offset to starboard and offered limited visibility to the aft and port, Jowdrrl covered the viewports of the Millennium Falcon's loading hatches and quad laser cannon turrets with custom-fitted optical transducer panels. These nearly transparent sensors routed their output to flatscreen displays in the cockpit, effectively eliminating most of the ship's blind spots. One day before the final test of Lumpawarrump's hrrtayyk, Jowdrrl and Dryanta worked through the night to finalize their modifications. They had less than an hour of work remaining the next day when Mallatobuck informed them that Chewbacca was returning to the Millennium Falcon for a rapid departure from the planet. He had just learned that Solo had been taken prisoner in the Koornacht Cluster by the Duskhan League, the Yevethan government that had recently come into conflict with the New Republic, the successor state to the Rebel Alliance. He cut his son's hrrtayyk short to honor his life debt and mount a rescue attempt.

Jowdrrl and Dryanta worked to complete their task and make the ship spaceworthy, but Chewbacca arrived sooner than they anticipated. He was furious that the ship was not ready for flight, but Jowdrrl and Mallatobuck managed to calm him down. As Chewbacca's wife and son left to prepare his belongings, Jowdrrl showed her cousin the modifications she had made, and he grudgingly approved of them. She expressed her desire to join him as a partner on his rescue mission, but he refused and initiated the ship's preflight procedure. However, Dryanta and Shoran were standing on the landing platform, wearing hunting bandoleers, and when Chewbacca left the ship and demanded to know what was happening, Jowdrrl continued the Millennium Falcon's preflight procedure. Mallatobuck presented the rest of his crew to Chewbacca, and when Shoran and Dryanta assured him that all three of his cousins were willing to risk their lives to assist him, Chewbacca relented. After Jowdrrl was joined by Dryanta and Shoran inside the Millennium Falcon, Lumpawarrump arrived and also wanted to come along, hoping to prove his worth to Chewbacca and pass his hrrtayyk at his father's side. Chewbacca accepted him, and with his strike team assembled, he took the Millennium Falcon away from Kashyyyk.

The strike team required specialized supplies and information on the reclusive Duskhan League, so their first stop was Esau's Ridge, a private smuggler's sanctuary on the planet Tholatin accessible only to elite veterans of the trade. The information broker Formayj needed several days to gather information on the Koornacht Cluster, and while the Wookiees waited, they tested and installed a firecracker mine launcher and a hull-cutting ring in place of the Millennium Falcon's escape pods. Jowdrrl also installed auto-tracking fire controllers for the quad turrets in the ship's cockpit and helped Lumpawarrump practice his fighting skills. After they had been at the ridge for a week, Formayj acquired and sold to Chewbacca a navigational map of the Koornacht Cluster, a recording of an address made to the New Republic Senate by the Yevethan Viceroy Nil Spaar, and several other intelligence documents that provided data on the Yevetha. The information had come from the clandestine New Republic Intelligence agency Alpha Blue, who had become aware of the Wookiees' mission and were covertly working to support it. Inside the Millennium Falcon, Jowdrrl and the others watched a forty-hour-old recording of Spaar addressing members of the New Republic on the HoloNet's Channel 81. The planet N'zoth was visible in the recording's background, and it became the Wookiees' destination as they lifted off from Tholatin.

Jowdrrl took her place in the Millennium Falcon's top quad turret, while Lumpawarrump was situated below in the lower turret, as the light freighter approached the edge of the N'zoth system. Soon after, Chewbacca summoned everyone to the cockpit to examine fresh data transmitted by Formayj: a New Republic Fleet Intelligence battle strategy for an Executor-class Star Dreadnought, complete with marked locations of cell blocks and hull weak points for effective breaching. Chewbacca recognized the Executor-class Star Dreadnought, named Pride of Yevetha, from previous recordings; it was one of many vessels orbiting N'zoth. He then calculated the orbital mechanics needed for a micro-jump to within one thousand meters of the Star Destroyer. Jowdrrl then went back to the quad batteries, now accompanied by Dryanta, as Shoran launched a series of firecracker mines as the Millennium Falcon initiated its micro-jump. The ship materialized from hyperspace near the Star Destroyer's starboard bow, and the cronau radiation from the jump was obscured by the light and radiation from the exploding mines. The Yevethan defense grid's sensors were overwhelmed by the detonations, which allowed Chewbacca to steer the Millennium Falcon past the Pride of Yevetha's shields and deploy more mines. Yevethan starfighters gave chase, but Jowdrrl and Dryanta returned fire from the quad batteries, destroying at least one fighter.

After Chewbacca successfully landed the freighter on the Star Destroyer's hull, Jowdrrl was surprised when the Yevethan fighters stopped firing. Chewbacca told her to stop firing as well, and once the hull-cutting ring finished cutting through the Star Destroyer's side, he stormed into the Pride of Yevetha with Shoran following. Lumpawarrump took Jowdrrl's place in the quad turret, and she began guarding the Millennium Falcon's hatch. She was confused when nine Yevethan guards walked past her without noticing her, and when she contacted Lumpawarrump and Dryanta via her comlink, they reported that numerous Yevethan starfighters were also ignoring the Millennium Falcon. Unbeknownst to the Wookiees, their presence was being disguised in the Force by Enara, a Fallanassi adept of the White Current and a fellow prisoner of Solo's. Soon after, Shoran was killed by Yevethan guards, and Chewbacca requested Dryanta's assistance. However, Lumpawarrump rushed out of the ship first, insisting on joining Dryanta. Seeing the determination in his eyes, Jowdrrl did not argue; Dryanta and Lumpawarrump then left her alone with the Millennium Falcon.

Jowdrrl experienced no further issues. Dryanta returned with Shoran's body, and shortly after, Chewbacca contacted Jowdrrl, instructing her to prepare the Millennium Falcon for pickup at a flight deck directly ahead of her current position. She sealed the hatch and, after receiving confirmation from Chewbacca, flew the ship to the flight deck and picked up Chewbacca, Lumpawarrump, and a rescued Solo. The Millennium Falcon then took off under the protection of more firecracker mines, and Chewbacca flew it towards the nearby New Republic Fifth Battle Group. They were allowed to board the starship Intrepid after Luke Skywalker, a Human friend of Solo's who was aboard the fleet carrier, recognized Chewbacca's Shyriiwook hails. Solo was placed in a bacta tank and Shoran in the ship's morgue; Skywalker and the surviving Wookiees visited Solo in the medical ward as he recovered in between bacta treatments. Their presence attracted significant attention. Chewbacca later readied the Millennium Falcon for an upcoming New Republic strike against N'zoth, but Lumpawarrump—now called Lumpawaroo after completing his hrrtayyk aboard the Pride of Yevetha and earning a new name—accompanied Solo on a medical frigate, leaving the Millennium Falcon with one less crewmember. The Duskhan League was defeated in the battle, ending their threat to the New Republic.

In 25 ABY, Chewbacca met his death on Sernpidal when its moon, Dobido, was pulled toward the planet due to a military tactic employed by the extra-galactic species of religious zealots known as the Yuuzhan Vong. Six months later, a memorial service was conducted for the fallen hero outside Rwookrrorro, and Jowdrrl was among the dozens of friends and family who attended to mourn. Ralrracheen, a Wookiee, delivered the eulogy as the group gathered around a circular wooden table. After the services concluded, the table was filled with food and drink, and the attendees shared memories of Chewbacca. Jowdrrl and several other family members approached Solo, who sat alone and heartbroken, and Mallatobuck and Lumpawaroo presented the Human with gifts. Lumpawaroo and his cousin Lowbacca were chosen to take on Chewbacca's life debt, and Jowdrrl and Dryanta planned a farewell feast for them before Solo and his family departed Kashyyyk. Jowdrrl wondered when Solo would leave, but the Human refused Lumpawaroo's and Lowbacca's offer, not yet ready to replace Chewbacca, his closest friend. Mallatobuck and Attichitcuk granted him more time to grieve, and Solo and his family left Kashyyyk to continue aiding the New Republic in its war against the Yuuzhan Vong, who had invaded and were trying to conquer the galaxy.

Throughout four years of devastating conflict, the invaders besieged much of the galaxy, even capturing the galactic capital of Coruscant. However, Kashyyyk remained largely untouched. The Wookiee world served as a New Republic base three years into the war to defend the surrounding Mid Rim of space, but when the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated in 29 ABY, Kashyyyk was still vibrant and thriving. Seven weeks after the war's end, Solo and his family returned to Rwookrrorro, and Jowdrrl and a group of Chewbacca's friends and family joined them when they visited Chewbacca's funeral site. After Solo plunged his son Anakin's lightsaber, who had died two years into the war, into a fallen tree branch at the site, Jowdrrl and the other Wookiees covered the area with leaves and vines. Everyone then went back to Rwookrrorro and enjoyed a celebratory feast; there, Lumpawaroo and Lowbacca told Solo that they would now be assuming Chewbacca's life debt. Despite the Human's initial protest, he eventually began to laugh, and Jowdrrl and the other Wookiees joined in the growing chorus of joy.

Jowdrrl, a Wookiee with chestnut fur, excelled as a starship engineer. Her analytical skills when examining starship components were exceptional, allowing her to develop enhancements for deficient systems. To determine the optimal operation of a vessel, Jowdrrl often drew parallels between its performance and a Wookiee stalking prey in Kashyyyk's forests. Despite her expertise, she readily acknowledged the contributions of others to ship systems. She was thrilled to have the opportunity to care for the Millennium Falcon, and during the mission to the Koornacht Cluster, she demonstrated her skill as a gunner.

Jowdrrl cherished her relationships with family and friends. When her friend Mallatobuck fell for her cousin Chewbacca, Jowdrrl actively fostered their connection. As a young Wookiee, Jowdrrl was a cheerful girl and had some attraction to Chewbacca's cousin Dryanta. Jowdrrl shared a close bond with Chewbacca, whom she also resembled physically; her improvements to the Millennium Falcon were intended as a gift to Han Solo to express gratitude for rescuing Chewbacca from slavery. Like Chewbacca, Jowdrrl steadfastly adhered to her conscience and personal code of honor. She insisted on accompanying her cousin to the Koornacht Cluster to rescue Solo from the Duskhan League, asserting that Chewbacca's entire family shared responsibility for his life debt to Solo. When Chewbacca refused, she disregarded him and continued the preflight procedures he had initiated before leaving the Millennium Falcon to confront his other cousins. During the Galactic Empire's occupation of Kashyyyk, Jowdrrl collaborated with the Wookiee underground resistance to undermine their operations.

In Basic, Jowdrrl's name held multiple possible meanings. The prefix "Jow" signified "space, star, sun," or "vast," while the suffix "drrl" could be interpreted as "safety, sky," or "treetop." In addition to speaking Shyriiwook, Jowdrrl was fluent in the language's Thykarann dialect, which was rich in technical terminology and valuable for describing the workings of a starship.

Author Michael P. Kube-McDowell created Jowdrrl, introducing her in his 1997 novel Tyrant's Test. Jowdrrl plays a significant role in the book, initially being entrusted with the care of the Millennium Falcon and later joining Chewbacca on a mission to rescue Han Solo from the Duskhan League's grasp. In McDowell's original outline for the novel, Chewbacca returned to Kashyyyk to find a mate and subsequently embarked on a rescue mission to save Solo, with the Millennium Falcon crewed by him and his multiple wives. However, Lucasfilm informed him that Chewbacca already had a family in Star Wars canon, prompting McDowell to revise the plotline. The revised plot focused on Chewbacca returning home to participate in his son's coming-of-age ceremony, and featured Chewbacca's cousins, rather than his wives, crewing the Millennium Falcon. Jowdrll has since made cameo appearances in several other Star Wars novels, and she received her first and, so far, only visual depiction in the 2000 comic book issue Chewbacca (2000) 1. She is also mentioned in several sourcebooks and encyclopedias.

Tyrant's Test establishes that Jowdrrl, Dryanta, and Shoran are all cousins of Chewbacca, but it does not specify their relationships to each other. The 2000 novel The New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos I: Hero's Trial identifies Shoran as the cousin of both Jowdrrl and Dryanta, but no source has yet elaborated on the familial connection between Jowdrrl and Dryanta. However, Star Wars: Chewbacca 1 depicts Jowdrrl indicating that she is attracted to Dryanta.