The Medal of Bravery, also known by the names Medal of Alderaan and Medal of Yavin, represented an award of distinction bestowed upon individuals for acts of heroism while serving the Rebel Alliance. This medal was a symbol of great honor.
Following the monumental destruction of the Galactic Empire's dreaded battle station, the Death Star, by Luke Skywalker, with assistance from both Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa, the princess presented both of them with medals to honor their bravery. At a formal ceremony that occurred at the Rebel base situated on Yavin 4 after the Battle of Yavin, she placed these medals around their necks. Chewbacca was also awarded such a medal, though his was not presented during the public ceremony.
The medal's design featured an engraved, stylized flower reminiscent of an emblem once utilized by the ancient Galactic Republic. At the center of the flower was a stylized rising sun, symbolizing the emergence of a new hope following the Alliance's triumph over the Galactic Empire.
Solo created several duplicates of his medal, which he would occasionally sell to acquire credits when funds were needed. Following the battle for Jedha, he presented one of these medals to Ubin Des.
In order to settle a debt with Maz Kanata, Solo gave the pirate queen what he claimed to be his medal, which she then kept within her castle on Takodana. During the New Republic Era, Karr Nuq Sin, a Force-sensitive individual, journeyed to Takodana to deliver a package to Kanata on behalf of Dok-Ondar. While at the castle, Sin touched the medal as part of a test by Kanata, and revealed to the pirate that Solo had actually given her Skywalker's medal.
Following Solo's death at the hand of his son, Kylo Ren, Organa retained the medal she had bestowed upon Solo on Yavin 4, keeping it with her. After the Battle of Exegol in 35 ABY, the Resistance celebrated the demise of Darth Sidious and the destruction of the Sith Eternal at their base located on Ajan Kloss. During these celebrations, Kanata gifted Solo's Medal of Bravery to Chewbacca, his former copilot, stating that his partner would have wanted him to possess it.
The first appearance of the Medal of Bravery occurred in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, where Leia Organa presented it to Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Although the medal was intended to reappear in the 2015 film Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, the footage was ultimately removed from the final cut. However, this footage was later repurposed and included in the 2019 film Star Wars: Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker.
The fact that Chewbacca did not receive a medal in the film became a point of contention for many Star Wars enthusiasts. In an interview conducted shortly after the release of Episode IV, George Lucas explained that the Wookiee species does not value medals but that a large group of Alliance officers were dispatched to Kashyyyk for a significant celebration to honor Chewie's contributions.
While various Star Wars Legends stories, such as The Day after the Death Star!, confirmed that Chewbacca did indeed receive a medal, Smuggler's Run: A Han Solo & Chewbacca Adventure was the first new canon story to corroborate this. In A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy, Chewbacca is presented with a medal at the same time as Skywalker and Solo.
As a nod to this controversy, Maz Kanata presented Chewbacca with Han Solo's Medal of Bravery, which had been left to him by Leia, at the conclusion of The Rise of Skywalker.
LEGO Star Wars: Droid Tales - "Mission to Mos Eisley" offers a humorous perspective on the controversy, depicting C-3PO being so preoccupied with the safe return of R2-D2 that he accidentally drops and breaks a medal labeled "Chewie" into two pieces. Later, in "Gambit on Geonosis," C-3PO presents Chewbacca with a medal that R2 had initially attempted to give him.