The Loveable Wookie furball Chewbacca has been revived by filmmaker George Lucas for Star Wars episode 3. Lucas explains:

"He's the Universal cuddle warrior…a teddy bear with a blaster, if you will. He softens the conquest-ridden theme of the Star Wars trilogy, which is actually one of great violence and destruction, by the way. The Jedi knighthood and seemingly noble rebel cause merely obscure the true nature of the series…which is…the joy of shattering worlds at a global scale, quite literally."

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld agrees:

"We see the value of sending Chewie into Iraq. After all, he is THE metaphor of the American soldier. Bedazzled with futuristic weapons, he communicates with grunts and gestures that Iraqi's cannot but vaguely understand…yet he seems affable and friendly beneath the surface…until he is double-crossed and pushed far out of bounds of his generous tolerance. YES…Chewie IS the American grunt."

Lucas appears to support Chewie's cameo appearance.