RIP Peter Mayhew: He brought beloved Chewbacca to life

Even though he never uttered a single line of traditional dialogue -- Chewbacca has always been one of the most beloved characters in the Star Wars canon and so much of that has to do with the physicality of Peter Mayhew, who sadly passed away today at age 74 following spinal surgery meant to increase his mobility.

A ginormous man (he was 7-foot-3) with a shy demeanor outside of the costume, he was apparently not an actor but a hospital orderly when Lucas discovered him. Mayhew wasn't a traditional movie star type by a mile, but something magic happened when he climbed into that fur suit and his work as the quintessential co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon will continue to enchant audiences for decades.

The character should have been purely silly -- it was inspired by George Lucas' dog after all -- but the way Mayhew filled out that costume made Chewbacca tangible and real (Chewie should never be CGI George) and so Star Wars fans never dismissed him as simply an overgrown puppet.

Obi-Wan Kenobi took him seriously. Han Solo took him seriously. And Luke Skywalker was right to be a little scared of him at first.

He also supplies one of my favorite moments in the original trilogy. In The Empire Strikes Back (which has a lot of classic Chewie scenes) he gives out a plaintive wail when its announced that Han and Luke's fate in the frozen tundra of Hoth is unknown and perilous at best. It's a raw, emotional moment supplied by a character who engenders our affection simply be being affable and irascible throughout all these adventures.

And who could forget Chewie's guffaw which inspires the "laugh it up fuzzball" line from Han, or his frustration at trying to put C-EPO back together again in that same film.

Mayhew of course is wonderful in all these films and it was poignant to see him return in The Force Awakens many years later, although his physical limitations at the time prevented him from shooting scenes where Chewie had to be more mobile.

There's a moment in the first trailer for The Rise of Skywalker (the next installment which brings the current trilogy to a close) where it appears someone, maybe Leia, is holding on to one of the medals Chewie should have received at the end of A New Hope. And there's another moment where Chewie (presumably played by a replacement actor) is back in the co-pilot seat in the Falcon with its original owner Lando Calrissian at the helm, which is probably the most celebrated shot in the whole clip.

Chewie was always getting snubbed and overlooked. From the medal ceremony to the moment in The Force Awakens where Leia appeared to snub him in aftermath of Han's death (director JJ Abrams later conceded this a mistake).

But hopefully now Peter Mayhew will get his due. He inhabited a role that very people ever could and created a character that will always be a source of joy. Chewbacca was just pure fun, not necessarily complex -- but a welcome presence at all times.

A lot of folks will be doing his signature roar tonight.