Mild SPOILERS for Solo: A Star Wars Story ahead.
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The writers and director of Solo: A Star Wars Story have confirmed the identity of the mystery wookiee from the film's final trailer. The trailer shows Star Wars series mainstay Chewbacca briefly sharing a tender moment in the middle of a fire-fight, hugging an unidentified wookiee with one arm.
The question of who the second wookiee in Solo: A Star Wars Story is has been a question of intense speculation among Star Wars fans in the weeks since the trailer's release. There have been several theories proposed and a good deal of heated debate. The most popular theory by far was that the mystery wookiee is Mallatobuck (AKA Malla) - a female wookiee and Chewbacca's wife in the Star Wars Extended Universe (now Star Wars Legends) novels and comic books, who first appeared in The Star Wars Christmas Special.
Related: Chewbacca is Getting An Official Theme
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant, Solo: A Star Wars Story director Ron Howard weighed in on the theory. While reluctant to say anything that would spoil any aspect of the movie, Howard did agree to make a definitive statement on the Malla question:
"I’m going to actually say no. I’m going to try not to give away any spoilers, but I’m going to actually say no. No. No, it’s not Malla."
Howard's statement was confirmed in a separate Screen Rant interview with Solo: A Star Wars Story writers Lawrence and Jon Kasdan. They went one step further, revealing not only that the mystery wookiee is not Malla but providing a little more information on who the second character actually is:
"It's not Malla. In fact that is a different character. In fact, we could tell you the name of that character. That was Sagwa. And he was always in the script. There was always a version of that character in the script."
Kasdan went on to describe Sagwa's personality, describing him as "a bit of a stoner" and "like Bill & Ted." The affection conveyed in the trailer was not romantic in nature, despite fan speculation. It seems that Sagwa is just a touchy-feely sort of guy,
While longtime Star Wars fans are sure to be disappointed by the news that Malla will not be making an appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story, they can take comfort in the fact that Malla is still Chewbacca's wife and considered part of the series' canon. While The Star Wars Christmas Special is no longer officially sanctioned (if, indeed, it ever was, given George Lucas' infamous hatred for the show), Malla has been mentioned by name in several officially-approved Star Wars novels, including A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy and two of Chuck Wendig's Aftermath series. Hopes are high, however, that Malla may finally get an official on-screen appearance in a Solo sequel.
