How George Lucas Stole Chewbacca

This is a really thorough history of the development of Chewie.

The most interesting aspect of the piece is that Lucas very likely stole the look of Chewie from a science fiction illustration by John Schoenherr. The side-by-side comparison of the drawings is pretty damning — practically infringement territory.

The major difference, however, is the Schoenherr creatures had six breasts which Lucas and Ralph McQuarrie opted not to borrow.