Chewbacca first appeared as Han Solo's Wookiee co-pilot in Star Wars in 1977, and his distinctive growl quickly became one of the series' most recognisable sounds. The roar has since travelled far beyond the films, appearing in trailers, parodies, games and countless online reaction clips. Fans reuse it because it needs no dialogue to communicate feeling, and even listeners who have never seen the films often recognise the voice instantly, which keeps it popular for comedy, excitement and playful intimidation in short-form video.