Chewbacca, the loyal Wookiee co-pilot of Han Solo, first appeared in Star Wars in 1977 and quickly became one of the saga's most recognisable characters, largely because of his distinctive growling voice. Over decades of films, games and television, that roar has stayed closely tied to moments of excitement, protest and affectionate grumbling. Online, creators have lifted short clips of it for reaction videos, edits and memes, where a single growl can stand in for surprise or enthusiastic agreement without any dialogue at all.