Peter Mayhew’s Widow Welcomes Carey Jones To The ‘Star Wars’ Wookiee Family!

Actor Peter Mayhew was best known for playing Chewbacca in the “Star Wars” film franchise. Born in May 1944, the 7’2” actor played Chewbacca in all of his on-screen appearances from the 1977 original “Star Wars: A New Hope” to 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” where he ceded the role to 6’11” Finnish actor Joonas Suotamo.

Unfortunately, Mayhew passed away on April 30, 2019. In a sweet tribute to the late Mayhew, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy expressed condolences for his passing.

“Since 1976, Peter’s iconic portrayal of the loyal, lovable Chewbacca has been absolutely integral to the character’s success, and to the Star Wars saga itself,” she said. “When I first met Peter during The Force Awakens, I was immediately impressed by his kind and gentle nature. Peter was brilliantly able to express his personality through his skillful use of gesture, posture, and eyes. We all love Chewie, and have Peter to thank for that enduring memory.”

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas said that “Peter was a wonderful man. He was the closest any human being could be to a Wookiee: big heart, gentle nature…and I learned to always let him win. He was a good friend and I’m saddened by his passing.”

“Chewie transformed me,” the late Mayhew once said. “The attitude was different. The walk was different. Do the scenes, come back, take the mask off, Peter was back.”

Although Chewbacca may be gone from the “Star Wars” universe for the time being, there is a brand new Wookiee that has captured the hearts of fans.

The comic book Wookiee Black Krrsantan has finally made his way onto the big screen!

The black-furred Wookiee bounty hunter, who is also referred to as “Santy,” “BK,” or “Black K,” has appeared in numerous comic book series. He appeared in the popular “Doctor Aphra” comic book series, and many fans are now hoping that it’s only a matter of time until Aphra makes her big-screen debut as well.

After being captured from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk, Black Krrsantan was trained by the Xonti Brothers as a gladiator before he eventually became a bounty hunter. He often worked for Jabba the Hutt and was even hired by Darth Vader during the Galactic Civil War to capture an agent of Emperor Palpatine.

However, after Jabba died and the Galactic Civil War came to an end in “Return of the Jedi,” Black Krrsantan became employed by Jabba’s cousins, who are known as the Twins. In “The Book of Boba Fett,” which takes place about five years after the events of “Return of the Jedi,” Black Krrsantan was freed from their service by Boba Fett after failing to kill him.

On Twitter, Mayhew’s widow, Angie Mayhew, gave a “warmest” welcome to the actor behind the latest Wookiee in a galaxy far, far away: Carey Jones.

“A Message from Angie Mayhew,” the tweet began. “Warmest Wookiee welcome to Carey Jones who is playing fierce Black Krrsantan in the Book of Boba Fett. You have some giant shoes to fill, welcome to the Wookiee family! Peter would have loved seeing a Wookiee truly unleashed!”

Although Jones doesn’t have a Twitter account, many fans still took a moment to thank him for his work.

“Krrsantan might be my favorite part of BoBF,” one fan commented. “He’s outstanding.”

“You have no idea how happy this makes me!!” wrote another fan. “Seeing a Wookiee again is awesome.”

“He is so good acting with just his eyes,” another fan wrote. “He brings the character to life with just those little movements, to say nothing of all the other physicality he uses.”

“So much of Chewbacca was Peter’s eyes,” Angie replied. “You’re absolutely right.”

Fans are looking forward to seeing Black Krrsantan return when new episodes of “The Book of Boba Fett” premiere on Disney+.