Leia hug Rey rather of Chewbacca inStar warfare : The Force Awakensbecame a dissentious moment for fans , but there might have been a ripe rationality for their reunification occurring this way . After Kylo Ren killed Han Solo inThe Force Awakens , Chewbacca , Rey , and Finn all recall to the Resistance base . As soon as they arrive , Leia noticeably hug Rey while Chewbacca tended to a wounded Finn . This means that Leia and Chewbacca did not even attempt to comfort each other despite losing someone they both love .

This instant frustrated many viewers , who believed Leia should have hug her long - time friend , Chewbacca , rather than a young lady she had just met , Rey . Star state of war : The Force Awakens’director , J.J. Abrams , later even admitted in an consultation that this “ was probably one of the mistakes I made ” ( via / Film ) . In the audience , Abrams explain that his theme had been that Chewbacca would be focused on write Finn despite his heartbreak over lose Han . Abrams afterwards realized though that Chewbacca bypassing Leia made it seem like a slight on her rather than a worry for Finn .

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However , like many otherStar Warsplot holes or story progeny , dedicated fans have add up up with a theory to explicate why Leia and Chewbacca did not immediately seek out and hug each other . harmonise to one theory ( viaReddit ) , the pair had a specific reason for avoiding each other : Chewbacca was note a Wookiee mourning rite . base onWookiee customs duty , Chewbaccacould not seek puff from others yet , but he could still influence to spare others .

As the theory explains , Wookiee culture dictates that when Wookiees lose a loved one , they are not speculate to touch anyone until they have had time to grieve in secret . This explains Chewbacca ’s actions . Although he had just lost his best friend , he could not look to others for comfort at the Resistance base yet . As Chewbacca ’s long - sentence acquaintance , Leia most likely would have been cognizant of this usage and wanted to respect his traditions . Due to this , Leia found Rey , who had looked up to Han as a father fig , and hugged her alternatively . Later , Star Wars : The Force Awakensshowed Chewbaccamourning alone . After that , Leia would have been able to console her acquaintance , which would have been a meaningful scene to show onscreen .

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Leia and Chewbacca in Star Wars the Force Awakens

Leia and Chewbacca in The Force Awakens

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