Original artwork, not a still
I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is the barb of two people who have been picking at each other since the first film and are both a little too interested. The humour works because Chewbacca is both a dear friend and, in her phrasing, the least appealing kiss imaginable. Han's comeback, and the kiss that comes anyway in the asteroid cave, turn it into the series' defining romantic insult, quoted whenever someone is turned down with style.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes BackShow the scene
In The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Han Solo tells General Rieekan on Hoth that he must leave to pay off Jabba the Hutt before a price on his head gets him killed. Princess Leia, standing by, answers his goodbye coldly, then chases him down a rebel base corridor to ask him to stay. Han teases that she wants a goodbye kiss; she snaps back that she would sooner kiss a Wookiee. He tells her he can arrange that, and storms off. They do kiss, later, in the asteroid cave.
Sources (3)
- Script: The Empire Strikes Back (IMSDb)Rebel base corridor scene after Han tells Rieekan he is leavingReference checked
- Wikiquote: Princess LeiaEmpire Strikes Back sectionReference checked
- Wookieepedia: Leia OrganaHoth asteroid field paragraphReference checked
Context reviewed
