George Lucas' pet dog inspired two beloved characters in Star Wars and Indiana Jones

dailystar.co.uk:

READ MORE: Everything we know about the Star Wars Andor series as Disney confirms new release dateThe Star Wars films kicked off with the original way back in 1977, followed by further movies, including prequels and sequels, and TV spin-offs.

Over 45 years the franchise continued to pick up new fans.Beloved characters include Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, Princess Leia Han Solo.However, it's perhaps not widely known that another Star Wars favourite, Han Solo's wookie companion Chewbacca, was inspired by Lucas' pet dog, who was often sitting next to him as he wrote the films.He has told how the Alaskan Malamute, a large, hairy and sweet breed, was his own companion and that the pooch inspired him to give Hans Solo a sidekick.Also, Chewbacca’s name derives from sobaka, the Russian word for dog.Lucas explained: "I had an Alaskan Malamute when I was writing the film.“A very sweet dog, she would always sit next to me when I was writing.

And when I'd drive around, she'd sit in the front seat. “A Malamute is a very large dog—like a hundred and thirty pounds and bigger than a human being and very long-haired.

Having her with me all the time inspired me to give Han Solo a sidekick who was like a big, furry dog. Not quite like a dog, but intelligent."What's more, the dog's name was Indiana, which helped Lucas form another iconic action movie character.