Chewbacca Defense

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The expression Chewbacca defense (in the original: Chewbacca defense ) is a term used especially in the United States for the legal or political defense of a point of view with nonsensical arguments.

origin

The expression Chewbacca defense comes from the episode coal for the chef (original title Chef Aid; episode 14 of the second season) from the cartoon television series South Park , which first aired on October 7, 1998.

The episode satirizes the well-known lawyer Johnnie Cochran , who defended OJ Simpson in his murder trial. The word Chewbacca was not mentioned in Cochran's defense.

In said South Park episode, Cochran appears and defends a music society. Cochran uses the popular character Chewbacca from the Star Wars film series to defend his client:

“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I would ask you to consider one final thing.” (He shows a picture of Chewbacca) “This is Chewbacca. Chewbacca is a Wookiee from the planet Kashyyyk , but Chewbacca lives on the planet Endor . Think about it! It makes no sense! Why would a Wookiee - a six-foot-tall Wookiee - want to live on Endor with a bunch of tiny Ewoks? It makes no sense! But more importantly, you have to seriously ask yourself: what does this have to do with this case? Nothing at all! Ladies and gentlemen, it has nothing to do with this case. It makes no sense! [...] None of this makes sense. […] If Chewbacca lives on Endor, you have to acquit him! The plea is closed. "

Cochran's application of this defense is successful in the television series. Although Chewbacca does not live on Endor in Star Wars , this fictional moon was conceived as the homeworld of the Wookiees and not the Ewoks in early drafts of Return of the Jedi .

use

The Chewbacca Defense is mentioned on many weblogs and internet discussion forums , especially those that often discuss legal issues. An example of this is Slashdot , where the Chewbacca defense was occasionally mentioned in connection with Microsoft , SCO or the RIAA - on the assumption that their judicial arguments made no sense.

The Associated Press wrote in its obituary for Johnnie Cochran that he made his way into popular culture through the Chewbacca defense .

Individual evidence

  1. Cochran was rare attorney turned pop culture figure , Associated Press . March 30, 2005. Retrieved January 27, 2007. 

literature

  • Robert Arp: The Chewbacca Defense: A South Park Logic Lesson. In: Robert Arp (Ed.): South Park and Philosophy. You know, I learned something today. Blackwell, Malden MA et al. a. 2007, ISBN 978-1-4051-6160-2 , pp. 40-53.