The 7-foot-2-inch actor who played the loveable, groaning fuzzball known as Chewbacca in the "Star Wars" films found himself in a confrontation with federal agents over a cane shaped like the iconic weapon in the movies: a lightsaber.
Actor Peter Mayhew's dust-up with Transportation Security Administration agents took place in Denver, when officials attempted to confiscate the lightsaber-shaped cane on June 3.
Mayhew, a North Texas resident, was returning to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport from an appearance at Denver ComicCon when TSA agents refused to let Chewie board his plane with his one-of-a-kind cane.
The actor sat in a wheelchair at the airport as he pleaded with the agents and explained that he needed the cane to walk.
But it was only after the giant actor posted pics of the incident on his official Twitter account, @TheWookieeRoars, that the agents relented and let him return to North Texas with his lightsaber cane.
Magic words to TSA are not "please" or "thank you".. It's "Twitter".. cane released to go home.. twitter.com/TheWookieeRoar… — Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) June 3, 2013
Mayhew is described on his Twitter bio as "the man behind the mask of CHEWBACCA," the Wookiee companion to Han Solo, as pictured at right in a 2005 AP photo of an extra at the premiere of "Star Wars Episode - Revenge of Sith." Mayhew lives in Boyd, 35 miles northwest of Fort Worth.
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The tall Texas resident tweeted about his need for the cane.
Giant man need giant cane.. small cane snap like toothpick.... besides.. my light saber cane is just cool.. I would miss it.. — Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) June 3, 2013
After landing at DFW, Mayhew tweeted a thanks to Fort Worth-based American Airlines.
In Dallas. Thank you to @americanair for checking on me. Problem was all @tsa. I'm a million-miler on American and they are a class act. — Peter Mayhew (@TheWookieeRoars) June 3, 2013
Mayhew is pictured below at a 2009 fan event in Chicago showing off the cane in a photo from Flickr user Tina Lawson.
NBC4's Melissa Pamer contributed to this article.
