Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-3-inch actor who played the iconic Wookiee Chewbacca, didn’t have the best traveling experience last week. While traveling from Denver back to his homestate of Texas, Mayhew’s cane—shaped, appropriately, like a light saber—was denied entry onboard his flight by Transportation Security Administration agents.
While attempting to explain that he needed the cane for assistance, Mayhew waited in a wheelchair. The agents apparently weren’t going to allow the cane on board because it was “too long,” a point that the extremely tall actor took issue with.
But—possibly thanks to the powerful coercive force of Twitter, though the TSA denies it was a factor—American Airlines took notice and made everything right again with one of their frequent flyers. Mayhew was allowed to board his flight, light saber in hand.
