It actually makes perfect sense, that Han rescued Chewie from enslavement. What could better warrant a life-debt?
It was made even larger a deal when in the Chewbacca comic-book anthology, it was explained that Han was actually the cause of Chewie's enslavement.
Originally posted by adele2k5
dont believe the expnaded universe its not GL its other people that have followed on the story in GL's eyes starwars is the movies not the books unless its the starwars book of the film.
Well, this is somewhat idiotic, because Chewie being a slave and Han Solo rescueing him from slavery has been every bit "canon", (and as close to being "canon" as anything can get), as was also the fact that Vader was sent into a volcano by Ben, (as said by GL back in the 70's-80's).
In fact, Chewbacca being a slave and Han rescueing him has been apart of the "EU" since the very beginning. It was talked about and insinuated in Brian Daley's Han Solo Trilogy back in the 70's, and he have talked to GL long and hard to understand the characters to their full extent.
However, GL almost ruined this by putting Han Solo in the early drafts of RotS, being raised by Chewbacca on Kashyyyk.