Summary
- Chewbacca not receiving a medal in the first Star Wars movie is not the biggest problem with the ending; there are other inconsistencies in the medal ceremony.
- The rebels celebrating their victory against the Empire with a medal ceremony doesn't make sense, as it puts them at risk of being attacked by the Imperial Fleet.
- The official Star Wars canon has acknowledged the problem with the medal ceremony and attempted to fix it, but this only drew more attention to the issue and highlighted inconsistencies in the rebels' urgency to evacuate in other movies.
The first Star Wars movie is often criticized for not giving Chewbacca a medal during the medal ceremony on Yavin 4, but there is a bigger problem with A New Hope's ending. Viewers felt that Chewbacca deserved recognition just as much as Luke Skywalker and Han Solo, leading Maz Kanata to give him one at the end of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. However, the Star Wars books and comics already revealed that Leia gave Chewbacca a medal after the ceremony because he was too tall for her to reach. As a result, Chewbacca is not the biggest problem with the medal ceremony in A New Hope.
The entire ceremony doesn't make sense in A New Hope, with the other Star Wars movies confirming this. Understandably, the rebels would want to celebrate their victory against the Empire, and while it fits the movie's tone, there's a reason why it shouldn't have happened. The Star Wars comics admitted this was a problem and made it worse. A New Hope's medal ceremony may not hurt the ending, but it is one of Star Wars' most confusing in-universe moments.
Star Wars' Medal Ceremony Doesn't Make Sense For The Rebels Star Wars (1977) 
Star Wars' medal ceremony may be the perfect ending to a great movie, but it doesn't make sense for the rebels to waste time. Luke Skywalker had just destroyed a superweapon that the Empire had spent almost 20 years constructing secretly, meaning Emperor Palpatine would be out for blood. Since the Empire knew the rebels were on Yavin 4, Palpatine may have immediately decided to send the Imperial Fleet to wipe out the rebel base, much as Supreme Leader Snoke did to the Resistance in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It may not have played out that way, but it was risky for the rebels to take that chance.
Even Star Wars Canon Admitted The Problem With Its Rebel Medal Ceremony Star Wars: Princess Leia (2015) 
The problem with the medal ceremony became more apparent when the official Star Wars canon acknowledged it. Star Wars: Princess Leia #1 by Mark Waid and Terry Dodson picks up immediately after the events of A New Hope, with Leia giving a heartfelt speech about the Rebellion's victory and the lives lost on Alderaan. However, Leia kept the memorial short because the Empire knew where they were, and General Dodonna said that the fleet had arrived to help the rebels evacuate. If evacuation was a top priority, the rebels should have dismantled and transported equipment to leave as soon as the ships arrived.
