So who was it that insisted that Chewie die? That is interesting. Anyway, Chewie had always been kind of a background character. He has always kind of been the family pet. Killing off Luke, Leia, Han, or even Artoo or Threepio would have been a bigger deal. Chewie is actually the very logical choice. If they did it so we would be afraid they might kill Luke, why not go the extra mile and actually kill Luke and let Chewie live. Killing a secondary character doesn't equate killing off the hero.