You Might Not Have Known These 30 Things About 'Star Wars' Character Han Solo
You Might Not Have Known These 30 Things About 'Star Wars' Character Han Solo
Disney’s expansion of the Star Wars universe in recent years has reinvigorated interest in the starry saga. The Content Machine has introduced a slew of exciting new characters like the impossibly cute Grogu (A.K.A. Baby Yoda) and his Space Daddy, the Mandalorian Din Djarin.
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For better or worse, it has also revisited some of Star Wars’ most recognizable figures. We learned Han Solo’s backstory in 2018’s widely panned Solo: A Star Wars Story, and we’re currently following the adventures of the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunter in The Book of Boba Fett. On May 4, the Disney streaming service will launch a limited series that explores the trials Obi-Wan Kenobi faced after his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, turned to the dark side. Despite the influx of (occasionally questionable) new content, we still have more to learn about these characters.
First up: Han Solo.
In "Star Wars’" First Draft, Han Solo Was Green
In George Lucas's original script for Star Wars, Han Solo wasn't a square-jawed humanoid scoundrel. The first draft of Han was decidedly more ...green than the final cinematic version. A member of an alien race called Ureallians, this Swamp Thing-like creature was supposed to be the best pilot in the galaxy.
Years later, Dark Horse Comics eventually adapted the original script (pictured above), finally showing the world Han Solo's true origins.
He Was Also Supposed to Be a Jedi
That green monster was going to be a Jedi, at least until Lucas changed his mind. We like to think Solo's brief handling of a lightsaber in The Empire Strikes Back is a callback to this little-known piece of Star Wars trivia.
Director Francis Ford Coppola Was the Inspiration for Han Solo
Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola was a friend of George Lucas's before Star Wars, and his smooth-talking persona inspired the feel of Han Solo. Like Lucas, he was an embattled young director creating world-changing cinema, so the homage is fitting.
Harrison Ford Had Stiff Competition During Auditions
Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Sylvester Stallone, and Kurt Russell were either offered or auditioned for the part of Han Solo, but it was Harrison Ford—through a stroke of good luck—who landed the job, fitting for someone as lucky as Han Solo.
Han’s Blaster Is Based on a German Mauser...
Known to Star Wars fans as the DL-44, Han's famous blaster is actually based on a Mauser C96, a popular pistol in the mid-20th century and a personal favorite of Winston Churchill.
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And the Prop Gun Made Its Movie Debut 10 Years Earlier
The original prop of Han's blaster wasn't built for Star Wars specifically. According to Tested, dedicated fans trying to create the perfect DL-44 replica identified the gun used in 1967's The Naked Runner as the same one that would come to be strapped to Han's waist.
Han Solo Served in the Imperial Navy and Saved Chewie...
When Disney bought rights to Star Wars in 2012, it did away with a lot of established Star Wars canon. One of the most interesting bits of lore is that Han actually served in the Imperial Navy and helped save Chewie from a life a slavery. It would certainly help explain his disdain for the Empire.
But Really Chewie Saved Him
Although the story remains that Han saved Chewie from the tyranny of the Empire, there is a new, in-canon novel called Aftermath: Life Debt that turns this long-accepted notion of Han as savior on its head. Han says in the book:
“I saved him, at least that’s what he says, the big fuzzy fool, but really, he saved me. I was on a bad path, and Chewie, he put me straight."
Han and the Millennium Falcon Are From the Same Planet
In a galaxy filled with a seemingly endless amount of planets and spaceships, it's a pretty incredible coincidence that the Millennium Falcon (also known as the YT-1300 492727ZED Corellian light freighter) is also from Hans' home planet of Corellia (pictured above).
Han Solo’s “Kessel Run” Boast Was Originally a Lie
Han's famous throwaway line in A New Hope, that the Millennium Falcon made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs, has been blown up to epic proportions in the decades since—so much so that it played a central role in Solo: A Star Wars Story. But is Han Solo's most famous boast actually a lie?
The original shooting script for A New Hope describes Ben Kenobi "react[ing] to Solo's stupid attempt to impress them with obvious misinformation." That would suggest Han's boast is a pretty egregious lie and Kenobi knows it.
Han Solo’s Gold Dice Appeared in the Original Trilogy...
Some fans may have been confused when Luke Skywalker gives Leia Organa Solo a pair of gold dice at the end of The Last Jedi. But eagle-eyed Star Wars acolytes have pointed out that those dice did in fact appear in A New Hope—they're just a little hard to see.
And He's Had Them For a Long Time
In Solo: A Star Wars Story, Han has the gold dice even when he's living on his home planet of Corellia. It's still uncertain where he got the dice—possibly from his parents?—but its appearance in The Last Jedi now has even more weight.
The First Marvel Star Wars Comic Story Was About Han Solo (And Chewie)
Star Wars #7-10 was the first original Star Wars story arc published by Marvel Comics (the first 6 issues recounted the events of A New Hope). Featuring a Magnificent Seven-type plot structure, the story followed the incredibly strange adventures of Han Solo and Chewbacca as they traipse across the universe. Here's a brief synopsis by io9 if you want a better feel for how truly strange these four issues were.
In France, He Was Called “Yan Solo”
La Guerre des Etoiles went through a fit of character renaming for the French audience. C-3P0 became Z6P0 and Chewbacca became Chiktabba. But Han Solo's Frenchification might be the most entertaining: Yan Solo.
So close...but so incredibly far at the same time.
Han Solo Met Chewie’s Family In the Much-Maligned Holiday Special
Han Solo was a truly good friend to Chewbacca. He even visited his family for the holidays! Here, Han Solo meets Chewbacca's family on the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk and helps to save them from Imperial harassment.
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Unfortunately, there was no one to save the actors themselves. Just look at Harrison Ford's obviously pained expression throughout this cinematic disaster.
What Exactly Is a Nerf?
A frustrated Leia famously decries Han as a "half-witted, scruffy-looking nerfherder." Han is more upset about the "scruffy-looking" bit, but did you ever wonder what a Nerf was? Turns out, they're space cows. In one particular Star Wars comic (pictured above), Han even has to transport some on the Millennium Falcon, finally fulfilling his destiny as a nerfherder.
Han Solo’s Stepfather Nearly Showed Up in "The Empire Strikes Back"
Han Solo's exit from The Empire Strikes Back is undeniably cool (no pun intended), but the first script for the 1980 film had Han Solo going on an epic journey to hunt down his stepfather who supposedly had information vital to the rebellion.
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With already one major bit of family drama at the center of the original trilogy, it's probably best we didn't have another.
Harrison Ford Came Up With Han's Most Famous Line
Han Solo's most famous line wasn't planned at all. The original script called for this exchange before Han's descent into the carbonite chamber:
Leia: ... I love you. I couldn't tell you before, but it's true.
Han: ...just remember that, 'cause I'll be back.
After a conversation with director Irvin Kershner, Harrison Ford delivered the "I Know" line and solidified this emotional moment into cinematic history.
Harrison Ford Wanted Han to Die in "Return of the Jedi"
He survived scrapes with Boba Fett, carbonite, and Jabba the Hutt, but Han Solo's biggest enemy was actually the very actor playing him. As Ford explained on Conan in 2015:
"I thought the best utility of the character would be for him to sacrifice himself to a high ideal and give a little bottom, a little gravitas the enterprise, not that there wasn't some already but I just wanted in on some part of it."
To Ford's credit, the character arc of a selfish rogue turned venerated martyr would have been incredible to watch on screen, but we're happy Han Solo lived to fight another day.
Leia Married Han Immediately After the Battle of Endor
After the the second Death Star was destroyed at the end of Return of the Jedi, Han and Leia wasted no time starting their new life together.
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Leia describes her wedding in the Star Wars' novel Aftermath: Life Debt:
"We had a small ceremony, just those we trust. We didn’t keep it a secret but we didn’t make it public either."
But He Was Married Before (To Someone Else)
Sana Starros makes an appearance in the canon Star Wars comic where she tells Leia that she's actually Han Solo's wife, a big strain on Han and Leia's relationship. However, a deeper dive into Sara and Han's relationship reveals that their "marriage" is just part of a past scam.
Han Solo Never Shows Up In the Prequels (But He Almost Did)
George Lucas originally wrote a small part for a 10-year-old Han Solo to appear on the planet Kashyyyk, but Lucas eventually scrapped the idea as it spent to much time on what was essentially a fan service cameo. Thank goodness Han was spared from these forgettable films.
But the Millennium Falcon Wasn't So Lucky
However, the Millennium Falcon didn't quite escape the prequels unscathed, though its appearance was not nearly as egregious as shoe-horned kid Solo would have been. The Falcon makes an incredibly small cameo during a wide-angle shot on Coruscant. In fact, you can't even tell unless you slow down and enhance. It's small, but it's there.
The Millennium Falcon Almost Killed Harrison Ford
Fans knew that Ford was injured on set during the production of The Force Awakens, but we didn't know how serious until seven months after the premiere. The Guardian reported in July 2016 that Ford was close to being killed by the Millennium Falcon set when a door (reportedly with the weight of a small car) pinned him to the ground.
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Although severely injured, Ford returned to set three weeks later, and J.J. Abrams said that those three weeks helped him rethink major parts of the film. So in a way, Ford's injury made The Force Awakens a better movie.
We Know Han’s First Words to Baby Ben Solo
In the book Aftermath: Empire's End, we get a touching encounter with baby Ben Solo and his new father. It also gives a sense of ominous foreboding to Han's eventual fate:
"Hey. It's you and me, kid. Whole damn galaxy against us but we'll make it through okay. I'm not always gonna be the best dad—c'mon, I don't know what the hell I'm doing here. I can barely take care of myself. But I'll always keep us pointed in the right direction...even if we zig and zag a little to get there. There's your first lesson: Sometimes doing the right thing doesn't mean following a straight line."
Han Solo Gets Revenge on The First Order (Sort of)
In a brief moment during the opening bombing run of The Last Jedi—just before Paige Tico sacrifices herself for the Resistance—one bomb on the far right says "Han Says Hi" in the Aurebesh Star Wars language. It's a small but worthy piece of revenge.
“The Last Jedi” Cut Lukes Initial Reaction to Han Solo’s Death
Mark Hamill wasn't too happy with director Rian Johnson's decision to cut Luke's heartfelt reaction after hearing of Han Solo's death. Luckily, the scene lives on as a deleted extra, and maybe—just maybe—it will find its way into the film in a future director's cut.
Luke’s Last Words Are an Homage to Han Solo
Luke's final words in the The Last Jedi tack on Solo's signature "kid" affectation. It's a touching tribute to an old friend.
Firefly Pays Tribute to the Original Space Pirate
Firefly's Malcolm Reynolds is essentially Han Solo for a new generation, and the show's creator Joss Whedon shows fans that he's aware of the similarities. Throughout the criminally short series, a statue of Han Solo in carbonite can be seen littered throughout the Serenity. It's a nice touch.
Han Shot First
Always and forever.
Everything you need to know about the most notorious space pirate in the galaxy.