This franchise! It just never ceases to impress. It even gives trolls something to do, to say nothing of its fan-impact. We are especially happy to write this article today because just the other week, a friend of ours who has never seen the Star Wars saga is now one with the Force, and has joined the swelling tide of fandoms for these characters and storylines. In the spirit of such friendship, we have opted to write about a most endearing character in the SW universe, namely Han Solo.
Not only has he been played by an outstanding actor, Harrison Ford, who also played the iconic Indiana Jones, Solo has gone down in Star Wars history as a legend even though he is not a Jedi, or Force-sentient in any way. Why is this? We’ll be exploring this query and other things that diehard fans will certainly know of, and new Force-comers will love to learn. Han is one of the most-loved characters in the franchise, and tops many people's best characters lists. And there's clearly reasons for this!
But, as with any other characters, there's some things that aren't always immediately apparent to viewers. This is especially true in a saga that spans film, television, and books, among other things. Bear in mind, these are curious tidbits and revelations, not full-on scandals. Here’s a sneak-peek (spoilers ahead!) at all the things you might NOT have known about Han Solo.
25 Solo Casting Call
A veritable line-up of actors were being considered for the part to play the infamous galactic smuggler. George Lucas saw the character in Harrison Ford the most, and history was made. Other stars who came close to being cast were Al Pacino (who was doing great at the time with Godfather) and Kurt Russell (the man later personified rugged charm and careless abandon quite well, but at this time he was more of a Disney star than anything action-heroish).
The lead in Rocky, Sylvester Stallone himself, was being considered to play Han.
Nightmare On Elm Street’s own Freddy Kruger was also present on the director’s shortlist. Robert Englund, in our opinion, seems to be an ideal Sith candidate. But what’s truly noteworthy is that he’s besties with Mark Hamill and suggested that he audition for the part of Luke Skywalker. You helped make history, Freddy, and no one was hurt in the process.
24 Whose Father?
Little to nothing is mentioned concerning Han Solo’s parents; we’ll touch upon a similar sliver of information later. We’re digging into the origins of Han Solo Sr., namely daddy dearest who isn’t present in any of the final storylines but played a prominent role in George Lucas’s original script for Empire Strikes Back. At the end of the unrealized script, Solo leaves the team to go find his stepfather, his aim being to convince dad to join the Rebellion.
For Solo to even leave his buddies at a crucial storyline-moment, and to strike out with the intention to ‘hire’ his steppie into the Rebellion’s ranks says a lot about this man, someone whom Lucas could have elevated to historic proportions within the saga. What sort of smuggling capabilities does Solo’s dad possess? Could he have turned the tide of the galactic war raging in select Systems?
23 The Real Solo Was An Alien
Not only was Han Solo designed to be a Jedi, he was from an entirely different species/race that was tall, muscled, green-skinned, and fish-like; but for that last, he’d have passed as Hulk’s, or even Aquaman’s, parallel-universe cousin. The first-ever concept art illustrated Solo this way, which underwent several changes under George Lucas’s hawk-eye. In New Hope, we see the fully humanized version of Solo as the smuggler turned fan-favorite.
Why was Han given a blaster in the original artwork? This in itself has an interesting true-story origin. Lucas wanted lightsabers to be a rare thing in the Star Wars universe, and so provided alien-Solo with a gun instead. These ‘ancient truths’ are not hidden away in some production office but have been used in the Star Wars comics a la Dark Horse, where Luke is a much-older Jedi and Solo plays one of his buddies in the body of a green-skinned alien, all in keeping with the original sketch. Talk about preserving the past.
22 Solo Twist
Channelling the classic Oliver Twist, we have another super-popular fictional character who’s an orphan. Han Solo’s real parents are nowhere in the picture; the same picture was much different in Lucas’s original Empire script. It’s probably because of such a huge and important gap in his life that Solo turned to smuggling and thievery, but then again we’ve seen characters who went through worse turn out better, which is something that’s happened with our own Solo, come to think of it.
In lore according to Legends, we are taught that his biological dad’s name was Jonash Solo and mom was Jaina Solo.
But readers and viewers alike are eagerly awaiting the new origin movie that focuses on Han’s early days and times. Solo: A Star Wars Story has an estimated release date of 25th May 2018, directed by Ron Howard, and with Emilia Clarke (aka Mother of Dragons, first of her name, so on and so forth) playing Kira, with Alden Ehrenreich playing Solo.
21 When Han Solo Met Indiana Jones
This actually happened: Indiana Jones came across Han Solo’s remains! In what feels like a reincarnation crossover gone right, the alterna-verse comic series Into the Unknown (published by Dark Horse) sees Han and Chewie crash-landing in the Pacific Northwest where the Native Americans do not take kindly to their unplanned visit.
Where Chewbacca escapes, Solo is destroyed. A century later, in that same comic series, Indiana Jones stumbles upon Han’s remains while actually searching for the mysterious Sasquatch or Bigfoot. In other words, Indie was looking for Chewie, or what’s left of him! Talk about a roundabout twisty crossover special. This one is well-illustrated and ideally paced, great enough for some fandoms to sink their teeth into. It’s funny what the writers might have been thinking when they made this entertaining alternative to the Star Wars franchise.
20 The Flighty Falcon
Several fans share the opinion that Han Solo owns, built or bought the Millennium Falcon, the famous airship in which he’s carried out some legendary deeds in the Star Wars saga. A smuggling buddy of his, Lando Calrissian, actually owned the ship before Solo, and he even won the engineering marvel in a game of Sabac (poker, in Star Wars). It’s curious that Calrissian lost the Falcon to Solo via Sabac! Looks like the smuggling world has some pretty nice rewards to offer through games of chance.
This exchange is no big secret, in fact, Han makes mention of it in Empire Strikes Back. This ship must have a curse on it, or it’s simply worse than some ex-partners, because it’s predictably moved from one person to the next, something you’ll find even as recently as The Force Awakens. The origin movie we mentioned earlier promises to show the first moment when the Millennium Falcon became Solo’s.
19 ‘Furnishing’ History
His early days as an actor saw Harrison Ford playing carpenter, for real, on various sets. His affiliation with George Lucas goes back to American Graffiti where Ford was given only a small part, which made a lasting impression on Lucas. From cult classics to pop-culture mega-hits, Ford seems to have unwittingly made a prominent mark early on in his career, something that most actors work double to land.
The moment that made Lucas nod to Ford playing Solo happened as most great discoveries do, by random accident. They were both present in the studio on a rather fortunate day in 1974. Ford was not there in the capacity of an actor but was sent by a famous art director to install a favor-gift door on the offices of Director Francis Ford Coppola. Lucas and Ford had a random chat during this time, and whatever magic transpired received Harrison a casting-call to read for the part of Han Solo. That’s all, folks!
18 Mirror, Mirror...
Since we grazed the topic of Francis Ford Coppola, guess whose personality Lucas based Solo’s on? Han Solo’s contagious bad-boy charm with a dash of soft-danger was not lost on millions of fans who saw the early trilogy. It’s interesting to note that most of his character reflects that of Coppola’s; a tad selfish, a bit reluctant, but all sarcastic, and with a savior complex that rises to the occasion.
Lucas worked with Coppola on the sets of Apocalypse Now, where they grew into fast friends.
Coppola’s work on Godfather cemented his prowess as a director. Lucas observed the smooth-talking swagger that was Coppola and thought he’d like to use those traits in a script that he was working on at the time, which included Han Solo. Everything seems to have been kept ‘within the family,' because Ford is no stranger to Coppola. Over the years, the talented actor has worked with the ingenious director on movies like The Conversation (1974) and, of course, Apocalypse Now.
17 I Do? I Did?
A ladies man if ever there was one, Han Solo is far from shy when it comes to flirting with the fairer gender. But he has proven to be a dedicated man, not a wolf looking to land a kill at every port he parks his Falcon in. However, the smuggler has a few skeletons in his closet. The comic books tell all, specifically in the sixth installment. In the illustrated saga, we see a woman called Sana Solo coming to the fore and claiming to be Han’s missus!
Solo must have been under the influence, or worse, because he can’t seem to recall saying ‘I do’ to this gorgeous lady. But the truth of the matter is he’s begun courting Princess Leia Organa in earnest. The last thing this dashing smuggler wants is to upset royalty with a scandalous past.
16 Matrimonium
On a similar wedding-bells theme, it seems the whole past-wife situation has been resolved one way or another for Han Solo, because things are looking up for our beloved smuggler in Return Of The Jedi, where he ends up proposing to Leia and she says yes. Grant it to Solo to pick a fine moment like the aftermath of the Battle of Endor and the fall of the Empire to pop the question. They were married on the forest-moon itself, namely Endor, in a private ceremony.
We feel his rush to wed the Princess has a lot to do with the strange and uninformed bond that she has shared with Luke Skywalker thus far in the story. There are fan-based rumors that the finale in the original script involved this wedding instead of a generic celebration, but we’ll never know. Looks like these two are made for each other, even despite the fact that they ‘drive each other crazy.'
15 My Buddy & I
After assisting the great Yoda in Revenge Of The Sith, we saw Chewbacca (Han Solo’s hairy Wookie companion and co-pilot) captured along with a handful of other members of his race. Now, Solo was in a strong enough position (more on this soon) to help Chewie and his tribe. After coming to terms with his moral compass, Han decides to help Chewbacca and friends escape from the Empire’s cells. For this act of saving-grace, Chewie pledges his life to him.
This captivating sub-story can be found in Star Wars Legends and was incorporated into canon, especially after Solo finds himself thinking back to those days in Aftermath: Life Debt. Hans is called upon to explain why he’s stubborn about leaving Chewie behind. “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.”
14 Lieutenant Solo, Reporting For Duty!
About Han Solo being in the right place and having the right capacity to help Chewbacca escape the Empire... Han Solo was once a navy lieutenant at the Imperial Academy. In other words, he was working for the Sith! Making the transition from Imperial officer to a Rebel has made for some of the finest character-growth experiences for fans. Having originally joined as a recruit, Han rose to attain the lofty rank of lieutenant. This was also when he learned all those fancy flying skills.
Around this time, he decided to say no to the Empire’s cruelties.
The new Star Wars canon has certainly verified this claim and it is not altogether surprising to learn that the wickedly talented and admirably cunning Solo could have worked as one of Vader’s manifold staff. We shudder to think how the franchise might have unfolded if he continued at the Imperial Navy, more so now that we have seen what his son, Ben Solo, is capable of with the Dark Side of the Force.
13 Return Of The Smuggler
Another beautiful ‘this is what really happened’ backstory sequence was spliced out of the original script, in this case, The Empire Strikes Back near the end of which Han Solo is frozen in carbonite. When the first movie A New Hope became a blockbuster hit, there was a small off-screen career-check going on, in that Carrie Fisher (Leia Organa) and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) both signed up for future movies, but Harrison Ford (Han Solo) was worried if he really should.
Lucas, in a subtle stroke of genius, wanted to keep Ford’s desire to work on other productions intact but also have him possibly return for Return Of The Jedi, and so instead of ending his character George froze him in carbonite; ‘don’t revive until Christmas’. And he opened the floor to negotiations.
12 The Lesson Of A Lifetime
Several important ‘behind-the-stories’ moments can be seen in Aftermath, like with Empire’s End where we see Ben Solo and his dad, yours truly, having a father-son moment. Baby Ben is still in diapers at this time and lying in his crib when Han comments that he’s (himself) not going to make the best father for him. He goes on to say that he will try and be a good guide, though. This pivotal don’t-give-up moment becomes a lesson in its own right.
“There’s your first lesson. Sometimes doing the right thing doesn’t mean following a straight line.” In light of Ben’s betrayal of Snoke in The Last Jedi, we see the crucial impact of this ‘first lesson’ from Han Solo to his disturbed son. This could well be the memory that goads the Force to tell Ben that he needs to do right, despite having done so much wrong.
11 Fly, Solo, Fly!
To perform this feat would take nothing short of a miracle. What is the Kessell Run, and why 12 parsecs? Like our familiar miles and kilometers, parsecs are a measure of distance in the Star Wars universe. The Kessell Run (or Kessell Route) is a popular smuggler-choice to stay under the Imperial radar while doing business.
Not only is it supremely perilous, what with asteroid clusters and a nearby black hole known simply as The Maw, it’s also famous for taking no prisoners. It’s a rare day indeed for something to go right along this route. Even the smugglers who’ve relied upon it stick to a ‘safe’ path. Han, on the other hand, flew his Millennium Falcon, closer (by way of distance, hence the use of ‘parsecs’) to the black hole, which became the shortest, though far from safest, passage, thus earning him the name and record of making the Kessell Run most swiftly.
10 The Jedi Inside
Lightsabers are synonymous with Jedi, and it is not often that you come across one without the other. This weapon makes for awe-inspiring battle-changing moments. But what does Han Solo have to do with all this? What does a smuggler know about the focus and will needed to wield lightsabers? Some fans are calling to mind General Grievous and his robo-body that, no longer connected to the Force per se, can still wield a lightsaber, even four.
Being the first non-Force sentient, or even Force-trained, person to use one of these magnificent weapons is Han Solo!
Granted, he’s not the only such person, according to canon; others proved capable of the same in later storylines. But few will admit to not experiencing goosebumps when Solo took up Luke’s lightsaber in Episode V, sliced open the Tauntaun that saved Skywalker from the bitter cold (its insides were rather warm).
9 Pew-Pew!
There’s been a long-ongoing debate about Greedo and Han involving the question ‘who shot first?’ It was a matter of careful pause-n-play for fans who went out of their way to try and discern which blaster shot first, Greedo’s or Han’s, in the cantina scene in Episode IV. The original scene saw Han Solo making the only shot, which eliminates Greedo.
George Lucas felt the Force call to him, apparently, because he edited this footage, remade the scene, and had both characters shoot at each other. Perhaps he dreamt that this will become a huge fan-theory someday; wink. In the ‘new edit’, we see Greedo firing the first shot, which Han Solo promptly evades before sending his own. So the answer may go something like this... If you’re a traditionalist, you’ll stick to the original guns and say Han shot first. If you’re a ‘meh, whatever’ fan, then you’ll put paid to the theory that Greedo did the honors.
8 Oh, Corellia, You’re Quaking Our Hearts
You might not have heard of Corellia if you happen to be an ordinary fan, but this is where a handful of Star Wars’ more famous characters hailed from, and that includes yours truly. Thanks to this home-planet, fans everywhere got to be part of the life and crimes of a smuggler who turned a new leaf and grew to become a Rebel Alliance General. But enough about Han Solo for a second, Corellia was also home to Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles.
One other important personality (for this machine deserves to be termed so) who was engineered in Corellia is none other than the Millennium Falcon. Thanks to its native technicians and a rather unfortunate positioning in the galaxy at a time of great crisis, we got three major ‘players’ to join the core team of heroes in the Star Wars franchise.
7 Set Decoration
Firefly was a good show badly written, which is why it’s earned a sufficient number of fans in the short time that it’s been on the air (just one season spanning 2002-2003). In this somewhat-cool show, fans of the Star Wars franchise caught up with episodes hoping to see another space-based adventure series take flight. Instead, they came away with a nice nostalgic sensation upon spotting Han Solo’s carbonite-frozen coffin (a small-scale collector’s edition) making appearances on the show.
Seeing as how studios are known to share props, perhaps an episode or two were shot on the same basic sets as Star Wars, or maybe Firefly’s developers just felt an urge to play some mischief while indulging their own Star Wars sentiments, we’ll never really know. But much like the way Superman made indirect appearances in Seinfeld, we have these curious Solo-Firefly moments to feast our fan-senses on.
6 Turning A New... Line
All actors have experienced difficulty voicing their lines. Harrison Ford has been no exception to this, and it has stunningly altered one of his famous quotes. We’re referring to the part where Princess Leia professes her love for him, and instead of saying something Romeo-cheesy, Han simply went, “I know.” And they shared an on-screen kiss, which had fans hooting and hollering in their seats. The line has inspired similar exchanges in films down the years and has become one of the most famous quotes in Hollywood history.
The truth of the matter was that Ford did not like the way Lucas wrote Solo’s lines.
He found them ‘stilted and unnatural’. This led to fans assuming that several ‘cool crazy’ Solo-dialogues could most probably have been improvised on-set by Ford himself. It’s not far-fetched, actors are expected to bring their own touch to their characters, and we adore what Ford has brought to Solo.