Never Tell Him The Odds; Han Solo Explained
Sure, he may be a stuck up, half witted, scruffy looking nerf herder, but that’s part of why Star Wars fans almost unanimously love Han Solo.
There are few characters in movie history as recognizable and well liked as Han Solo. In a universe full of people with super-human powers, Han -with no powers- manages to be a standout in every scene he’s in. So where does this scruffy looking nerf herder come from? And what makes him so special to the fandom?
Han Solo
Han Solo is one of the main protagonists in the Star Wars franchise, and part of the original trio in the original trilogy. When we (and Luke, Obi-Wan and Leia) first meet Han, he’s a pilot and smuggler for hire. He’s looking for the next job that will keep his ship flying and pay his bills… And in his case those bills include IOUs to galactic gangsters often enough to get himself into trouble. Han is almost always accompanied by his Wookiee best friend and co-pilot, Chewbacca.
At first Han has no interest in joining the Rebel Alliance. Taking sides in a galactic war seemed like a way to draw (more) attention to himself and would get in the way of his and Chewbacca’s freelance work situation. But by the end of the first movie he joins in on the assault on the Death Star and is earning medals as a Rebel hero.
“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid”
– Han Solo.
Han remains a key character throughout the original trilogy and the first movie of the sequel trilogy as well as many books and comics.
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Han Solo’s History
Han was born on Corellia in 32 BBY and grew up mostly impoverished on the streets and fighting for survival. For a time he worked as a thief for Corellian’s White Worms gang, and later his dreams of becoming a pilot brought him to became an imperial cadet. His recruitment officer gave him the last name ‘Solo’ on his entry paperwork.
Eventually he left the Imperial Academy and went back to working for mob bosses. On one of these jobs he met his Wookiee best friend Chewbacca and close human friend and at-the-time owner of the Millennium Falcon, Lando Calrissian. Han and Chewy became smugglers for hire until they met Luke Skywalker and shortly after joined the Rebellion, being key actors in a number of Rebel missions.
After the fall of the Empire, Han and Leia Organa got married and had a son, Ben Solo. Ben was strong with the force but not particularly skilled at working through his emotions and fell to the dark side. After this, Han returned to smuggling and lost the Falcon to thieves. He and Leia separated as she continued her public service and later resistance work. Eventually, Han was reunited with Leia and later his son… Only to be stabbed with a lightsaber by the latter and mortally wounded by him.
Harrison Ford
Han Solo is famously portrayed by Harrison Ford and is widely considered perfect casting. But when casting choices were first being made for Star Wars, Lucas resisted bringing Ford on. Lucas had previously worked with him on American Graffiti and wanted to hire someone new. Instead, he asked Ford to assist with auditions by reading with potential actors. But Lucas was eventually won over and convinced to cast Ford after all. While working on Star Wars, Harrison Ford was known to modify and re-write his lines, claiming they were more appropriate to his character.
Ford also had something of a complex relationship with the character and the Star Wars franchise. He was openly annoyed by his contractual obligation to appear on the infamous Holiday Special. But more notably, Ford had thought Han Solo should have been killed off in Empire Strikes Back, but Lucas didn’t agree and refused. When the sequel trilogy was in pre-production. Ford agreed to return under the condition that the new trilogy finally killed his character off.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
In 2018 we saw Han Solo’s stand-alone film, Solo: A Star Wars Story. It was a prequel story that followed Han as he left Corellia, meets Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian, and gets his ship, the Millennium Falcon. Alden Ehrenreich played this younger version of Han. And despite a big budget and a ton of marketing, the movie just did alright. Fans were generally not enthused by the premise. And massive re-shoots left potential viewers wondering if there were issues with the movie at its core. In the end, the movie was a reasonably fun time, but overall forgettable film.
How Many Kids Did Han and Leia Have?
In the current storyline, just one; Ben Solo aka Kylo Ren.
In the no longer canon Legends stories, they had three children; twins Jaina and Jacen, and younger son, Anakin Solo.
Who Else Was Considered to Play Han?
Christopher Walken was one of the top picks to play Han Solo. And Al Pacino reportedly turned the role down.
Why Didn’t Harrison Ford Want To Play Han Solo Anymore?
He just didn’t seem to like the character much, seeing Han as a one-dimensional character with little narrative direction. He probably also had issues with the writing of the character in general, considering he re-wrote much of his own lines to make them more in-character.
Who Shot First?
Han. Han shot first originally. Later versions of the movie were edited to show Greedo shooting first in order to give Han more of a reason to shoot- being self defense. But many fans (rightfully) argue that this weakens the characterization of Han. He’s a character who wouldn’t willingly give someone the opportunity to force him to act in self-defense and as a character who can generally read situations and his enemies very well.
Happy adventuring!
