WARNING: This contains SPOILERS (Obviously) for Solo: A Star Wars Story
Solo: A Star Wars Story looks to finally tell the origin story of one of the most beloved space outlaws ever to grace the big screen. And in the process, expand on the existing Star Wars universe and canon. So what are the biggest spoilers, twists, and surprises in store for fans of Han Solo?
The Han Solo movie didn’t make it to theaters without a few bumps and bruises along the way, seeing the original directors replaced by Ron Howard, who was then tasked with re-shooting most of Solo’s entire story. But no matter how steep those odds seemed, the finished film is earning some much sought-after praise.
Even though Solo is retconning Han’s original Star Wars story, there’s a good chance fans will approve. After all, nobody should be more precious when it comes to the smuggler than the actor wh played him. And apparently, Harrison Ford loves the Solo movie. So it’s time to see which spoilers, cameos and twists earned Ford’s praise.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, now’s your last to chance to get out. You have been warned.
Han & Chewie Meet as Imperial Defector/Prisoner
In the original version of the story told in the now non-canon expanded universe, Chewbacca stood by Han Solo’s side to repay a “life debt” (a sacred commitment among the culture of the Wookiees). After Han discovered a Wookiee slave trade and was ordered to kill a wounded Chewbacca by his Imperial superiors, he refused. The pair broke out of their imprisonment together, and the rest was history. The story is changed significantly in Solo, but the spirit of their first encounter remains the same (there are some bits of Star Wars mythology that you just can’t change).
By the time Han arrives on Mimban, his distaste for the Imperial way of doing things has already cost him his future as a pilot, tossed in among the soldiers operating out of Camp Forward. Before long, his insubordination and clear plan to abandon the Empire sees him thrown into a muddy pit in the camp on his lieutenant’s order to “feed him to The Beast.” The creature that comes for him does look grizzly in layers of caked on mud and grime, but the shackle around its ankle reveals the truth.
The Beast is actually Chewbacca, one of the Wookiees taken prisoner as Imperial slave labor, now left forgotten in a prison pit halfway across the galaxy from his family. Han sees no choice but to partner up, and the duo is solidified once again - with Chewie’s debt extending decades into the future, and to the heart of the Rebel Alliance.
Val & Rio Both Die in The Train Heist
Beckett’s team might seem like an exceptionally experienced gang, but the train heist doesn’t go as planned. In fact, their quest to acquire some high-value coaxium goes horribly wrong, costing the lives of both Rio (played by Jon Favreau) and Val (Thandie Newton).
Rio takes some direct damage from a strike on the gang, playing it off as a minor injury at first. Eventually, succumbing to the wounds. Val gets pinned down by enemy fire while planting a charge on a bridge ahead of the team aboard the train, and has no choice but to blow it while she’s still in place.
Lando’s L3-37 Droid Becomes Part of The Falcon
The personality and attitude of Lando Calrissian’s droid L3-37 was hard to miss in the movie’s marketing, explained in universe by the rule that droids must have their memory regularly wiped, lest they begin to develop entire consciousness and minds of their own (seen on full display with R2-D2) in the original series. Unfortunately, not much comes of L3’s desire to see droids liberated and no longer treated like mindless, useless pieces of machinery. But she does get to live beyond her own death… in a way.
The movie establishes that L3’s one of a kind navigational brain is one of Lando and the Falcon’s secret weapons. Upon her death, it’s that navigational prowess that is uploaded to the Falcon’s own systems. Not the personality or consciousness per se, just the next-level navigation that can help the Falcon do the impossible in later movies. It’s always been canon that the Millennium Falcon’s computations were done by a trio of droid brains, but meeting L3 helps explain why C-3PO had such a hard time conversing with its unconventional processing years down the line.
The Kessel Run Happens (But Not in 12 Parsecs)
It’s hard to imagine a story telling the tale of how Han Solo went from a nobody to one of the most infamous smugglers and thieves in the Outer Rim without including his most infamous accomplishment. It was his go-to proof of his ship’s merit when first meeting Luke and Obi-wan, claiming the Millennium Falcon isn’t just a “fast ship” - it’s “the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.”
Some scoffed at the presumed error, since parsecs measured distance, not time… while others imagined a scenario and “run” that adhered to that record. The result was the planet Kessel, surrounded by a storm of gravity wells, black holes, and cosmic hazards that forced ships to pick their way safely through to the surface (a standard trip of twenty parsecs). And in Solo, audiences finally get to see the thrilling Kessel Run, every step of the way.
The scene makes this “maelstrom” canon once more, along with the most dangerous feature of all: The Maw. In the end, the team of heroes make it in one piece… although they inform Han that it’s actually only “twelve parsecs” if you’re rounding down. But we won’t tell.
Han Gets His ‘Solo’ Name as a Joke
Not every surprise or twist is going to please fans, and it’s almost guaranteed that the most divisive change or retcon to the “real” origins of Han Solo will focus on his last name. A work of fiction, completely made up on the spot when Han reports to an Imperial military office.
It would be one thing if Han gave the name of his own volition, having thought up a perfect name to adopt along his path to infamy. But no, the movie simply shows Han admitting that beyond “Han,” he was never given any name. Since he was abandoned on the streets of Corelli, he has no clue as to his own family line.
Which prompts the Imperial officer to deduce that he’s effectively all on his own. Or “solo,” which then becomes his official surname as all involved plant tongues firmly in cheek. It may be your favorite moment, or the one you wish had been handled differently.
Page 2 of 2: More Crazy Solo: A Star Wars Story Spoilers
Han Kills Beckett By ‘Shooting First’
Fans know that the idea of Han ‘shooting first’ has been a controversial one, seen as either a cowardly move, or a smart one, considering the criminals he’s usually dealing with. The opening confrontation with Greedo in A New Hope is still up for debate, but Solo makes it clear he’s willing to take the first shot if needed.
When Han faces off against Tobias Beckett (Woddy Harrelson) in the final minutes of the movie, his former crew leader informs him that he really can’t see what Qi’ra has managed to pull of. And before he can finish his sentence, Han plants a blaster bolt squarely in his chest. Beckett calls it “a smart move,” confirming he would have killed him if Han had hesitated. So let’s put this issue to rest, shall we?
Qi’ra Betrays Han
This deception isn’t a total shock to those who sensed some foreboding in the movies marketing coming from Emilia Clarke’s femme fatal, Qi’ra. But after growing up in the White Worms gang together, and making their escape, audiences will probably hope it to be true love just as much as Han seems to by the movie’s third act. Acting as the second in command to Dryden Vos, leader of the Crimson Dawn, one could belive that Qi’ra has gotten in over her head.
The future seems bright for Han and Qi’ra once they take their score, even if it means killing Beckett in the process. Sadly for Han, Qi’ra was likely planning this scheme longer than Han was ever in it. As soon as Dryden Vos is taken out and Han departs after Beckett, she reveals that her own future is far more sinister and powerful than most expect.
And leaving Han heartbroken with only Chewie to count on.
Qi’ra Actually Works for Darth Maul
Finally, the massive twist sure to deliver when it comes to gasping moviegoers, applauding superfan, and confused looks by anyone who missed out on the Prequel trilogy. When Qi’ra has removed her former superior Dryden Vos, and delivered what she had to betray Han to acquire, she communicates with the real head of the Crimson Dawn criminal organization: Darth Maul himself.
The former Sith Apprentice is once again played by Ray Park in the flesh, and makes sure to light his two-sided lightsaber just in case anyone has forgotten it. His voice, however, is now delivered by actor Sam Witwer, who tackled the role in the animated Clone Wars and Rebels series.
But there’s more to Maul’s story than just surviving his bi-section in Episode I. To see that story, and understand how Darth Maul survived and prospered, some viewing of Clone Wars and Rebels is in order.
Enfys Nest is The Roots of The Rebellion
The stunning costume and military skills of Enfys Nest were some of the most striking moments in Solo’s trailers and early images, but the character isn’t what most audiences will expect. Not only is Enfys Nest not a villain, but she has a far more important role in the future of the galaxy. And yes, the reveal of Enfys shows her to be a teenage girl (played by actress Erin Kellyman).
Han leaves her people with the coaxium, at which point she tells Han that the fuel is “blood that brings life to something new… a rebellion.” She tries to entreat Han to lead their growing resistance, but he refuses. Fans know that Enfys Nest’s rebellion will soon sweep over the Empire, and she will eventually be proven right: Han does change his mind, eventually.
Han Leaves To Work For Jabba on Tatooine
The final scenes of Solo follow Han as he takes proper ownership of the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian, claiming that the pair really are made for eachother. He then mentions “this very big gangster putting together a job.” The fans know he’s referring to the size of the gangster, since it’s almost certainly Jabba the Hutt.
We’ll hand it to Chewbacca for sensing that something is wrong with the prospect, but Han reiterates that it will be the change they need, steering them in the right direction. We suppose he’s right and wrong, since his brush with Jabba will see him almost killed… but cement his role in the galaxy’s greatest story.
- Han Solo Release Date: 2018-05-25
