Han Solo
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| Star Wars character | |
| Han Solo | |
|---|---|
| Image:HanSolo.jpg
| |
| Position | Captain of the Millennium Falcon, General in the Rebel Alliance |
| Homeworld | Corellia |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Galactic Alliance (former smuggler, Five Worlds) |
| Portrayed by | Harrison Ford (films), Neil Ross (various video games) |
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars universe. He was played by Harrison Ford in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, The Star Wars Holiday Special, and Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
Solo is introduced in A New Hope as a roguish spice smuggler who, through a twist of fate, becomes involved in the Rebel Alliance against the evil Galactic Empire. Over the course of this film and its sequels, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Solo becomes a chief figure in the Alliance. Star Wars creator George Lucas describes him as "a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good."[citation needed]
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[edit] Character history
As portrayed by Ford, Han Solo is a superb smuggler with a wry wit, a reckless disposition, and technological savvy who pilots the Millennium Falcon along with his Wookiee copilot Chewbacca.
[edit] Star Wars Films & Made For TV Movie
- The events in this section take place in the original Star Wars film trilogy
[edit] A New Hope
At the beginning of A New Hope, Solo and Chewbacca are notorious smugglers. However, during one Kessel Run, the Imperial Navy intercepts and boards their ship, forcing Solo to jettison his cargo to avoid arrest. This results in a large and mounting debt to his former employer, Jabba the Hutt, who places a bounty on Solo's capture. Desperate to pay off his debt to Jabba, Solo accepts a charter to transport Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker, and their two droids to the planet Alderaan. As a result, Solo reluctantly becomes involved in the Rebel Alliance and helps them rescue Princess Leia from Imperial custody, but parts ways with the rebels after delivering them to safety and receiving his payment. However, near the end of the film, he has a change of heart, and helps Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star at the film's climactic battle scene. As a result, Solo is handsomely rewarded and given, along with Luke, the Alderaanian Medal of Freedom.[1]
[edit] The Star Wars Holiday Special
It is Life Day (a holiday analogous to Christmas). Chewbacca is on his way home to see his family and to celebrate the holiday, accompanied by his friend, Han Solo. Not long after departing Tatooine in the Millennium Falcon, the duo find themselves chased by two Star Destroyers. After a short argument whether they should abort the mission, Han decides to go forward and sends the Falcon into hyperspace. They finally arrive at Chewie's home and Chewie greets his family, but only after Han takes care of an Imperial Trooper. Han participates in the ceremony with the Wookies.[2]
[edit] The Empire Strikes Back
In The Empire Strikes Back, set three years later, Han again attempts to leave the Rebel Alliance, as he is still being relentlessly pursued by Jabba's minions. However, he is once again dragged back into action when he saves Luke from freezing to death and Princess Leia from an Imperial invasion of the rebel base on Hoth. He takes her to hide on the planet Bespin, but his old friend Lando Calrissian betrays him and turns them over to Darth Vader, who was informed of their location by Han's nemesis, bounty hunter Boba Fett. After being tortured by Vader, Han's body is frozen in carbonite and given to Fett as a reward, who then delivers the incapacitated Han to Jabba. Moments before Han is frozen, he and Leia confess their love to each other.[3]
[edit] Return of the Jedi
In Return of the Jedi, Luke, now a nearly full-fledged Jedi, rescues Han from Jabba (with help from Leia, Chewbacca, and a penitent Lando). Upon rejoining the rebels, Han, now promoted to general, accepts their offer to lead the commando raid on an Imperial shield generator facility on the forest moon of Endor. By destroying the shield generator, they allow rebel fighters to enter the Death Star's superstructure and destroy it in the ensuing Battle of Endor, permanently crippling the Empire.[4]
[edit] Expanded Universe
In the years since the release of Return of the Jedi, several novels in the Star Wars Expanded Universe have detailed Han Solo's life before and after joining the Rebellion.
[edit] Before A New Hope
In his youth (described in the Expanded Universe novel The Paradise Snare) Han is a beggar in the streets of Corellia. He is discovered by Garris Shrike, captain of the Trader's Luck. Seduced by promises of a better life, Han follows the man to his space ship, a relic of the Clone Wars. Unbeknownst to the young Corellian, the Trader's Luck is little more than a slave ship, where the rule is "Everyone works." After spending most of his childhood pickpocketing and scamming at the whim of the abusive Shrike, Han comes under the care of Dewlanna, a widowed Wookiee "indebted" to the ruthless captain. He then enters a swoop race with Dengar, who is severely injured during the course of the race. Dengar has sought revenge on Han ever since. At the age of 19, Solo escapes the Luck on the droid-controlled vessel Ylesian Dream in pursuit of his piloting career. In the process, an enraged Shrike kills Dewlanna, Han's foster mother.
In response to an ad for good pilots, Solo braves the planet Ylesia's storm-ridden atmosphere. There he discovers a religious conspiracy, led by Ylesia's High Priest, Teroenza, to attract slaves to process illegal glitterstim spice. With the help of his friends Muuurgh the Togorian (a feline humanoid) and Bria Tharen (his first love, whom he discovers as a mindless drone in the factories and deprogrammed), Solo steals a significant portion of Teroenza's private art collection. The trio also destroy the spice factory, adding insult to injury by hijacking the T'landa Tils private yacht. On Coruscant, Bria disappears from Solo's life, engendering in him a "Love 'em and leave 'em" philosophy towards women. He then enlists in the Imperial Navy and is nearly killed by Garris Shrike on the night of his induction ceremony. Shrike intends to collect on the bounty placed on Solo for his Ylesian sabotage. Hungry for vengeance for Dewlanna's death, Solo turns the tables on the captain and nearly kills him. Amidst their savage battle, a second bounty hunter guns Shrike down in order to claim Solo for himself, only to be killed himself by a desperate Han. He spends about five years in the Imperial Starfleet, first at the academy on Carida, where one of his classmates is future Imperial ace starfighter pilot Soontir Fel, and then on active service.
In The Hutt Gambit, he wins the Corellian Bloodstripes, represented by the dotted-red line running down the sides of his pants. A scheduled rendezvous with a slaving vessel reveals that an adult Wookiee has overwhelmed the crew and released the Wookiee children that were to be sold. Leading a TIE fighter squadron, Han boards the damaged ship and meets Chewbacca for the first time, barely alive in the pilot's seat. Commander Nyklas orders the young lieutenant to skin the Wookiee, but he refuses to do so. He later loses his lieutenant's commission and is dishonorably discharged. His Bloodstripes are the only decoration not literally ripped off his uniform when he's cashiered out of Imperial service, as they aren't an Imperial award. Chewbacca swears a life-debt to his rescuer, and from then on the two are inseparable.
In the novel Rebel Dawn, Han wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in an intense sabacc tournament on Bespin, whereupon he embarks on his smuggling career. Han's bravery during the Battle of Nar Shaddaa earns him the attention of his old flame Bria Tharen, now an agent of the Rebel Alliance. He is reluctant in aiding his former love, who is planning an all-out attack against the slaving colonies on Ylesia. Promised appropriate compensation, Han, Lando, and Chewbacca take on the mission. In the aftermath of the battle, Tharen's troopers turn their blasters on Lando and the rest of Han's friends, confiscating all valuables in the name of the Rebel Alliance. Angered, Han threatens to kill Bria if he ever sees her again. Defaced and branded a traitor back on Nar Shaddaa, Lando refuses to believe Han was not involved in the swindle, punching his former friend in the jaw.
[edit] After Return of the Jedi
In the novels that take place after Return of the Jedi, Han plays a central role in the turbulent years following the death of Emperor Palpatine and destruction of the Empire. In the novel The Courtship of Princess Leia, he resigns his commission in order to pursue Leia, whom he eventually marries on Coruscant after destroying Zsinj.
In the Thrawn trilogy, he plays a key role getting Talon Karrde and other smugglers to support the New Republic through intelligence and mercenary work. He is frequently separated from Leia during this time, going on contact missions with friends such as Lando, Wedge Antilles and Lieutenant Page.
Han and Leia have three children together, twins Jaina and Jacen and their younger brother Anakin, who is named after Luke and Leia's father (and the former Darth Vader), Anakin Skywalker. Throughout the Young Jedi Knights series, Imperial agents frequently attempt to kidnap these children, with the intent of raising them as Dark Jedi.
In the Dark Empire series, Solo and Leia's son, Anakin, becomes the target of Palpatine's clone, who attempted to inhabit the infant's body. Anakin is spared this fate in the final entry, Empire's End; Just as Palpatine is about to possess the child, Han shoots him in the back, destroying the Sith Lord's body. Palpatine's spirit makes one final lunge at young Anakin, but his former ally Empatojayos Brand turns against him and blocks his way, destroying him.
In the novel Jedi Search, Han and Chewbacca go on a diplomatic mission to Kessel. While there, they are shot down and imprisoned by the administrator Moruth Doole. While in prison, Han befriends a young Force-sensitive man named Kyp Durron. Chewbacca, Han, and Kyp escape in an Imperial Shuttle and go into the Maw, where they are captured by Admiral Daala. Han is taken to Qwi Xux, who helped design the Death Star, and who has just designed an Imperial superweapon, the Sun Crusher. Han convinces Xux that the Empire was evil, and the two free Chewbacca and Kyp. The group then steals the Sun Crusher, destroying a Star Destroyer in the process, and return it to the New Republic.
Durron begins his Jedi training in Dark Apprentice. Under the influence of the spirit of ancient Sith Lord Exar Kun, however, he falls to the dark side of the Force. Han takes off to hunt down Kyp, who has stolen the Sun Crusher from its storage location in the heart of the gas planet Yavin, and takes the vessel on an anti-Imperial rampage. After Kun's spirit is destroyed, Kyp surrenders to Han, who stands at Kyp's side when he goes before the New Republic council, and takes him back to Luke Skywalker. Luke forgives Kyp and continues his training, eventually turning him into one of the first Masters of the new Jedi Order.
In The Corellian Trilogy, Han returns to Corellia for the first time in many years. His cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo, is inciting a revolution to overthrow the existing government, and the entire system is on the edge of civil war. Han and his friends help defuse the situation before it degenerates into a full-scale war.
Chewbacca dies saving Anakin's life in Vector Prime, the first in the New Jedi Order series of books. Han takes his companion's death hard, sinking into alcoholism and depression. He takes his anger and grief out on his family, alienating them and returning to his loner lifestyle. In Star by Star, Anakin dies as well, compounding Han's despair. By the end of the series, however, he finally accepts the deaths of Anakin and Chewbacca and moves on, and repairs his relationship with his family.
In the Legacy of the Force series, Han and Leia join the Five Worlds, a rebellion against the Galactic Alliance. They soon leave the Five Worlds, however, when a bounty is placed on the entire Solo family by Thracken Sal-Solo. Later he, Boba Fett, and Mirta Gev all kill him by shooting him in the head.
Han's troubles in the series do not end with his cousin's death, however. In Exile, he and Leia learn that their son, Jacen, ordered the orbital bombardment and, worse, put a bounty on their lives. By this time, Jacen has been corrupted by Lumiya, Dark Lady of the Sith, and turned to the dark side; as the Sith Lord Darth Caedus, he throws the galaxy into a chaotic, bloody civil war, and murders Luke's wife, Mara Jade Skywalker. In Inferno, Han and Leia reluctantly approve a (failed) military assassination attempt on Jacen. As of Fury, Han has declared Jacen dead to him, but is still heartbroken over each new outrage his son commits.
While the Expanded Universe posits a life of continuing hardship and struggle for the character post-Return of the Jedi, creator George Lucas holds a different view. In a 2005 interview with MTV News, [5] Lucas states: "Han and Leia probably did get married," Lucas conceded. "They settled down. She became a senator, and they got a nice little house with a white picket fence. Han Solo is out there cooking burgers on the grill. Is that a movie? I don't think so."
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
- ^ Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2005), disc 1.
- ^ The Star Wars Holiday Special, original CBS airing, November 17, 1978. Steve Binder, George Lucas.
- ^ Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2005), disc 1.
- ^ Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (DVD, 20th Century Fox, 2005), disc 1.
- ^ http://www.mtv.com/movies/movie/237059/news/articles/1501522/story.jhtml
[edit] Bibliography
- Star Wars: The Paradise Snare, (Book 1 of The Han Solo Trilogy), 1st paperback printing, 1997. A. C. Crispin, ISBN 0-553-57415-9
- Star Wars, The Han Solo Adventures: Han Solo at Star's End, Del Rey omnibus of "Han Solo at Star's End", "Han Solo's Revenge", and "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy", 1979. Brian Daley, ISBN 0-345-37980-2
- Star Wars: Rebel Dawn (Book 3 of "The Han Solo Trilogy"), by A. C. Crispin. 1998. ISBN 0-553-57417-5
- Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, softcover, 1997. George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
- Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura, 1st paperback printing, 1994. Kathy Tyers, ISBN 0-553-56872-8
- Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia, 1995. Dave Wolverton, ISBN 0-553-56937-6
- Star Wars: Jedi Search, (Book 1 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0553297988
- Star Wars: Dark Apprentice, (Book 2 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1st edition paperback, 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0-553-29799-6
- Star Wars: Champions of the Force, (Book 3 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1st edition paperback, 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, 0-553-29799-6
- Star Wars, Ambush at Corellia, (Book 1 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29803-8
- Star Wars, Assault at Selonia, (Book 2 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29805-4
- Star Wars, Showdown at Centerpoint, (Book 3 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29806-2
- Star Wars: Vector Prime, (Book 1 of the New Jedi Order), 1999. R. A. Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42844-7
- Star Wars, New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, (Book 5 of the New Jedi Order) 1st paperback printing, 2000. James Luceno, ISBN 0-345-42859-5
- A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, 2nd edition, 1994. Bill Slavicsek, ISBN 0-345-38625-6
- New Jedi Order Sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast: 2002. J.D. Wiker and Steve Miller, ISBN 0-7869-2777-1
[edit] In Comics
Han Solo is one of the principal characters in Marvel Comics' Star Wars series by Roy Thomas.
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[edit] External links
- Han Solo in the Star Wars Databank
- Han Solo on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki
- Han Solo at the Internet Movie Database
- Han Solo at The World of Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope | |
|---|---|
| Characters | Wedge Antilles • C-3PO • Chewbacca • General Jan Dodonna • Greedo • Jabba the Hutt • Jawa • Obi-Wan Kenobi • Beru Lars • Owen Lars • Princess Leia Organa • R2-D2 • Sandpeople • Han Solo • Luke Skywalker • Stormtrooper • Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin • Darth Vader |
| Events | Destruction of Alderaan • Battle of Yavin |
| Planets | Tatooine • Alderaan • Yavin IV |
| Cities | Mos Eisley • Death Star I |
| Starships | Escape Pod • Imperial Landing Craft • Imperial Star Destroyer • Millennium Falcon • Outrider • Rebel Medium Transport • Tantive IV • TIE Advanced x1 • TIE Fighter • X-Wing • Y-Wing |
| Vehicles | Flare-S Swoop • Sandcrawler • T-16 Skyhopper • V-35 Landspeeder • X-34 Landspeeder |
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back | |
|---|---|
| Characters | 2-1B • 4-LOM • Wedge Antilles • Bossk • C-3PO • Lando Calrissian • Chewbacca • Dengar • Boba Fett • IG-88 • Obi-Wan Kenobi • Lobot • Princess Leia Organa • The Emperor • Admiral Firmus Piett • R2-D2 • General Carlist Rieekan • Han Solo • Luke Skywalker • Stormtrooper • Darth Vader • Wampa • Yoda • Zuckuss |
| Events | Battle of Hoth • Luke Skywalker's Jedi Training • Capture of Han Solo • Luke Skywalker v. Darth Vader I |
| Planets | Hoth • Dagobah • Bespin |
| Cities | Cloud City |
| Starships | Escort Frigate • Imperial Lambda-class Shuttle • Imperial Star Destroyer • Millennium Falcon • Rebel Medium Transport • Slave I • Super Star Destroyer • TIE Bomber • TIE Fighter • TIE Shuttle • X-Wing • Y-Wing |
| Vehicles | AT-AT • AT-ST • Snowspeeder • Twin-Pod Cloud Car |
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