Last night and early this morning, we finally got our first look at the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story, the prequel that’ll explore the once-mysterious past of the beloved smuggler for the first time. Well, the first time on the big screen. Fans of Star Wars spinoff material, like readers of the old Expanded Universe novels, will be familiar with one version of Han’s origins and, interestingly, the movie appears to follow along similar lines.
First of all, let’s recap. When Disney took over Lucasfilm and began work on their new series of movies, they decreed that all the books, comics and video games that had come out since the last trilogy were not canon anymore and would be dubbed Legends. This has allowed them a much clearer canvas to work on – though oftentimes the new continuity takes inspiration from the Legends storylines. For instance, Grand Admiral Thrawn being added to Star Wars Rebels.Â
This also seems to be the case with Solo, as the trailer gave us a hint at a very familiar backstory for the character. In it, we discovered that Han was once in the employ of the Empire, as well as growing up as a street-wise con artist. Both of these elements are directly lifted from the old EU.
Here’s how Alden Ehrenreich’s voiceover puts it:
“I’ve been running scams on the streets since I was ten. I was kicked out of the flight academy for having a mind of my own. I’m gonna be a pilot. The best in the galaxy.”
If this is followed through, it could give us a large clue as to how the movie will have Han and Chewie meet for the very first time. In the Legends continuity, Han defends Chewie when he sees the Wookie being beaten by a fellow Imperial officer. This leads Han to free all the Wookie slaves and go rogue.
From what we’ve heard, something similar will happen in Solo. It’s thought that Han will find Chewie on the planet Kessel, where the fuzzball will be slaving away, mining for the planet’s natural narcotic known as spice. No doubt he’ll again save Chewbacca – and, hey presto, the best friendship in Star Wars lore is born.
Solo: A Star Wars Story arrives in cinemas on May 25th, at which point we’ll have a much better idea of the titular hero’s origins.
