It certainly seems like a no-brainer plot point, since it was officially confirmed that Donald Glover would be co-starring in the Han Solo movie as a young Lando Calrissian, but there is now a persistent rumour that a significant subplot in the film will be the story of how Lando came to lose the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo.
First things first – the casting of Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian is both perfect, and a work of genius. Not only does he have the acting talent and the comic timing, but fans have long been waiting for the actor to be handed a role in one of the big franchises currently being constructed. Add to that the fact that the Han Solo movie is probably one of the most anticipated films in development, and we have a very exciting project on our hands.
Secondly, the reason that the Han Solo movie is one of the most anticipated films is because of the characters. It is by no means an understatement to say that Solo an icon of cinema, and Lando Calrissian is one of the most beloved supporting characters in the franchise – to the extent that the expanded universe (the non-canon stuff) has provided him with plenty of story of his own.
[wgtc_youtube video_id=”V0MoSSa-BRM”]The long-standing friendship between these two charismatic men is one of the highlights of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back – not least because of the way their conversations allude to a historical contest surrounding that other Star Wars icon: the Millennium Falcon. Now that Calrissian is confirmed for the movie, it is rumoured that we’ll get to see how that legendary gamble actually played out.
According to Star Wars canon, the Millennium Falcon began life as a standard Corellian YT-1300f light freighter, until it was acquired by a young Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover). He made a number of customizations to the Falcon, but then lost it to the young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) in a game of Corellian Spike Sabacc – a dice-based variant of the traditional Sabacc card game. Solo then made further customizations the vehicle and used it as part of his smuggling operation.
As all Star Wars fans know, Lando Calrissian got to pilot the Falcon again when Han Solo was captured and sealed in carbonite, and again during the Battle of Endor – destroying the Death Star II from the inside. We also know that it was lost from both of them by the time Rey and Finn stole it from a junk-yard in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now, however, it seems we may be about to have a very particular gap in Star Wars lore filled in with the Han Solo movie – and while it may ultimately only be a minor sub-plot in the film as a whole, that alone makes the May 25th, 2018 release date well worth the wait.