As far as Star Wars characters go, Han Solo was practically in a galaxy of his own.
Harrison Ford’s wry, swashbuckling nerf herder first wormed his way into our hearts back in ’77, when Lucasfilm launched A New Hope and inspired a generation. Fast forward 40 years, and the great Han Solo is no more. Killed at the hands of his estranged son, Kylo Ren, Han’s tragic, shocking death really cut deep, so it’s no wonder fans are beginning to speculate how The Last Jedi will address this ground-shaking event – if at all.
Over the weekend, writer-director Rian Johnson was joined by the sequel’s leading stars to discuss Leia Organa, the all-powerful Snoke and Luke’s inevitable return. But when the conversation veered toward the late Han Solo, John Boyega addressed the audience, stating:
We’re just keeping it moving, to be honest with you, man. It’s true. The pressure’s on, man. There’s no time. I think that’s one thing unique to me about watching this movie was the commentary on war. There hasn’t been a Star Wars movie yet that has explored war in the way The Last Jedi does. It’s very messy; the categorizing of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ is all mixed together. In terms of Han, I’m sure we all feel sentimental – if someone were to sit Finn down, sit Rey down. But Rey’s off training, she’s got stuff to do. I’ve got a back injury, I’ve got stuff to do. I can’t think about Han at the moment.
The Resistance war effort comes first, then, which isn’t all that surprising considering that the sequel’s spirited freedom fighters are on their “last legs.” At least, that’s according to Poe Dameron himself, Oscar Isaac, who elaborated on Boyega’s point:
This is reverberating, but he’s right. It’s a dire situation, it’s critical to the Resistance, which is on its last legs. We’re trying to survive. The First Order is right on top of us. It is like war – you just gotta keep moving to try and survive. So I think you feel the momentum of everything that happens in The Force Awakens just pushing and getting to a critical mass in this film.
Said to be in a “very, very vulnerable state” following the events of The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will see the Resistance confront a resurgent First Order. And we’ll be able to see that battle pan out on December 15th.
