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Han Solo

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For the trilobyte, see Han solo (trilobite).

Template:Infobox Star Wars character Han Solo is a character in the Star Wars universe, portrayed by Harrison Ford in the original trilogy. He and his co-pilot Chewbacca become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire. Over the course of the Star Wars franchise, he becomes a chief figure in the Alliance and succeeding galactic governments. Star Wars creator George Lucas described the character as "a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good".[1]

Appearances

Original trilogy

Introduced in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Han Solo and Chewbacca are indebted to Jabba the Hutt after the loss of valuable cargo.

On Tatooine, Solo accepts a charter to transport Luke Skywalker, Ben Kenobi, C-3PO and R2-D2 to Alderaan in his Millennium Falcon ship for a payment to clear the debt. But when the crew and passengers arrive at the planet's coordinates, they discover that Alderaan has been destroyed by the Death Star, and the Falcon is then captured and held within the battle station. Enticed by the likelihood of a large reward, Solo and Chewbacca help Skywalker rescue Princess Leia Organa held captive aboard the station. After delivering Skywalker, Leia and the droids to the Rebel Alliance, Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot receive payment for their services and depart.

However, Solo has a change of heart and returns to save Luke's life during the film's climactic battle scene, ultimately enabling Luke to destroy the Death Star. For his heroics, Solo is presented with a medal and is appointed a Captain of the Rebel Alliance.

In Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo continues to assist the Rebels against the Empire.

Han once again risks his life to save Luke Skywalker by braving a snowstorm on the ice planet Hoth to rescue his wounded friend. When the Empire attacks the Rebel base, Solo transports Chewbacca, Leia Organa and C-3PO to Cloud City where his old friend Lando Calrissian (Cloud City's administrator) operates to hide from Imperial agents. When bounty hunter Boba Fett tracks the Falcon to Cloud City, Darth Vader forces Calrissian to help capture Solo who is then sealed in carbonite for delivery to Jabba the Hutt. Lando is able to free Vader's other captives but their rescue attempt of Solo fails and Fett is able to escape with Solo's frozen body.

During Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Han Solo is still frozen until Leia Organa and Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker infiltrate Jabba the Hutt's palace and free him but they're caught by Jabba before they can escape. When Jabba orders them to be executed, Solo helps Luke and Leia in defeating Jabba and his henchmen before escaping and defeating Boba Fett.

Reunited with the Rebels, Solo is commissioned as a General. Along with Leia and Chewbacca, he goes to the forest moon of Endor and leads a team deactivating the force fields protecting the Empire's second Death Star, in which they are aided by the Ewoks while Luke fights the Emperor on the Death Star. At the end of the film, Solo joins the Rebels in celebrating the destruction of the second Death Star and the Empire. At the end, he and Leia declare their love for each other while reuniting with Luke and Lando as well.

Other appearances

On February 6, 2013, Entertainment Weekly reported that The Walt Disney Company, the new owner of Lucasfilm since 2012, is developing a stand-alone film featuring Han Solo which would take place between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.[2]

2014

It was also announced that Harrison Ford will reprise his role as Han Solo in the first installment of the upcoming third Star Wars trilogy.[3]

Expanded Universe

Brian Daley wrote a series of novels, the first published in 1979, exploring Han Solo and Chewbecca's smuggling adventures, and Ann C. Crispin's The Han Solo Trilogy (1997–1998) further develops the character's backstory.[4] Crispin's books depict Solo as a beggar and pickpocket throughout much of his youth. He becomes a pilot and, in the process of undermining a religious fraud, falls in love with Bria Tharen, who disappears before Solo joins the Imperial Navy. Solo loses his commission and is cashiered when he refuses an order to skin Chewbacca for commandeering a ship carrying Wookiee children destined for slavery; Chewbacca, in turn, swears a "life-debt" to Solo. The two become smugglers, and help repel an Imperial blockade of a Hutt moon. Solo soon thereafter wins the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a card tournament. Tharen, now a Rebel agent, reappears and asks for Solo, Chewbacca and Calrissian's help in attacking a slave colony. After succeeding, Tharen's troopers steal the smuggler's valuables to aid the Rebel Alliance. To compensate their losses, Solo and Chewbacca accept a smuggling job from Jabba the Hutt; but Imperial ships force the smugglers to jettison their cargo, invoking the debt Solo and Chewbacca owe the Hutt at the beginning of A New Hope.

Solo plays a central role in several Star Wars stories set after Return of the Jedi. In The Courtship of Princess Leia (1995), he resigns his commission to pursue Leia, whom he eventually marries. Solo and Leia have three children: twins Jaina and Jacen and son Anakin. Chewbacca dies saving Anakin's life in Vector Prime (1999), sending Solo into a deep depression. In Star by Star (2001), Anakin dies as well, compounding Solo's despair. At the end of the series, however, Solo accepts the deaths of his son and his best friend, and reconciles with his family.

In the Legacy of the Force series, Jacen Solo becomes the Sith Lord Darth Caedus and plunges the galaxy into a bloody civil war. Solo disowns Jacen, but is still devastated by each new outrage his son commits. He and Leia adopt Allana (Jacen's daughter) after Jacen's death in the novel Invincible.

Influence and critical reaction

Han Solo is a reckless smuggler with a sarcastic wit;[4] he is "a very practical guy" and considers himself "a materialist";[5] but the adventures in the first Star Wars movie evoke his compassion, a trait "he didn't know he possessed".[5]

The American Film Institute ranked Solo as the 14th greatest film hero.[6] He was also deemed the 4th greatest movie character of all-time by Empire magazine.[7] Entertainment Weekly ranked the character 7th on their list of The All-Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture.[8] On their list of the 100 Greatest Fictional Characters, Fandomania.com ranked Solo at number 15.[9] IGN listed Han Solo as the second greatest Star Wars character of all time (behind Darth Vader),[10] as well as listing him as one of the top 10 characters who most needed a spin-off, saying he was "Arguably the coolest character in the Star Wars universe".[11]

Prince of Persia producer Ben Mattes explained that their "inspiration was anything Harrison Ford has ever done: Indiana Jones, Han Solo".[12] The Japanese manga and anime anti-hero Space Adventure Cobra has been compared by reviewers to Solo.[13][14] In preparing to play James T. Kirk, Chris Pine drew inspiration from Ford's depictions of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, highlighting their humor and "accidental hero" traits.[15]

Merchandising

Solo has been merchandised in multiple media, including action figures, video games, and other collectibles. A Han Solo action figure with "human proportions" was released in 1977 to coincide with the release of the original Star Wars, while a figure created for the films' mid-1990s re-release was criticized as "unrealistically muscled."[16][17]

See also

References

  1. ^ Bouzereau, Laurent. Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays. p. 8. ISBN 0-345-40981-7.
  2. ^ Breznican, Anthony (February 6, 2013). "'Star Wars' spin-offs: A young Han Solo movie, and a Boba Fett film -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  3. ^ http://screencrush.com/star-wars-episode-7-harrison-ford-han-solo/
  4. ^ a b "Solo, Han". Encyclopedia. Lucasfilm. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  5. ^ a b Campbell, Joseph (1989). The Power of Myth. p. 159. ISBN 978-0-385-24774-0. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ "AFI's 100 Years.... 100 Heroes and Villains" (PDF). American Film Institute. Retrieved May 1, 2010.
  7. ^ "Empire's The 100 Greatest Movie Characters". Empire Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ "Entertainment Weekly's 20 All Time Coolest Heroes in Pop Culture". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  9. ^ "The 100 Greatest Fictional Characters". Fandomania.com. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
  10. ^ "Han Solo is #2". IGN.
  11. ^ News & Features Team (2010-05-22). "Top 10 Tuesday: Characters In Need of a Spin-Off". IGN. Retrieved 2011-04-08.
  12. ^ Steinman, Gary. "Prince of Persia: Anatomy of a Prince". PlayStation: The Official Magazine. 2008–12 (50): 13.
  13. ^ "Space Adventure Cobra". 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2009-05-01.
  14. ^ "Space Adventure Cobra". Retrieved 2009-05-01. [dead link]
  15. ^ Aftab, Kaleem (2008-03-10). "Exclusive: Trek Star Reveals Captain Kirk Inspiration". IGN. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
  16. ^ Lock, James (2004). Help your teenager beat an eating disorder. Guilford Press. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-1-57230-908-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ Grant, Jon E. (2006). Textbook of men's mental health. American Psychiatric Pub. p. 317. ISBN 978-1-58562-215-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)

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