Solo: A Star Wars Story might not be the same kind of box office bonanza that Disney has
gotten used to since adding Lucasfilm to its menagerie of studios, but the film has still
given fans a lot to talk about.
Centered on the title space pirate as he makes his way from the mean streets of Corellia
to his fabled Kessel Run, Solo gives the hesitant hero some new cinematic life, with Alden Ehrenreich
stepping into Harrison Ford's old boots.
His journey fills in a lot of blanks about Han Solo's past - up to and including the
origin of his name - and in the process churns out quite a few references that were quite
clearly meant to ring familiar, even the most casual fans in a galaxy far, far away.
Familiar parlance
It wouldn't be a Han Solo movie without some of his choice catchphrases coming into play.
The easiest nods to the character's previous pieces of dialogue were direct, like when
Han is referred to as a "flyboy" by his new cohorts on Tobias Beckett's team, and when
he calls his budding sidekick Chewbacca a "moof-milker" for what is probably the first
time of many.
At other points, the approach was to turn an iconic phrase on its head.
Instead of the classic "I have a bad feeling about this" line that makes its way into every
Star Wars movie, Han's delight at taking the wheel inspires the happier version: "I have
a really good feeling about this."
And when Lando Calrissian has decidedly had enough of the coaxium heist, and all the damage
it's doing to his precious Millennium Falcon, and he tells Han, "I hate you," at which point
Han replies, "I know."
It's a nod to the signature exchange he'll later have with Leia Organa and is clearly
meant to show the strong effect Han's had on people since the beginning.
Too tough to tangle with
Solo also takes place before Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the film overtly tells
us as much by including Scarif among the many familiar planet names that are dropped by
characters throughout.
While there are plenty of other familiar locales that should make Star Wars' aficionados' ears
perk, the mention of Scarif is about much more than letting us know it's still intact
in the timeline of Solo.
It also reaffirms just how gutsy the events of Rogue One really were.
The planet is mentioned by Qi'ra as a possible source of some replacement coaxium, after
the team muffs their first attempt to boost some from a train on Vandor-1.
Scarif is quickly passed over because of the heavy security surrounding the planet, and
the group instead opts to risk the Kessel Run with unstable explosives rather than even
take a chance at Scarif.
In other words, Jyn Erso and her little band of rebels were even braver than we knew.
The seeds of rebellion
The first stand-alone Star Wars story, Rogue One was basically a feature-length tribute
to some of the previously unknown heroes that helped fuel the rebellion that would ultimately
topple an empire - by getting those Death Star plans into Leia's hands.
Solo, on the other hand, is focused on the history and character development of the galaxy's
most lovable rogue, and proves he was known to act unselfishly on at least one occasion
prior to saving Luke Skywalker from Darth Vader's squadron of TIE fighters.
What it means for Han to betray Dryden Vos and deliver the precious fuel cells to Enfys
Nest's ragtag team is fairly epic.
Before, he was ready to align with anyone who'd fill his pockets, but now he has scruples
and guts.
Enfys Nest tells Han that the coaxium is the blood of a new rebellion.
In other words, long before Han would ever meet Luke and Obi-Wan at that Cantina, he'd
already begun his work aiding the Rebel Alliance.
Let the Wookiee win
Some references are a little more obscure than others, like when Lando Calrissian uses
his downtime to chronicle his adventures via hologram and makes mention of the alien race,
the Sharu.
This is a major nod to the novel Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu, which hasn't
been considered "canon" but offers its own sort of pre-war adventure tale of Lando and
a droid going on a treasure hunt.
The book and its sequels might not have gotten much onscreen love in the past, but the scene
seems to finally give weight to those crazy adventure stories.
Similarly, Solo also gives a nod to artists Phil Tippett and Jon Berg's missing holochess
characters, Bulbous and Scrimp, which were omitted from the Dejarik boards shown in A
New Hope and The Force Awakens but were kept by the artists as souvenirs of their Star
Wars adventures.
In a Solo scene aboard the Millennium Falcon, Chewbacca is shown learning the game with
Beckett and attempting to wipe the pieces away in a moment of typical frustration, permanently
damaging the board in his fit of rage and causing the two pieces to blink out of existence.
Who shoots first?
Perhaps no Star Wars issue has been so furiously debated as whether or not Han Solo shot first
in his fateful showdown with Greedo.
Solo doesn't answer that specific question, precisely, but it does pay respects to the
issue with a much more conclusive version of some similar events.
In the film's final scenes, Han confronts Beckett on the beach, after his pseudo-mentor
betrays him, and it becomes clear their differences can't be resolved peacefully.
Using his signature blaster pistol, given to him by Beckett, Han decides to act first
and whips out his weapon to put one into Beckett's chest before Beckett can ever draw his own
sidearm.
Scum and villainy
Young Han is driven by two central desires:
rescuing his gal pal Qi'ra and earning his wings as a bona fide pilot.
By the time we meet him in A New Hope, however, he's become a wayward employee of Jabba the
Hutt, driven mostly by his greed, and the bounty on his head.
Solo teases that future, even after painting Han as the good guy for his contribution to
Enfys Nest's burgeoning rebellion, by telling us what his next move will be.
Beckett mentions a rumor that "a big shot gangster is putting together a crew" on Tatooine,
and Han decides to follow that lead.
That "big shot gangster" can only be Jabba the Hutt.
That's where Han's headed, for better or worse.
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