After some pretty dramatic production hiccups, we’ve finally caught our first glimpse at the upcoming Han Solo movie. We’re breaking down what you need to know from the teaser trailer.
It’s no secret that Star Wars fans have been somewhat lukewarm toward Han Solo’s solo outing. With director and actor exits, extensive reshoots, and an acting coach brought in for Alden Ehrenreich, all did not seem well in the galaxy far, far away.
That our first look is coming just three months before the film officially arrives is testament to the tumultuous production woes plaguing the second Star Wars Story. But, it is here, and that means it’s time to break down all the new footage we got, to try and glean some information from it.
Check out the trailer one more time — or several — before joining us as we try to piece together just what is going on in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Academy dropout
Well, less dropout, more kicked out.
From both the short teaser, which aired during the Super Bowl, and the longer trailer we got today, it appears as though Han wasn’t always a neutral party, as he was when we met him in A New Hope.
This could be a throwback to Han’s now defunct background from the Expanded Universe. In Legends, Han joined the Imperial Academy at Carida. He served with distinction, but was kicked out for stopping an Imperial officer from beating a Wookiee for resisting capture.
In the Solo trailer, Han describes the reason for his being booted from the Academy as him “having a mind of my own.” That could trend true with what we know from Legends, it is unlikely that Han’s updated background will match perfectly. Ron Howard and company might have taken some kernels of inspiration, as both Han and Chewie appear to already be inseparable by the time Harrelson’s Beckett approaches Han with a proposition to join his crew.
Though, with Han stating that he has “been running scams on the street since I was 10,” it’s equally likely that his joining the Academy is just that. A scam. We wouldn’t put it past Han to have an ulterior motive for needing to get into an Imperial location, for one reason or another.
So fresh, so clean
The Millennium Falcon has been called a great many things in the time since we were first introduced to it. Piece of junk. Bucket of bolts. Garbage. But never has the Falcon looked more pristine than in the Solo trailer.
This, of course, shouldn’t be all that surprising. At the time that Solo takes place, Han is not its owner. The Falcon still belongs to Lando Calrissian, as evidenced by his piloting the iconic ship.
Which provides us with a rather illuminating piece of information about our favorite smuggler. As much as Han blusters that he loves the Falcon, he doesn’t take the best care of it. He’s, well, kind of a slob.
It’ll be interesting to see the difference in Lando and Han’s ownership of the Falcon, as well as how it (hopefully) changed hands. Though, with a seemingly rag-tag heist mission on the cards, we aren’t optimistic about a detour to that fateful Sabacc game.
The Crew
We already know, to a degree, some of the members of Beckett’s crew. Most notably, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and Han Solo himself. But there are a couple of unknown entities rounding it out, including Han’s supposed mentor, Tobias Beckett.
All we know of Beckett, thus far, is that he is recruiting Han — and by extension, Chewie — for a mission. What that mission entails, exactly, is a mystery. With rumors that both Vader and Boba Fett will be appearing in a minor capacity, we can surmise that whatever it is won’t spell good news for the Empire.
We also got our first good look at Emilia Clarke’s character, Qi’ra, who is being positioned as — from visual cues throughout — something of a romantic interest for Han. We might be completely off base, of course, but with a heavily hinted past between the two, and Qi’ra stating that she knows who Han really is, it certainly isn’t outside of the realm of possibility.
What that means for Han’s future relationship with Sana Starros, likewise, remains unclear, as there remains heavy speculation that Thandie Newton might be playing that particular role in this film. We do see Newton’s character, briefly, but there are no confirmations of her identity here.
Also of interest, in a quick scene with Han and Qi’ra? The golden dice, which make an appearance across several Star Wars movies, most recently in The Last Jedi, are visible dangling from the speeder. Could we finally learn about their significance? We wouldn’t put it past Lucasfilm to have reintroduced the item to tie the films together.
Planets, planets everywhere…
Several planets feature across the Solo trailer. Corellia is featured extensively in multiple shots of speeder chases, which doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as that is Han’s homeworld.
Of particular interest is a planet, and location, that appears to be Mimban. Mimban has a thriving black market, and was also explored extensively in Legends, though has been at least been mentioned in current Star Wars canon. We’re speculating that the new, Cantina-esque scene will take place here, as it certainly fits Han’s aesthetic of finding work.
Lastly, we might have caught our first glimpse of Kessel, and the now famous Kessel run. We’re certain that we won’t need to explain the specific significance of that planet, but if it is indeed Kessel… well. We might just get reasoning about the “12 parsecs” line from A New Hope.