On the 6th Feb this year Disney confirmed 2 of the characters they will be focussing on for the upcoming Star Wars spin off movies. These characters are arguably two of the most loved by many a fan boy/girl, Han Solo and Boba Fett.
Disney also confirmed that the two films would not be set within the timeline of the new movies, Episodes VII, VIII and IX. Instead they confirmed that The Han Solo film would focus on his origins story, set between Episodes III and IV and Boba Fett’s movie would track the famous bounty hunter’s movements during the timeline of the Original Trilogy.
Han’s story is of particular interest to me. As a young Star Wars fan, Han was always my favourite character. I liked the fact that Han had the Millennium Falcon (a toy I always wanted but alas, never received) and also his trusty companion Chewbacca. He was a character that stood out from the others, he was the cool one in my eyes, confident, cocky and he had some of the best lines in the script. Oh and lets not forget stuck up, half witted, scruffy looking and a Nerf herder to boot! OK, OK he wasn’t scruffy looking.
The decision to make a Solo, solo film doesn’t surprise me and slotting the movie into the gap between Revenge of the Sith and A New hope makes total sense. Fitting the movie in here does suggest that an appearance from the galactic gangster Jabba the Hutt is highly likely. Solo accepts the job of piloting Luke, Obi Wan and the droids to Alderaan in A New Hope to earn money to help him pay off Jabba. A debt Solo got himself into not long before the first movie.
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Han Solo had grown up an orphan after losing both his parents at an early age. It wasn’t until his teenage years that Han began smuggling, a way of life that he would pursue, on and off, for the rest of his life. Han became Lieutenant Solo after graduating from the Imperial Academy, which was a military training program run by the Empire. It was while serving for the Imperial Academy that Han came across a Wookie who would become a friend and companion, Chewbacca.
I think this period of Han’s back story would be the best place to set the film. They could have a ‘When Han was a child’ sequence at the start of the film if they wanted to fill in the back story further. This could explore how he was orphaned. A sequence like this would also be reminiscent of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, a nice little nod to Harrison Ford in itself. Who knows maybe we’ll get to see Harrison himself in one way or another as reports came out this past weekend that he has agreed to appear in Episode VII! EEEEK!
I can see real potential if the film was to go down the when ‘Han met Chewie’ route. If we take what we know already from fan fiction and other expanded Universe sources, we’re likely to see not only Chewie and Jabba but a run in with Lando Calrissian would be on the cards too. A scene of Han winning the Millennium Flacon from his friend would be one I would be looking out for.
The rescue of Chewie would be a good way to show how this famous double act came to be. Han went against the wishes of his commander by not skinning the Wookie when they discovered him injured inside the wreckage of a ship. Han was punished for disobeying this order and put to work, with Chewbacca, on what was essentially a building site, the construction of the Imperial Hall of Heroes. I can picture Han, Chewie and other Wookies sat high up on an iron girder eating their lunch and drinking blue milk.
It was here that Chewie lashed out at the commanding officer and as the officer drew his blaster to shoot the Wookie, Han stepped in, set his blaster to stun and fired at his superior.
Solo was then dishonourably discharged and had to return to being a smuggler, however now he had a loyal Wookie who had sworn to protect him by his side. Let the adventures begin…
As a fan of comics books I do enjoy seeing the origin stories played out on the big screen and although not always completely accurate to what is printed on the page they have, for the most part, been handled very well. I know doing these standalone movies are essentially just a way to make more money for Disney out of the Star Wars brand but im going to have to hold my hands up and say I simply don’t care about how much money Disney do or do not stand to make.
I want to see these characters on the big screen again; I want to return to old planets, too see how the technology at the disposal of the filmmakers can be used to recreate the places that so many Star Wars fans feel they know so well already and I would love to see what can be done to try and salvage the reputation of the Star Wars film franchise.
There is a massive Universe out there to go and explore, always has been. Maybe now we’ll be able to do just that on a much grander scale.
It will be interesting to see how this movie looks. Difference in sets/CGI.
