Posted by Everyone knows how Han Solo completed the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs, right? Well, we do now after seeing Solo. This feat carried out by Han while piloting the Millennium Falcon has long been confusing to fans, mainly due to the fact that a parsec is a unit of distance, not time. But Solo finally answers this questions, as well as quite a few others, and it sets up some interesting developments in the Star Wars universe.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOLLOW
It was very interesting watching a young Han Solo meet Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and acquire the Millennium Falcon, as well as do quite a few other things. Something that Solo did really well was how it explained events like this. Han’s friendship with Chewbacca is iconic, so it’s very satisfying to see its origins. And throughout the movie, Han’s character goes on a few adventures and grows a bit, ultimately leading to the iconic character portrayed by Harrison Ford in the original trilogy.
Throughout the movie, Han tries to win his love interest Qi’ra back (but we all know what happens in the end), and much like with Rogue One, you more or less know how the movie is going to end, but it’s still interesting to watch. With Solo and Rogue One, you more or less know what the end result is, but the appeal of the movie is watching how and why it happens. Therefore at the very end, the audience knows that Han is going to beat Lando and win the Millennium Falcon, but what makes it so interesting is watching Han sabotage Lando so Lando can’t cheat. Personally, I never knew if Han won the Falcon off of Land fair and square or is there was cheating involved or anything. All I knew was that it happened, so it was really cool seeing how.
And concerning how things happen, it was interesting watching Han turn from a smuggler/con-man type person that even admitted that he wasn’t a hero into the man who would later become a general in the Rebellion. In fact, there was even some nice foreshadowing at the end when Han turned down joining Cloud-Rider rebellion and the leader told him maybe he would lead a rebellion in the future (again, we all know what happens in the end). Han’s development is rather subtle and nuanced, but after watching the movie, you can definitely see the change. It was also interesting watching Han base a lot of his decisions off of his desire to be with Qi’ra. When we see Han in the original trilogy, he generally acts rationally and with a calm head, so it’s different watching him make impulsive decisions due to love. These decisions ultimately end up screwing Han over in the end, so it can be argued that these experiences contribute to the character seen a few movies later, chronologically speaking. Throughout the course of the movie, Han grows from a rather inexperienced trouble-maker into a smuggler that may still be new to the game, but knows quite a few things.
The other characters were also interesting to see, especially one that I will be discussing in a little bit. There was something oddly satisfying watching Han Solo grow and learn under the guidance of Tobias Beckett, an experienced smuggler. Han and Beckett were working together, because Becket was hired by Dryden Vos, a leader in the crime syndicate Crimson Dawn, to acquire coaxium, an extremely valuable and powerful fuel, but due to Han’s inexperience and interference by the Cloud-Riders marauder group, they fail. This prompts Han, Beckett, Chewbacca, and Qi’ra, who is now serving as Dryden Vos’ lieutenant, to go off on an adventure to Kessel and acquire more coaxium, or else they’ll all die. The mission is eventually successful, and on the way, Han meets and befriends (well sorta) Lando Calrissian. In the end, everyone betrays each other, Qi’ra kills Dryden, Han kills Beckett, Han sides with the Cloud-Riders, and he learns a lot of valuable lessons. One major thing that Han learned was to trust no one and expect everyone to eventually betray you. At first it seemed like odd advice, but looking back, I can see the value it had concerning Han’s character, and the foreshadowing that came with it. Han was always convinced that Qi’ra still loved him and they would run off together after the job was over, but she betrayed him in the end. Beckett betrayed Han over a conflict of interests in the end. Han did learn to trust no one, because of these betrayals.
I liked most of the characters in the movie, I really did. However, there is one character that annoyed me. L3-37 was Lando’s co-pilot droid, and she was kind of annoying in all honesty. I feel that her character didn’t add much to the movie, but instead ended up complicating things, ultimately screwing up Han and Beckett’s plan. But despite this annoying character, I enjoyed the rest of the movie.
Much like with a lot of the other new Star Wars movies, quite a few events parallel future events that will occur in the series, chronologically speaking. One of the most obvious parallels is when Qi’ra betrays and kills Dryden Vos, then takes his place as a leader of Crimson Dawn, much like how Kylo Ren kills Snoke and proclaims himself Supreme Leader of the First Order in The Last Jedi. There are quite a few other little parallels, such as the giant monster in the maelstrom or using Chewie as a prisoner to go undercover and complete a mission. Granted there are plenty of events that have no precedents (that I can remember at least). Still, it is important to note that the new movies continue to draw parallels with the past movies, though they aren’t as apparent nor as plentiful in Solo as they are in the other movies.
Finally, the single event that was the most important to me was Darth Maul’s inclusion at the end. It’s no secret that Maul survived his battle with Obi-Wan, but I for one wasn’t expecting to see him as the leader of Crimson Dawn. That was a major plot twist to me, and his words to Qi’ra, urging her to come to Dathomir and meet up with him, really make me excited to see what will happen next. And while I don’t expect Han Solo to face off against Darth Maul, I do want to see what Maul does before his eventual death in Star Wars: Rebels (something that I need to watch in the future).
SPOILERS END
I enjoyed Solo. I thought it was a pretty good movie that answered a lot of questions concerning Han Solo’s past while also setting up for future spin-off films. I really enjoyed the movie, though some parts were rather irritating. If you enjoy Star Wars, I would recommend going to see Solo.
Broad Scope Entertainment 