The friendship between Han Solo and Chewbacca is the strongest in the entire Star Wars universe, but where exactly did such a bond begin? The end of the previously existing Expanded Universe erased many things from Star Wars canon, however, those gaps are now being refilled and a new book deals with the events that brought the Millennium Falcon pilots together for the first time. However, fans who know the previous canon won't be surprised to hear the title of the book Aftermath: Life Debt.
The basic story in the old Expanded Universe was that Han Solo once saved the life of Chewbacca, and as such, Chewie owed Han a life debt, sticking by his side as a way to repay it. As one can guess from the title of the novel by Chuck Wendig, the basic premise has not changed in the new Disney version, just a few of the details. As Screen Rant reports, a brief segment of the book has Han remembering how the Galactic Empire used to treat Wookiees, and that ultimately, the smuggler couldn't allow it to continue.
I've seen what the Empire has done. They ripped down trees. They put cuffs and collars on all the Wookiees. Some of them they cut open. Others they ship off to work the worst jobs the Empire has on offer. They took his home from him. I can't abide by that. I don't have a home anymore besides the Falcon, but him? He does. And he deserves to go home. He has a family too, you know.
The exact details of how Han saved Chewbacca, or why he saved Chewie as opposed to some other Wookiee, are not explained here. They'll likely be the subject of some future book, or possibly the upcoming movie based on the life of a young Han Solo. One of the potential benefits of the creation of the new expanded universe alongside new films is that they can be planned to fit together. While we have no idea exactly what the Han Solo movie will deal with, seeing Han Solo and Chewbacca meet each other would be a fantastic topic for the plot that many fans would love to see. Aftermath: Life Debt could have dealt more with this time period but didn't for some reason. The majority of the book deals with Han helping Chewbacca free the Wookiee planet of Kashyyk from Imperial control in the aftermath of Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi.
The other interesting moment here that we could potentially learn about in the upcoming film, is Han's reference to not having a home outside of the Millennium Falcon. What happened to his home? Why does he have no place to go back to? Maybe we'll get this question answered, as well. Will you be picking up Aftermath: Life Debt?
