Warning: major spoilers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens below
Last year's Star Wars: The Force Awakens was full of twists and turns, but one of the most surprising moments in the entire film also happened to be one of the saddest. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) died by the hand of his son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), and in that moment a part of our childhood dies every time we watch it. The death of such an iconic character will undoubtedly echo through future films, and Carrie Fisher recently revealed that it would most certainly factor into the events of Star Wars: Episode VIII.
According to a new report from Telegraph, it seems that Star Wars: Episode VIII will treat the demise of Han Solo with an appropriate level of weight. Carrie Fisher took the stage at the Future Filmmakers panel at Star Wars Celebration Europe and explained that General Leia will have to contend with the task of Han's funeral in the coming Star Wars adventure. Although his body fell deep into a crevice on Starkiller Base during the events of The Force Awakens, it looks like the members of the Resistance will still find a way to honor a fallen comrade. As Episode VIII takes place almost immediately after the events of The Force Awakens, we can very easily anticipate that the emotional wounds will still be pretty fresh.
One great thing about showing Han Solo's funeral is the fact that it will allow Rian Johnson to address a major problem with The Force Awakens. Many people who saw the last Star Wars movie found it odd that Chewbacca and General Leia made essentially no contact with one another following Han's death, despite the fact that they're arguably the two closest loved ones he had. If the next movie gives the characters a chance to properly mourn Harrison Ford's anti-hero, then we can likely expect Leia and Chewbacca to console one another in a way that feels more true to character.
As Star Wars fans we have become incredibly used to funerals over the course of the last seven movies. From Qui-Gon Jinn, to Shmi Skywalker, to Darth Vader at the end of Return of the Jedi, death is treated with an appropriate level of weight in the Star Wars mythos. That being said, the funeral of Han Solo could turn out to be the saddest moment in the history of the franchise. Arguably no other character has managed to capture the imagination of Star Wars fans quite like the loveable smuggler, and even the knowledge that we will soon get a Han Solo prequel movie doesn't change the fact that his death in The Force Awakens hurt.
We bring you all of the latest and greatest Star Wars related news as it becomes available to us. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will hit theaters later this year on December 17, and Star Wars: Episode VIII will blast its way onto the silver screen on December 15, 2017.
