The Star Wars films have come a long way since their humble beginnings back in the 1970s. The galaxy far, far away has become an interconnected universe of films, no longer simply tied to the drama of the Star Wars clan. With an array of standalone movies on the way -- beginning with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in December -- there's really no limit to the stories we will soon get to witness.
With that in mind, the recent confirmation of Alden Ehrenreich as the new Han Solo has set our expectations for the prequel film sky high. However, we don't know much about how the new actor will fill Harrison Ford's shoes -- other than the fact that it will take place before he agreed to fly an old man, a kid, and a pair of droids to Alderaan. We've compiled a list of established, but unconfirmed Star Wars characters that could (and should) pop up alongside the beloved smuggler in Phil Lord and Chris Miller's upcoming standalone film. Now let's get started with one who never even made it passed the first Death Star...
Grand Moff Tarkin
Believe it or not, Han Solo didn't always fight on the most righteous side of the Galactic Civil War -- at least if this part of the Expanded Universe remains canon. During his younger years he enlisted in the Imperial forces and trained to become a pilot. With that in mind, this seems like a prime opportunity to bring back Grand Moff Tarkin (originally played by the late Peter Cushing in A New Hope) as a central member of The Empire's imposing military. Tarkin has become a major element on the Star Wars Rebels, and considering the fact that the timelines more or less seem to line up, it would make perfect sense for him to appear in Han Solo's standalone adventure -- possibly even accompanied by a wheezing Darth Vader.
Jabba The Hutt
Although Han Solo spends the entirety of the original Star Wars trilogy on the run from the Tatooine gangster, it's abundantly clear that Jabba at one time considered Han Solo a valuable asset before he ultimately became a liability. If the Han Solo standalone movie shows how a young Corellian became the galaxy's most notorious smuggler, then we should see how Jabba the Hutt took him in and groomed him for the life of a criminal. Prior to his death at the hands of Princess Leia, Jabba clearly had resources, and it would be fascinating to see how he used them when not actively trying to capture or kill Han Solo.
Maz Kanata
Like many of the characters on this list, Maz Kanata apparently had a long and well-established relationship with Han Solo when she first debuted in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The familiarity they share with one another hinted at a very respectful history with one another spanning back decades, so it wouldn't be out of the question for the Han Solo movie to show these two getting to know one another. Maz' belief in The Force could serve as a strong counterpoint to Han's youthful disbelief in "hokey religions," and the scenes they share could also lay the groundwork for the future of the main continuity of films. Above all else, we basically just want to keep watching her ogle Chewbacca with loving eyes.
Lando Calrissian
If Phil Lord and Chris Miller want to get Alden Ehrenreich inside of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit during the course of this standalone movie, then they will need to have Han Solo win the iconic ship from Lando Calrissian in a game of Sabacc. When we as an audience first met Lando towards the end of The Empire Strikes Back, it was instantly clear that these two scoundrels have a contentious relationship that never quite devolved into outright hatred. Showing the foundation of this relationship could help better inform the events of the original trilogy while going deeper into the nature of their casual rivalry, and their similar taste in ships -- not to mention their similar taste in women.
Boba Fett
I'm going to come right out and say it: within the confines of the Star Wars movies, Boba Fett does not deserve his badass reputation. Sure, he's had a great run in the Expanded Universe, but he still needs to prove himself on the silver screen. Just prior to the bounty hunter's demise early on in Return of the Jedi, Han Solo responds to the mere mention of his name with total fear. These two scoundrels clearly share a history, and it's enough to make Han freak out simply by hearing Fett's name. We want to see the foundation of that fear, as well as a look into the life of this calculating killer during his prime years as one of the galaxy's most notorious and ruthless scumbags.
Grand Admiral Thrawn
We think that it's about damn time that Grand Admiral Thrawn made his way onto the silver screen. In the same vein that Grand Moff Tarkin could make for a terrifying figure to loom over Han Solo's early Imperial years, Thrawn could easily debut on the big screen as the big bad in the standalone Han Solo movie. Much like Forest Whitaker's Saw Gererra, Thrawn will soon officially become canon once again when he makes his way to the Star Wars Rebels series. We can think of no better time for Lucasfilm to bring this legendary villain to life on the big screen than for him to make Han Solo's life a living hell.
Greedo
Ah, poor Greedo the Rodian smuggler will forever live in infamy as the first ever on-screen victim of Han Solo's DL-44 blaster -- which Han totally shot first, by the way. Greedo and Han very clearly have a well-established relationship by the time Han guns down the alien in the Mos Eisley, and as such, we want to see the foundation of that antagonistic relationship. It's not like Greedo was already a one-off character to begin with. He made a cameo appearance as a child in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace as a friend of Anakin Skywalker; all we want is to see how he spent his professional smuggling years prior to meeting a gruesome end at the hands of Han Solo.
