Now that Star Wars: The Last Jedi has finally debuted in theaters and dominated the box office, the time has come to take the Star Wars franchise back in time to explore the origins of a fan-favorite Corellian smuggler. Solo: A Star Wars Story is coming, and against all the odds, it looks like Ron Howard is going to deliver the film on time later this year and ready for Star Wars' old summer release window.
With the May 25, 2018 release date fast-approaching, but still no trailer, we have decided to compile a list of critical ingredients that need to appear when the Solo: A Star Wars Story footage finally hits the web. There are several key factors to address, so we will get started by focusing on the mysterious villain of the film.
The Villain
One of the most interesting tidbits of information that recently surfaced about Solo: A Star Wars Story was Paul Bettany's reveal that the film would play out like a "gangster movie" set in outer space. This change arguably feels like a far stylistic cry from other entries in the franchise, and that means our hero will likely face off against a big bad who feels considerably different from Darth Vader or Kylo Ren. That said, we're still not entirely sure who Han's main antagonist will be in the final film. Is it Jabba the Hutt? Will we see the origins of Han's rivalry with Boba Fett before the events of the original trilogy? Is Woody Harrelson's Beckett going to betray our hero and turn Han into the distrustful anti-hero that many fans know and love?
How Involved The Empire Is
Building off of that last point, we also want the first trailer to give us a better sense of where the Galactic Empire will fit into the overarching story. The film has been positioned as a gangster movie that will emphasize the scum who inhabit the outer rim planets, but rumors have also suggested that Darth Vader could potentially show up in some form or another. A New Hope establishes that Han has outrun Imperial cruisers before, but we still have no idea if the fascist regime will play a pivotal role in the story, or if it will merely serve as an ancillary threat against the backdrop of a more significant conflict. Neither option would really surprise us at this point, but the first trailer should flesh that out a bit more.
Who Han Is At The Start Of The Story
Telling the origin story of a beloved character inherently means that we will see more of his or her personality before his or her original appearance. In that regard, with Solo: A Star Wars Story taking place before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, we will likely get a better understanding of how Han became the jaded anti-hero who only cared about his bottom line and didn't want to serve the Rebellion until the last second. This focus on his past means that we could see the beginning of this arc, which subsequently means that the trailer needs to offer up a sense of who Han will be at the beginning of the film, and set the stage for his eventual transition from Rebel scum to Rebel hero.
Some Great Action
You cannot have a Star Wars movie without some stellar action sequences, and the first trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story should serve as a reminder that the next Star Wars spinoff won't skimp on the set pieces. That said, this film affords Lucasfilm an opportunity to incorporate some very different action than we have seen before. Han Solo isn't a Jedi, which means his movie will likely need to focus on more grounded and gritty blaster fights and space chases -- rather than fancy lightsaber duels and Force standoffs. There are a lot of expectations for solo Star Wars movies after the fantastic third act of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, so this trailer should help reassure us that the action will be as great as ever.
How Kira Relates To Han
Most of the information that we have received about Solo: A Star Wars Story has pretty much confirmed that the film will lean heavily on established personalities like Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian. That said, there are still a few newcomers who have remained shrouded in mystery for the bulk of the film's development. Chief among these is Emilia Clarke's Kira, whose relationship to Han Solo hasn't been explained by anyone yet. We already know that Han will eventually end up with Leia Organa in the long-term, so that creates an opportunity to do something that deviates from a traditional love story. There's a strong argument to be made that the film should maintain some of the mystery around her role, but we want to see a glimpse of where she fits into everything.
How Lando Factors Into The Story
You would be hard-pressed to come up with a better re-casting of Lando Calrissian than Donald Glover. The omni-talented actor/writer/rapper/comedian will step into the shoes of Billy Dee Williams for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and while we can generally get a sense of where things are going between them (Han and Lando don't have the best relationship prior to the events of Return of the Jedi), we still have no idea how he factors into the story or what he will even look like. That's where the trailer comes in; with regards to Lando, we want to get a better understanding of what type of character he will look and feel like prior to becoming an administrator at the Cloud City mining facility in The Empire Strikes Back.
Han's Relationship With Chewie
Sure, Leia Organa may technically be the love of Han Solo's life, but as far as pure friendship goes, nothing can compare to his relationship with Chewbacca. We already know that the walking carpet will appear in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which means that we will likely see the origins of Han's relationship with his beloved wookie pal. That's something that the first trailer needs to give us a glimpse at before the movie finally debuts. Were Han and Chewie always as close as the previous films had led us to believe? Did one of them save the other from something at the beginning of their relationship? Even if it's just a younger Chewie screaming in the cockpit of the Falcon, many of us want to see how he fits into this story.
Giving Us A Sense Of Tone
One of the biggest controversies surrounding Solo: A Star Wars Story stemmed from the rumor that Phil Lord and Chris Miller were reportedly fired from the film because the folks at Lucasfilm were not pleased with the tone of the movie. The early cuts of Solo: A Star Wars Story allegedly skewed very close to comedy with a heavy emphasis on improvisation, but the introduction of Ron Howard into the equation seems to have made some changes to that initial assessment. Now, with less than six months until the film actually hits theaters, we need the first trailer for the Han Solo movie to show us the tone and style that we can actually expect from the theatrical cut. No spoilers needed; just a general sense of where things are going from here.
The Millennium Falcon
Last, but certainly not least, we can't have a Star Wars movie focusing on Han Solo without an appearance by the Millennium Falcon. The Corellian cruiser is fundamental to the character's story, and while we cannot confirm who will own the legendary ship in the film, it seems reasonable to assume that it needs to show up in order to properly flesh out Han's origin story. Many of us already know that he eventually goes on to win the ship from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabaac, and a pair of sabaac dice feature prominently in the conclusion of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so it seems safe to assume that those dive will show up again sometime around the point at which Han finds himself sitting in the cockpit of his newly-won spaceship.
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