It's an excellent time to be a Star Wars fans. With Disney now in charge of the property, there are a ton of blockbusters coming from the galaxy far, far away. There's the main installments, Rian Johnson's upcoming trilogy, as well as standalone films like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The next of these movies will be Ron Howard's Solo: A Star Wars Story, diving into the sordid past of everyone's favorite nerf herder. We'll be seeing a younger versions of Han, Lando, Chewie, and the Millennium Falcon. The latter will be far nicer than we're used to seeing in the main franchise, and Alden Ehrenreich recently revealed why Han lets the ship look crappy once he gets the rig from Lando. He said,
It's safer in the galaxy to fly something that looks like a piece of junk. People underestimate you --- especially if you're up to no good. Kinda like how you're more likely to get pulled over if you're driving a Lamborghini.
Alden Ehrenreich does make a solid point to EW. Han Solo spends much of his time before A New Hope smuggling goods throughout the galaxy, so he needs a ride that will be discrete. After all, the Empire has proven time and time again that they're willing to stop at nothing in order to secure their rule. Han and Chewie's misadventures throughout the galaxy often get them into trouble, so it's best to leave the Millennium Falcon looking like a "piece of junk", as Luke fondly calls it back in A New Hope.
Solo: A Star Wars Story will definitely introduce a new type of Millennium Falcon, as we'll see the ship as its originally under the ownership of Donald Glover's Lando Calrissian. Star Wars fans know how flashy Lando is (I mean, look at his capes), so the ship will be introduced with some extra features and an overall fancier look. It's a far departure from the Falcon we are introduced to in both A New Hope and The Force Awakens, with outside characters assuming it will barely run. But the ship has always been known to deliver, including Rey's escape of Jakku and the destruction of the second Death Star.
It should be interesting to see how Solo expands the Star Wars universe, especially when it comes to Harrison Ford's signature role. Not a ton of known about Han's past, especially now that the myriad novels are no longer canon. Ron Howard (formerly Chris Miller and Phil Lord) therefore has the freedom to make bold choices with the characters. We'll just have to see where it lands, and if Solo holds up against the acclaimed run of Rogue One.
Solo: A Star Wars Story will arrive in theaters on May 25, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your trips to the movies this year.
