Warning: SPOILERS for Solo: A Star Wars Story are ahead!
In Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Han Solo boasted to Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi that the Millennium Falcon was so fast that it made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. More than four decades after that movie's release, we finally saw Han pull off this feat in Solo: A Star Wars Story, as the young protagonist and company had to travel along the hyperspace route to avoid an Imperial blockade. But given that parsecs are units of measuring distance, not time, until the spinoff's release, it was never clear just what making the Kessel Run entailed. That's why, unlike his father, Solo co-writer Jon Kasdan wasn't particularly excited about showing this feat in the movie. He explained:
When he said that, I said 'Really, do we have to?' Because it's such a complicated bit of logic, and solving it was really challenging. We spent a lot of time arguing about how it could work [and how] the language of what [Han] says in that one scene shot years ago that you know George [Lucas] was just sitting there thinking, This sounds cool: 'I did it in 12 parsecs' --- could be flushed out into a fully fledged coherent sequence that was satisfying and fun. I'm thrilled with how it came out, but it was one of the daunting elements of this always.
Jon Kasdan's ambivalence towards visiting the Kessel Run was in direct contrast with co-writer Lawrence Kasdan, who was eager to explore this "essential" event in Han Solo's life. Of course, the elder Kasdan has prior experience with Han from writing The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, and with Solo: A Star Wars Story being his last contribution to the Star Wars mythos, I can't fault the guy for wanting to include this event alongside other notable moments in the younger Han's life, like how he met Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian, as well as why he definitely shoots first. However, despite his initial feelings, Jon Kasdan acknowledged to The Los Angeles Times that he was "thrilled" with how the Kessel Run turned out in Solo.
Not only did Solo: A Star Wars Story prove that Han Solo wasn't lying when he said he made the Kessel Run in the shortest distance to record, the event itself also revealed how the Millennium Falcon gained its distinctive look. When the ship was in Lando Calrissian's hands, not only did it look fresh and pristine, both inside and outside, but it also had an escape pod attached to the front. But by the end of the Kessel Run, the Millennium Falcon had been incredibly dinged and beaten, and Han had been forced to eject that escape pod to distract the creature attacking them, hence the reason for its forked front from that point forward.
You can read CinemaBlend's thoughts on Solo: A Star Wars Story by looking through our review and To 3D guide. Stay tuned to more updates regarding the Star Wars franchise, and if you're interested in learning what movies are coming out later this year, head to our 2018 release schedule.
