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Star Wars character
Han Solo
Position	Captain of the Millennium Falcon, General in the Rebel Alliance
Homeworld	Corellia
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Height	1.8 meters as listed in the Official Star Wars Databank
Affiliation	Rebel Alliance, New Republic, Galactic Alliance (former smuggler)
Portrayed by	Harrison Ford

Han Solo (born 29 BBY) is a character in the fictional Star Wars universe. He was played by Harrison Ford in three of the six Star Wars films in which his character appears. Solo plays a major role in the Star Wars saga, moving from a reluctant, selfish participant to a central figure over the course of the first three released Star Wars films (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.) Star Wars creator George Lucas describes him as "a loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good.". Even Han's name roughly translates from spanish to english as Alone or Singular.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Star Wars films 1.2 Expanded Universe 2 Talents 3 See also 4 References 5 External links

As portrayed by Ford, Han Solo is an arrogant Corellian smuggler with a wry wit, a reckless disposition, and technological savvy who flies the Millennium Falcon.

In his youth (described in Expanded Universe material) Solo was a beggar in the streets of Corellia. He was discovered by Garris Shrike, captain of the Trader's Luck. Seduced by promises of a better life, Solo followed the man to his space ship, a relic of the Clone Wars. Unbeknownst to the young Corellian, the Trader's Luck was little more than a slave ship, where the rule was "Everyone works." After spending most of his childhood pickpocketing and scamming at the whim of the abusive Shrike, Han came under the care of Dewlanna, a widowed Wookiee "indebted" to the ruthless captain. At some point in his youth he was in a swoop race with Dengar, who was severely injured during the course of the race. Dengar sought revenge on Solo ever since. Solo at the age of 19, escaped the Luck on the droid-controlled vessel Ylesian Dream in pursuit of his piloting career. In the process, an enraged Garris killed Dewlanna, Solo's foster mother.

In response to an ad for good pilots and the events aboard the Trader's Luck, circumstances which provided a free ride to the Hutt-controlled jungle planet Ylesia, Solo braved the planet's storm-ridden atmosphere. There he discovered a religious conspiracy, led by Ylesia's High Priest, Teroenza, to attract slaves to process illegal glitterstim spice. With the help of his friends Muuurgh the Togorian (a feline humanoid) and Bria Tharen (his first love, whom he discovered as a mindless drone in the factories and deprogrammed), Solo stole a significant portion of Teroenzas private art collection, worth hundreds of thousands of credits. The trio also destroyed the spice factory, adding insult to injury by hijacking the T'landa Tils private yacht. On Coruscant, Bria disappeared from Solos life, engendering in him a "Love 'em and leave 'em" philosophy towards women. He then enlisted in the Imperial Navy and was nearly killed by Garris Shrike on the night of his induction ceremony. Shrike had intended to collect on the bounty placed on Solo for his Ylesian sabotage. Hungry for vengeance after the murder of Dewlanna, Solo turned the tables on the captain and nearly killed him. Amidst their savage battle, a second bounty hunter gunned down Shrike in order to claim Solo for himself, only to be killed himself by a desperate Han.

Solo spent about five years in the Imperial Starfleet, first at the academy on Carida where one of his classmates was fellow Corellian Soontir Fel, who later became a top Imperial fighter-ace, and then on active service. At some point he won the Corellian Bloodstripes, represented by the dotted-red line running down the sides of his pants; this was the only honor not taken from him during his later court-martial and discharge. (Exactly why he was awarded them has never been revealed, though the Expanded Universe novels have alluded to the circumstances through which he won them, which apparently took place over several days.) A scheduled rendezvous with a slaving vessel revealed that an adult Wookiee had overwhelmed the crew and released the Wookiee children that were to be sold. Leading a TIE fighter squadron, Han boarded the damaged ship and found a barely conscious Wookiee, Chewbacca, in the pilots seat. Commander Nyklas ordered the young lieutenant to skin the Wookiee; Han refused to do so. He later lost his lieutenants commission and was dishonorably discharged. In this way did Chewbacca swear a life-debt to his rescuer, and from then on the two were inseparable.

The duo's early career was spent doing smuggling runs for various masters, including the Desilijac clan of the Hutts, in their barely-functional ship Bria. The ship was rendered inoperable soon after the Battle of Nar Shaddaa (where a combined smuggler's fleet fought off an Imperial attempt to raze the moon), and Han had to seek a new vessel.

Solo, down on his luck, won the Millennium Falcon from fellow gambler Lando Calrissian in an intense sabacc tournament on Bespin, whereupon he embarked on his not-so-famous smuggling career, based, at various times, in Corporate Sector Authority space, Smuggler's Run, and Nar Shaddaa.

Solo's bravery during the Battle of Nar Shaddaa earned him the attention of his old flame Bria Tharen, now an agent of the Rebel Alliance. Hardly considering himself the heroic type, he was reluctant in aiding his former love, who was planning an all-out attack against the slaving colonies on Ylesia, now twice as strong. Promised appropriate compensation, Solo, Calrissian, and Chewbacca embarked on the mission. In the aftermath of the battle, Tharen's troopers turned their blasters on Calrissian and the rest of Solo's friends, confiscating all valuables in the name of the Rebel Alliance. Angered, Solo threatened to kill Tharen if he ever saw her again. Defaced and branded a traitor back on Nar Shaddaa, Calrissian refused to believe Solo was not involved in the swindle, punching the Corellian in the jaw.

The events in this section take place in the original Star Wars film trilogy

At the beginning of A New Hope, Solo and Chewbacca are well-known smugglers. However, during one Kessel Run, the Imperial Navy intercepts and boards the ship, forcing Solo to jettison his cargo to avoid arrest. This results in a large and mounting debt to his former employer, Jabba the Hutt. Hutt puts a bounty on Solo, who becomes desperate to find any way to pay his debt off. The situation was so dire that that they accepted a charter to take Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to the planet of Alderaan for 17,000 credits and no questions. As a result, Solo was reluctantly dragged into the rebellion (Rebel Alliance) against the Galactic Empire. Solo was initially reluctant to help, saying that he was only helping out to pay off his debt to Hutt and that he did not believe in their cause. However, near the end of the film, he has a change of heart, and helps Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star at the Battle of Yavin. As a result, Solo was handsomely rewarded and given a medal.

In The Empire Strikes Back, three years have passed and Solo attempts to leave the Alliance. However, he is once again dragged back into the battle when he saves Skywalker from freezing to death and Princess Leia from the Imperial invasion of the Rebel base on Hoth. He took her to hide on Bespin, but Lando Calrissian betrayed him and turned them over to Darth Vader. Vader froze him in carbonite and gave him to bounty hunter Boba Fett, who in turn sold him to Jabba the Hutt. Through this ordeal, he and Princess Leia fell in love.

Six months later, during the events of Return of the Jedi, Luke, now a nearly full-fledged Jedi, rescues Solo from Jabba (with help from Leia and a penitent Calrissian). Upon rejoining the Rebels, he was granted a commission and made a general. Shortly thereafter, Solo led the commando raid on the shield generator facility on the forest moon of Endor during the Battle of Endor. By destroying the shield generator, they allowed the Rebel Alliance to enter the Death Star's superstructure and destroy it.

In the novels that take place after Return of the Jedi, Solo plays a central role in the turbulent years following the death of Emperor Palpatine and destruction of the Empire. Solo was picked to command a New Republic task force to hunt down and capture or destroy Warlord Zsinj. Four years after the Battle of Endor, Solo resigned his commission in order to court Leia, whom he eventually married on Coruscant after destroying Zsinj.

Five years after Return of the Jedi, Solo played a key role getting Talon Karrde and other smugglers to support the New Republic through intelligence and mercenary work. He was frequently separated from Leia during this time, going on contact missions with friends such as Calrissian, Wedge Antilles and Lieutenant Page. He was also present at the battle on Wayland which resulted in the death of Joruus C'Baoth.

Solo and Leia had three children together, twins Jaina and Jacen and their younger brother Anakin, who is named after Luke and Leia's father, Anakin Skywalker. Imperial agents frequently attempted to kidnap these children, with the intent of raising them as Dark Jedi.

A few months later, Solo and Leia's son, Anakin, became the target of the clone of Palpatine, who attempted to inhabit the infant's body. Just as Palpatine was about to possess the child, however, Solo accidentally shot him in the back, destroying the Sith Lord's body. Palpatine's spirit made one final lunge at young Anakin, but his former ally Empatojayos Brand turned against him and blocked his way, destroying him.

Solo and Chewbacca later went on a diplomatic mission to Kessel. While there, they were shot down and imprisoned by the administrator Moruth Doole. While in the prison, Solo befriended a young Force-sensitive man named Kyp Durron. Chewbacca, Solo, and Durron managed to escape in an Imperial Shuttle. They went into the Maw, and were captured by Admiral Daala, who was guarding the secret Maw Installation. Solo was taken to Qwi Xux, who helped design the Death Star, and who had just designed an Imperial superweapon, the Sun Crusher. Solo convinced Dr. Xux that the Empire was evil, and Xux and Solo freed Chewbacca and Durron. The group then stole the Sun Crusher, destroying a Star Destroyer in the process, and returned it to the New Republic.

Durron soon began his training. Under the influence of the spirit of Exar Kun, however, he fell to the dark side. Solo took off to hunt down Durron, who had stolen the Sun Crusher from its storage location in the heart of the gas planet Yavin, and took the vessel on an anti-Imperial rampage. After Durron was found, the Sith Lord who was corrupting him was destroyed, and he surrendered to Solo. Solo stood at Durron's side when he went before the New Republic council, and took him back to Luke Skywalker. Luke forgave Kyp Durron and continued his training, eventually turning Kyp Durron into a Jedi Master, one of the first Jedi Masters of the new order.

Afterward, Solo returned to Corellia for the first time in many years. Solo's cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo, was inciting a revolution to overthrow the existing government, and the entire system was on the edge of civil war. Solo and his friends helped defuse the situation before it degenerated into a full scale war.

Chewbacca would die saving Anakin's life in Vector Prime, the first in the New Jedi Order series of books. Solo took the death of his companion hard, sinking into alcoholism and depression. He took his anger and grief out on his family, alienating them and returning to his loner lifestyle. Just as he began to bring himself around, Anakin died as well, compounding his despair. By the end of the series, however, Solo finally managed to accept the deaths of Anakin and Chewbacca and move on, and repaired his relationship with his family.

Among Solo's many abilities were his nearly prescient capability to detect danger, his quickdraw with his gun, and first-rate piloting skills. He proved his skills again in Empire Strikes Back when he Leia says in The Empire Strikes Back, "a natural leader". Though he may not admit it, he has proven himself to be a good friend.

Han Solo was also a skilled player of Sabacc, a card game. In a game of Sabacc, Solo won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian. He often uses a technical tap to get the Millennium Falcon started.

• Solo family
• Skywalker family
• Han shot first

• Star Wars: The Paradise Snare, (Book 1 of The Han Solo Trilogy), 1st paperback printing, 1997. A. C. Crispin, ISBN 0-553-57415-9
• Star Wars, The Han Solo Adventures: Han Solo at Star's End, Del Rey omnibus of "Han Solo at Star's End", "Han Solo's Revenge", and "Han Solo and the Lost Legacy", 1979. Brian Daley, ISBN 0-345-37980-2
• Star Wars: Rebel Dawn (Book 3 of "The Han Solo Trilogy"), by A. C. Crispin. 1998. ISBN 0-553-57417-5
• Star Wars: The Annotated Screenplays, softcover, 1997. George Lucas, Leigh Brackett, Lawrence Kasdan, Laurent Bouzereau, ISBN 0-345-40981-7
• Star Wars: The Truce at Bakura, 1st paperback printing, 1994. Kathy Tyers, ISBN 0-553-56872-8
• Star Wars: The Courtship of Princess Leia, 1995. Dave Wolverton, ISBN 0-553-56937-6
• Star Wars: Jedi Search, (Book 1 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0553297988
• Star Wars: Dark Apprentice, (Book 2 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1st edition paperback, 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, ISBN 0-553-29799-6
• Star Wars: Champions of the Force, (Book 3 of the Jedi Academy Trilogy), 1st edition paperback, 1994. Kevin J. Anderson, 0-553-29799-6
• Star Wars, Ambush at Corellia, (Book 1 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29803-8
• Star Wars, Assault at Selonia, (Book 2 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29805-4
• Star Wars, Showdown at Centerpoint, (Book 3 of the Corellian Trilogy) 1st printing, 1995. Roger MacBride Allen, ISBN 0-553-29806-2
• Star Wars: Vector Prime, (Book 1 of the New Jedi Order), 1999. R. A. Salvatore, ISBN 0-345-42844-7
• Star Wars, New Jedi Order: Agents of Chaos II: Jedi Eclipse, (Book 5 of the New Jedi Order) 1st paperback printing, 2000. James Luceno, ISBN 0-345-42859-5
• A Guide to the Star Wars Universe, 2nd edition, 1994. Bill Slavicsek, ISBN 0-345-38625-6
• New Jedi Order Sourcebook, Wizards of the Coast: 2002. J.D. Wiker and Steve Miller, ISBN 0-7869-2777-1

• Official Star Wars Databank entry
• Han Solo on Wookieepedia: The Star Wars Wiki