Right now we are all still basking in the glow of the latest The Last Jedi trailer. Episode VIII is, of course, the latest in the continuing Skywalker saga. But, like Yoda once said, there is another. The as-of-yet untitled Han Solo movie is deep into production for a May 2018 release date. There is something unique about this upcoming Han Solo film that separates it from every other Star Wars movie. It may be our first Star Wars movie to not feature a Skywalker.
In the lead up to Rogue One, I had this thought previously. Of course, I had no idea about those last few minutes of the film that would feature not one but two Skywalkers in an unforgettable sequence that left audiences breathless. The Untitled Han Solo movie (please can we get a title soon) will most likely take place before Han and Chewie entered that fateful cantina in Mos Eisley. This is just speculation on my part as I’m as spoiler free as someone can be on the internet these days, but it doesn’t make much sense to put the story after the events of A New Hope.
Just looking at what Han may have been up to before A New Hope, obviously we can’t have Luke and Han doesn’t seem to know anything about Leia prior to the Death Star. That only leaves Darth Vader and I can’t see how our favorite Dark Lord of the Sith could be included in the story and still have Han breathing by the end of it. So this marks the first Star Wars production that has not contained a Skywalker.
The saga films, of course, follow the Skywalker family through the years. The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series both featured members of the Skywalker family throughout their runs. So, Han Solo may be the first true Star Wars stand-alone anthology film. A film that finally does not deal with the main characters from the episodic saga.
I can hear you yelling at your screen right now that Han Solo is an important character in Star Wars. Yes, Han Solo is an integral part of the Star Wars saga, but he is not the main character, that is the Skywalkers.
The Untitled Han Solo film is bound to have many of the hallmarks of a Star Wars film throughout. It looks like the Empire will factor in and we already know several legacy characters will be appearing but it remains to be seen what a Star Wars film without a Skywalker means or how this will change what we know Star Wars to be.
Author: Paul Depaola
Born in the desert, raised on the beach and now residing in the mountains. An obsessive, compulsive geek with a tendency to bring everything back to Star Wars. In his spare time he is TK-5990, a proud member of the 501st Legion. Paul is also the host of his own podcast, Fanboys Talking.