As I sit here in my newly updated Star Wars room, the walls and shelves full of the parts of Star Wars that have engaged me since my early days of fandom around me, I can’t help but again be overcome by an emotion that has been running high ever since Jason and my trip to San Francisco: love. I LOVE STAR WARS!
When I sat beneath that glorious Yoda fountain outside the front doors of Lucasfilm headquarters just over two weeks ago, I felt a fervor wash over me that I can only compare to a religious experience. As I closed my eyes to hear that water falling down behind me, it was like an experience of cleansing; cleansing me from all the toxicity that has seized the Star Wars community as of late. For the briefest moment, I felt as though I was one with the Force. And essentially that feeling was one that engaged my whole being, triggering that creativity that all Star Wars fans know, that can only be made real through the power of our imaginations. Frankly, when I left San Francisco it was like I wanted to rededicate myself to my love of Star Wars. That’s the point of this piece; to say it loud and clear, that I love Star Wars and that love has the ability to open us up to “fly among the stars,” to quote the opening crawl that’s not an opening crawl from Solo.
Even before our amazing trip out west, something else happened that rekindled my excited love for Star Wars: Solo. As it stands, it’s my favorite of the Disney entries into Star Wars and that essentially boils down to what it shows us about Han: where he came from, what he longs for, and how his desire for freedom triggers so many others to gain their own.
Something unique to Solo is that it doesn’t open in space. Rather, the movie begins on the dirty streets of Corellia where Han’s desires for something more are merely sparks starting to ignite a quest for an authentic sense of freedom. Han is the little guy fighting to be seen, to have value. He is the working class individual who feels they have been left behind.
Before the movie even came out, I was wondering what his relationship with Qi’ra was going to be. In interviews both Alden and Emilia would only offer up that they are old friends who know each other very well. It was quite the surprise that in their very first meeting Qi’ra pulls Han in for a kiss. But then Han makes it known that he has found a way for both of them to escape the hell they find themselves in on Corellia. I immediately connect with Han’s desire to find freedom in the company of a romantic partner. Who would have thought that Han’s heart was so soft from the get-go?!
As the two of them escape Proxima’s lair in their speeder, we get a beautiful visual (a recurring motif thanks to Bradford Young’s stunning work) of them literally bursting forth from the dark underbelly of Corellia into the bright light that leads to Coronet City; the light that will lead them both, together, to freedom.
As they are making their way to Coronet, Han offers up his deepest desire to Qi’ra, “I’m gonna be a pilot” to which Qi’ra responds with her own desire, “We won’t be ordered around by anyone,” which reveals her desire to be in control of her own destiny. This is a simple but beautiful scene of two young kids in love sharing what they want most out of life. This is not information either of them would be willing to share with anyone else but it’s the sort of intimate truths shared between lovers.
That little exchange in the speeder is a reality I know so well. One of my fondest memories from my last relationship was sitting outside on my porch steps one night, my girlfriend/best friend next to me, looking up at the stars and just telling her everything I wanted to be and do with my life and then listening as she shared her truths with me. It just rose out of me as natural as the Force flows all around us. So again, this is a character that I can connect with and that’s what I want most of all in any Star Wars story.
Another aspect of Solo that I really appreciate is the way in which Han believes that he deserves the freedom he seeks. To me, it’s not some uppity jerk who feels entitled to the good life but rather this is someone who has had a horrible life and yet in spite of it, clings to the belief that he deserves more. There is certainly a bravado and cockiness to Han throughout the film but he also inspires me to believe that I deserve more than the worst of what I’ve endured. He reminds us all that we have value and are entitled to a good life, no matter how poor we might be or how much we’ve gone through.
This leads me to the most essential part of the entire film: Han and Chewie! As I said earlier, Han’s quest for freedom also enables others’ in their search for freedom as well. We all know the Legends story of Han freeing Chewie from slavery. But what we get in Solo is far more powerful. It is by working together that they are able to become free (quite literally in their first encounter). What I love about their interactions throughout the film is that Han is always asking Chewie if he wants to come along. He never demands or expects it of Chewie but rather invites Chewie to make his own decisions. I can’t say enough how much I love the little campfire scene on Vandor when Han, after explaining to Beckett and Val what he’s after, turns to Chewie and asks him what he is after. Again, Han sees people as individuals, as persons who also have hopes and dreams. And what’s more, he invites them to speak those truths!
It is ultimately on Kessel where we see two of the most significant moments in Han and Chewie’s early relationship. As they are on their way to steal the coaxium, Chewie witnesses a group of starved and enslaved Wookies being herded off. He immediately stops and notices, wanting to go do something about it. Initially Han tells Chewie to just focus on their mission but Chewie has made up his mind, he cannot stand by and watch this injustice. I love the little moment where Han yells, “FINE!” and proceeds to pout off. But he doesn’t, he stops himself because there is more to Han. Instead he gives Chewie his staff, enabling him in the fight ahead. So while Han doesn’t actively help Chewie, he understands Chewie’s desire to free others and offers his support “staff.”
Finally, as they are escaping from Kessel, Han sees Lando gunned down as he is trying to save L3. In a split second, he makes a decision and acts on it: he’s going to rescue Lando. Again, I think Han gets why Lando went back for L3; just as Han loves Qi’ra and will go back for her he knows that Lando loves L3. And then he acts! Running headlong into enemy fire Han values Lando and risks himself to help out. When Chewie witnesses this he chooses to stay with Han rather than leave with the other Wookies. Chewie knows the measure of the man before him and will align himself with Han.
If there is one thing Solo does is illustrate that deep down, Han is in fact the good guy. In the scene between Han and Qi’ra on Savareen, Han is once again trying to convince Qi’ra to leave with him when the job is done. For Han, his future is still wrapped up in being with her. There is a naive ignorance to Han in this moment and his inability to understand that people change, even people we think we know so well. When Qi’ra once again states that she can’t come with him, like a jealous boy Han shoots back, “Because you’re with Dryden?” He doesn’t get it, even though she told him when they reunited on Dryden’s yacht that “it’s in the past.” I get it. I know what it’s like to believe you belong with someone and I also get having blinders on and not being able to see that the other person has moved on to what is best for them. But I don’t fault Han for this, I empathize.
In their final scene together as they share a (last) kiss, Han believes that he finally has what he has been after the whole movie: freedom with Qi’ra. Every time I watched this scene, it made me tear up or full on cry. Han has no idea this is their final kiss and it breaks my heart for him. The music especially in this moment is beautiful; a simple stripped down version of their love theme played on a solo piano, tragic and beautiful. But Qi’ra has one final gift for Han, making sure he sticks with Chewie. “Go help Chewie. He needs you and you’re going to need him.” It shows that Qi’ra still cares for Han because she wants to make sure he’ll be okay after she leaves.
As Han watches Qi’ra leave, the look on his face is one of true loss and defeat. Right after gunning down the man he so desperately wanted to be a father figure, the love of his life leaves him. Now yes, Han certainly has no right to Qi’ra as if she belongs to him. And to be honest, I don’t think he does either. I think in that final moment he finally recognizes that she wants something more than what she could have with him. That’s a hard lesson to learn.
But the beauty of this story is that Han is not alone. As he stands there feeling certainly lost and broken, we see that big furry Wookie paw come to rest on his shoulder. While Qi’ra may not have chosen Han, Chewie does. That is not meant as an indictment of Qi’ra but simply illustrating that sometimes what we want is fulfilled in unexpected ways. Han is looking for someone to enjoy his freedom with. He expected that to be Qi’ra but instead winds up with the best co-pilot and friend in all the galaxy!
Like Han, I too have long believed I would feel most free in a romantic relationship. But also like Han, I have come to learn that the love found between friends is just as freeing. And that is a powerful theme for anyone to take home from this movie. We live in a culture rife with expectations but Solo reminds us that we discover the deepest sense of freedom when we are most ourselves and give ourselves away to those deepest parts of ourselves that call us out. For Han, he never gives up on his desire to be free and he ultimately finds it despite everything that tries to get in his way. Han is certainly not the complete hero he will become by the time we get to the OT, but Solo shows us the seeds that exist within his heart that will one day blossom.
Now if you’re still with me, I I just spent over 1900 words expressing why I love Solo so much. And that’s where I want to turn the conversation to now: the lack of love in the Star Wars fan community. To quote the great hit by the Black Eyed Peas, “Where is the love?!” (Seriously, if you don’t know this song, check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpYeekQkAdc
Ever since The Last Jedi there has been a very aggressive division among Star Wars fans. Ultimately it’s a response by some toxic fans on the far right who don’t want any sort of social justice statements or contemporary politics infiltrating their Star Wars. To be clear, that is literally illustrating the privilege that so many fans enjoy that they don’t want any sort of statement in Star Wars that might make them uncomfortable. So their response to their discomfort is to just dish out hate at fellow fans, creators, and actors. But sadly, the far left doesn’t help the situation by their quick indictment of anyone’s displeasure with TLJ to equating those fans to Nazis. A bit of a harsh and unfair conclusion.
For those who don’t want politics or statements regarding social justice in Star Wars, I would point out that it’s always been there. George Lucas was always very clear that the OT was a commentary on the Vietnam War that he saw destroying so many lives. And if you didn’t realize, the Empire is America and the Rebels are the Vietcong! But most of all, George expressed his desire to use Star Wars to teach the lessons and morals he held to be true to younger generations. Well you know what, the world is much different today than it was in the 1970’s so it’s not shocking to believe that there might be some new lessons our younger generations need to learn. I appreciate that Rian Johnson brought that to bare in TLJ.
To those who feel entitled to belittling those who struggled to enjoy TLJ remember that for many fans it just didn’t “feel” right for them. It’s not because they hate women in power or the idea of freeing animals but simply it just felt different than what they had come to expect when seeing a Star Wars movie. Now yes, just because it wasn’t what they expected doesn’t give them the right to say it’s bad or garbage. But at the end of the day, Star Wars is art and art is subjective. I enjoyed Solo more than The Last Jedi because of how it made me feel. As I’ve explained, I connected very deeply with the main character and his story within the movie. I didn’t have a connection that deeply to anything in TLJ.
So we seem to be at a standstill, both camps firmly entrenched on their sides. The right not wanting Star Wars to grow and evolve to continue to teach us new lessons and the left demanding that all Star Wars is subservient to the genius of TLJ. Toxicity exists in the war between these camps.
Too many fans are so busy defending why their view is right about Star Wars that I think they’ve forgotten to just enjoy it for what it is. They spend so much time proving themselves right and others wrong that it saps the joy that we should all experience while watching Star Wars.
At the end of the day, I love Star Wars because it has made me a better person. It has challenged me to think in new ways, an important reason to bring in contemporary issues, and made me think in a clearer, more articulate way. Star Wars will continue to inspire people for generations to come because of its ability to present profound truths that teach us about the world we live in in a bigger, grander way that only myth can accomplish.
If you’re a Star Wars fan and you still want Star Wars to feel the same as when you were a kid, I challenge you to remember that you’re not a kid anymore. And you know what, that’s okay. Star Wars hooked us as kids because it was a fun adventure story that inspired us to be heroes. But as we grow up, we realize that what it means to be a hero is more nuanced and more complicated than when we were children (thanks Poe!). Heroes are not afraid to confront what scares them, they aren’t afraid to throw themselves into a story that invites us to be our best selves, especially when it’s hardest, and to work to make the world a better place for all people.
I love Star Wars. Will you share my love? 
-Karl LaClair (Co-host of The Wampa’s Lair Podcast)
