Released:  May 25, 2018 (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was released May 25, 1977)

Director:   Ron Howard

Screenplay:   Jonathan Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan

Stars:   Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo), Woody Harrelson (Tobias Backett), Emilia Clarke (Qi’ra), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), Thandie Newton (Val), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (L3-37), Joonas Suotamo (Chewbacca), Paul Bettany (Dryden Vos)

Plot: During an adventure into the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and encounters Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebellion.

How did this movie do:
Budget: $300 million
Box office: $393 million

Star Wars movies and TV shows in chronological order

• The Acolyte (TBA, Disney Plus)
• Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
• Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008-2020, TV series + Disney Plus)
• Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
• Star Wars: The Bad Batch (2021, Disney Plus)
• Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
• Obi-Wan Kenobi series (2022, Disney Plus)
• Star Wars Rebels (2014-2018)
• Rogue One series: Andor (2021, Disney Plus)
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
• Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983)
• Star Wars Resistance (2018, TV series)
• The Mandalorian (2019, Disney Plus)
• The Book of Boba Fett (2021, Disney Plus)
• Ahsoka (TBA, Disney Plus)
• Rangers of the New Republic (TBA, Disney Plus)
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
• Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Star Wars timeline

~900 BBY – Yoda is born, though nobody ever thought to ask what species he belongs to. (Return of the Jedi)

~200 BBY – The Galactic Republic and the Jedi Order are at their zenith. This is the golden age of the Jedi. (The High Republic novels and comic-book series)

Emerging dark-side powers soon take hold within the Jedi, as the Sith come to power. (The Acolyte, Disney Plus series)

41 BBY – Anakin Skywalker is somehow conceived by the Midichlorians and his mother, Shmi. (referenced The Phantom Menace)

Also around this time, a young Yoda-like creature is born to mystery parents. (referenced in The Mandalorian)

32 BBY – The Trade Federation escalates a scintillating trade dispute by blockading Naboo. C-3PO and R2-D2 meet for the first time. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi discover Force-sensitive Anakin Skywalker on Tatooine and save him from slavery. Yippee!

Queen Padme Amidala leads the liberation of Naboo, where Obi-Wan slices Darth Maul in two – sending him tumbling to his apparent death. Palpatine is elected Chancellor of the Republic, while Anakin starts his Jedi training. Galaxy watches both their careers with great interest. (The Phantom Menace)

Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas commissions Kaminoan cloners to build an army for the Republic. (mentioned in Attack of the Clones)

Young Grogu trains with the Jedi. (mentioned in The Mandalorian)

22 BBY – Separatists make a couple of attempts on Senator Amidala’s life. Obi-Wan’s investigations into the assassin’s identity lead him to Kamino, where he discovers a fully-fledged Clone Army. Anakin slaughters an entire village of Tusken Raiders (men, women and children) in revenge for the death of his mother. Padme becomes strangely attracted to him.

Naboo Senate Representative Jar Jar Binks calls for Supreme Chancellor Palpatine to be given emergency powers to bring the Clone Army into service – those Clone Troopers subsequently follow the Jedi into action against Separatist forces on Geonosis. Jango Fett killed in the battle. Separatist leader Count Dooku is revealed to be Sith Lord Darth Tyranus, and chops off Anakin’s arm in a lightsaber duel. Geonosian leader Poggle the Lesser hands the Separatists’ Death Star plans to Count Dooku. Anakin and Padme marry in secret. The Clone Wars begin. (Attack of the Clones)

22 BBY – Anakin takes on Ahsoka Tano as his apprentice. (The Clone Wars)

21 ABY – The young Boba Fett infiltrates a Republic Star Destroyer in an effort to take revenge on Mace Windu for dad Jango’s death. (The Clone Wars)

~21 BBY – Brilliant energy scientist Galen Erso is captured by Separatist forces and subsequently rescued by Orson Krennic (at this point a Republic officer) – it will later turn out Krennic has an ulterior motive involving a certain planet-killing superweapon… (Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel)

20 BBY – Darth Sidious orders Count Dooku to eliminate Asajj Ventress, the Dark Side apprentice Dooku’s been training in secret. Presumed-dead former Sith Lord Darth Maul is discovered – half the man he used to be – by his brother Savage Opress on Lotho Minor. Anakin, Ahsoka and Obi-Wan train meet and train future insurgent Saw Gerrera to fight against the Separatists on Onderon. Construction of Death Star begins above Geonosis. (The Clone Wars)

19 BBY – Maul and Opress join forces with criminal gangs and Mandalorian hardliners Death Watch to overthrow and kill Mandalore’s peaceful leader (and Obi-Wan love interest) Duchess Satine Kryze. Darth Sidious clears up the mess, killing Opress and capturing Maul.

Wrongly framed for murder, Ahsoka quits the Jedi Order and disappears. She later ventures to Mandalore to battle Maul, where the Siege of Mandalore takes place. She manages a lucky escape from Order 66 with the Clone trooper Rex. (The Clone Wars)

Supreme Chancellor Palpatine kidnapped by Separatist forces, Count Dooku executed by Anakin during the rescue. Obi-Wan kills the Separatists’ cyborg military commander General Grievous. Palpatine is revealed to be Darth Sidious. Anakin seduced by the Dark Side and becomes Darth Vader. Palpatine declares himself Emperor and the Galactic Republic becomes the Galactic Empire. Order 66 prompts the Clone Troopers to turn on the Jedi and all-but wipe them out. Darth Vader slaughters the remaining Separatist leaders on Mustafar. Obi-Wan defeats Vader in a duel, critically injuring him and leaving him dependent on an iconic cybernetic life support suit. Padme dies giving birth to twins. Luke is left with his step-uncle/aunt Owen and Beru Lars on Tatooine, Leia with Senator Bail Organa on Alderaan. Obi-Wan and Yoda go into hiding, on Tatooine and Dagobah, respectively. (Revenge of the Sith)

Following Order 66, a rogue bunch of defective Clones – called The Bad Batch – are told to hunt down the padawan in training Caleb Dume (later known as Kanan Jarrus). However, the team’s leader, Hunter, goes against orders. The Bad Batch are then commanded to kill Saw Gerrera. They refuse to do so and head off on their own adventure. (Star Wars: The Bad Batch)

17 BBY – Galen Erso, forced to work on the Death Star, does a runner with wife Lyra and daughter Jyn from their home on Coruscant, with help from Saw Gerrera. (Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel)

13 BBY – Krennic tracks down Erso family on Lah’mu. Lyra dies, Galen goes back to work on the Death Star, leaving Jyn to get an, er, unconventional upbringing with Saw. (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

Han Solo escapes captivity on Corellia, enlists in the Imperial Navy and bags himself a surname. (Solo: A Star Wars Story)

10 BBY – Han Solo meets hairy BFF Chewbacca, defects from the Empire and joins Tobias Beckett’s criminal gang. Rebellious L3-37 initiates a droid uprising on Kessel. Solo completes a Kessel Run in the Millennium Falcon in a record-breaking 12 parsecs – he’s so impressed he later wins the Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a game of Sabacc. Solo helps out Enfys Nest’s proto-Rebels, but declines to join the cause. Qi’ra assumes day-to-day control of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, answering directly to Maul. (Solo: A Star Wars Story)

5 BBY – Force-sensitive Ezra Bridger joins the crew of Rebel vessel the Ghost. Fugitive Jedi Kanan Jarrus takes him on as his Padawan. (Star Wars Rebels)

4 BBY – Rebel informant Fulcrum revealed to be Ahsoka Tano. Empire commences Siege of Lothal. The Emperor unleashes Darth Vader to sort out growing Rebel problem. Former Clone Troopers Rex, Wolffe and Gregor join Rebel cause. (Star Wars Rebels)

3 BBY – Maul blinds Kanan Jarrus in battle. Ahsoka faces Vader for the first time since she was Anakin’s apprentice. (Star Wars Rebels)

2 BBY – Obi-Wan Kenobi belatedly finishes the job of killing Maul on Tatooine. Mon Mothma resigns from Imperial Senate, and calls for the formation of the Alliance to Restore the Republic (aka Rebel Alliance). Chopper Base on Atollon destroyed by Admiral Thrawn’s forces, forcing the Rebels to relocate to Yavin 4. (Star Wars Rebels)

1 BBY – Kanan Jarrus killed, sacrificing himself to save the rest of the Ghost crew. Ezra Bridger has an audience with the Emperor, before he and Grand Admiral Thrawn go missing in action. Bo-Katan Kryze takes Mandalorian throne, after Sabine Wren gives her the ceremonial Darksaber. (Star Wars Rebels)

0 BBY – Rebels secure their first significant victory over the Empire at Scarif – though in the ultimate downer, everybody involved in recovering the Death Star plans dies. (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story)

Princess Leia Organa is eventually captured by Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker meets C-3PO and R2-D2, and takes Death Star plans hidden in R2 to Obi-Wan Kenobi. Luke begins Jedi training, meets Han Solo and Chewbacca. Alderaan destroyed by Death Star. Leia rescued. Obi-Wan Kenobi dies. The Death Star destroyed. (A New Hope)

0-3 ABY – Darth Vader recruits Boba Fett to help hunt down the Force-sensitive young pilot who blew up the Death Star. (Darth Vader comic)

Rebel Alliance relocates to Echo Base on the distinctly chilly Hoth. (The Empire Strikes Back)

Han Solo runs into an unknown bounty hunter on Ord Mantell. (Referenced in The Empire Strikes Back)

3 ABY – The Rebels evacuate Hoth after the Empire discovers Echo Base. Luke Skywalker begins formal Jedi training with Yoda on Dagobah. Darth Vader captures Han, Leia and Chewbacca at Bespin. Han frozen in Carbonite and taken to Jabba the Hutt by Boba Fett. Luke faces Darth Vader, loses a hand and learns the Sith Lord is his father. Noooooooo! (The Empire Strikes Back)

3-4 ABY – Many Bothans die getting information on Death Star 2. (mentioned in Return of the Jedi)

4 ABY – Han Solo rescued from Jabba the Hutt – with Leia killing Jabba in the process. Boba Fett is thought dead. Yoda dies. Luke learns that Leia is his twin sister – awkward! Imperial forces intercept Rebellion’s secret assault on Endor – it’s a trap! Luke faces Darth Vader again, this time in the presence of the Emperor. Vader turns back to the good side and kills the Emperor. Death Star destroyed – despite Ewok involvement. Yub nub! (Return of the Jedi)

5 ABY – Han Solo helps Chewbacca to liberate Kashyyyk from Imperial rule. The New Republic secures a final victory over the remains of the Empire at the Battle of Jakku. Mon Mothma signs the Galactic Concordance and the Empire is dissolved. A faction of top Imperials, led by Grand Admiral Rae Sloane and General Hux’s dad Brendol, travel through the Unknown Regions to start the First Order. Ben Solo is born. (Star Wars: Aftermath novel trilogy)

9 ABY – A lone gunfighter – Din Djarin – makes his way through the outer reaches of the galaxy where stumbles upon a young-ish green creature. The warrior goes on the run, hoping to keep the creature away from harm, and ends up adopting the young creature as his own.

Din hopes to reunite the creature with the Jedi. He eventually meets Ahsoka Tano, who is on the hunt for General Thrawn. She tells Din to head to Tython and use a special stone to call to any Jedi who may be out there. Ahsoka also reveals the creature’s real name: Grogu.

Grogu calls to the Jedi but is then captured by the evil Moff Gideon, who holds the Darksaber blade. Din gets the help of previously-thought-dead Boba Fett and the former heiress of Mandalore, Bo-Katan, to beat Moff Gideon. They almost succeed, when a battalion of Dark Trooper droids arrive. Luckily, Grogu’s call to the Jedi is heard, and Luke Skywalker saves the day. Skywalker then takes Grogu away to be trained as a Jedi. (The Mandalorian)

21 ABY – The First Order starts using crime syndicates to fund its increasing military activities. (Star Wars: Bloodline novel)

28 ABY – The truth about Leia’s Sithy parentage is leaked by political enemies, engulfing her in a scandal that forces her to resign from the Senate. Sensing the threat of an increasingly active First Order, she forms the Resistance to keep them in check. (Star Wars: Bloodline novel)

28 ABY-34 ABY – Ben Solo is persuaded by Supreme Leader Snoke to turn to the Dark Side. He trashes Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi school, kills most of his fellow students (unknown whether Grogu is here), and renames himself Kylo Ren. Luke goes into exile on Ahch-To and switches himself off from the Force. (Mentioned in The Force Awakens)

Kazuda Xiono goes undercover as a Resistance spy at the Colossus outpost. (Star Wars Resistance)

34 ABY – Poe Dameron finds map containing details of Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts. Trooper FN-2187, AKA Finn, defects from First Order, gets Poe’s jacket and meets Rey on Jakku. The pair steal the Millennium Falcon, and hook up with Han Solo and Chewbacca. The First Order uses Starkiller base to destroy the entire Hosnian system, wiping out the whole of the New Republic’s government. Kylo Ren kills Han Solo. Starkiller base destroyed. Rey tracks down Luke on Ahch-To. (The Force Awakens)

The Resistance evacuate their base on D’Qar and go on the run from the First Order. Kylo Ren kills Supreme Leader Snoke and declares himself Supreme Leader. First Order flagship the Supremacy destroyed when Vice-Admiral Holdo pilots the Raddus through it at hyperspace. Luke creates a Force projection of himself to face Kylo Ren and dies in the effort. The last few survivors of the Resistance escape on the Millennium Falcon. (The Last Jedi)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

35 ABY – With Snoke vanquished, an old evil returns… Palpatine. The Emperor has been building a huge Sith army all these years, and they have been awoken on Exegol, a Sith stronghold in the uncharted area of the galaxy.

The Resistance has made some headway in their fight back against the First Order, who have now rebranded themselves the Final Order under Palpatine’s leadership. Kylo goes on the hunt for Rey, the granddaughter of Palpatine. When they meet, Rey stabs Kylo with a lightsaber but uses the Force to keep him alive. General Leia passes as she helps keep Kylo, her son, alive.

After Rey discovers the location of Exegol, she travels there in Luke Skywalker’s old X-Wing. She lays trackers so that the Resistance can follow her there. She then confronts her grandfather, while the Resistance, who – with the help of Lando – have brought together an army filled with people who despise the Final Order.

Palpatine soon has the upper hand on Rey, wanting her to “strike him down” so the Sith can live on in her. However, Kylo Ren comes to help, and the pair attack Palpatine. The Emperor overpowers them and takes their life-force. All the fallen Jedi then come to Rey and help her overthrow Palpatine, and he is disintegrated.

The galaxy celebrates victory over the Final Order. Rey buries Luke and Leia’s lightsabers on Tatooine. The two suns set. Balance is restored. (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker)

• Alden Ehrenreich was the first actor to audition for directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The directors said in July 2016 that while they liked a lot of the other actors with whom they read, they increasingly said, “The first guy we saw was the best for the part.”
  
  
• Woody Harrelson was picked over Christian Bale as Han’s mentor.
  
  
• During an interview on The Graham Norton Show (2007), Phoebe Waller-Bridge said that prior to her casting, she had never seen a Star Wars movie, and didn’t know what a droid was. She decided to play L3-37 as a human in her audition. When one of the directors asked her if she could be more “droid-y” while making a mechanical hand gesture, she deduced that droids are robots. Although the casting directors asked her to try it again, they liked her original interpretation of the character, and gave her the part.
  
  
• Charlie Cox lobbied for the title role and even had a screen test with the producers. He was eventually turned down as they feared that his tendency not to keep eye contact, a trait required for his portrayal of a blind man in Daredevil (2015), weakens the character portrayal.
  
  
• Michael Kenneth Williams was originally cast as Dryden Vos and shot various scenes when Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were directing the film. He was unable to return to the set for re-shoots after Ron Howard took over, and the role was recast with Paul Bettany.
  
  
• Dave Franco, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Miles Teller, Nick Robinson, Leo Howard, Tony Oller, Chandler Riggs, Hunter Parrish, Rami Malek, Landon Liboiron, Ed Westwick, Tom Felton, Ben Key, Eddy Westcott, Joshua Sasse, Logan Lerman, Ansel Elgort, Jack Reynor, Colton Haynes, Max Thieriot, Scott Eastwood, Chris Pratt, Emory Cohen, Alden Ehrenreich, Taron Egerton, Jack O’Connell, and Blake Jenner screentested for the young Han Solo.
  
  
• O’Shea Jackson Jr. and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II auditioned for the role of Lando Calrissian.
  
  
• Adande ‘Swoozie’ Thorne revealed that he auditioned for Lando Calrissian, and joked about Donald Glover taking all of his roles.

• Harrison Ford revealed that he’s seen the movie and thinks it’s “phenomenal”, but skipped out on the premiere with the rest of the cast because he didn’t want to steal Alden Ehrenreich’s moment of glory.
  
  
• Dryden Vos’ facial stripes were added in post-production. According to Paul Bettany, he didn’t know about it until he saw a photo Ron Howard sent to him.
  
  
• This is the first Star Wars film (in official canon) where nobody speaks the word “Jedi.”
  
  
• Tobias Beckett wears the guard disguise seen in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), when Lando wore it in an attempt to save Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt. The disguise is likely stored on the Millennium Falcon.
  
  
• Han speaks to Chewbacca in the Wookiee language. It’s the first time a non-Wookiee speaks the language, and the first time the language is translated on-screen with subtitles.
  
  
• Ron Howard said that one of the best experiences on this movie was directing Chewbacca, and getting a hug from him.
  
  
• When Luke and Obi-wan meet Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Han boasts about the Millennium Falcon’s speed by claiming that the ship “made the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs”. People quickly pointed out that a parsec is a measure of distance, not time. One parsec is about 3.26 light years, or just over 19 trillion miles. Star Wars printed materials explained that the Kessel Run is a route of fixed distance, but Han found a shortcut that limited his flight to about 12-1/2 parsecs. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) also references the Kessel Run. In this movie, the Kessel Run is normally 20 parsecs long, and runs along a series of corridors through a nebula. Han traversed the nebula itself, risking debris, very large creatures, and a phenomenon called “the Maw”, making it to the other end in just under 13 parsecs, which he rounded down to 12. Lando says it’s impossible to make the run in less than 20 parsecs, so it’s still quite a feat.
  
  
• Han Solo was originally going to appear during the Battle of Kashyyyk in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), in which an orphaned ten-year-old Han, who is being raised by Chewbacca, helps Obi-wan Kenobi to locate and find General Grievous by finding part of a transmitter droid that was sending signals from Utapau.
  
  
• The collection in Dryden Vos’ meeting room includes a set of Mandalorian battle armor, made famous by bounty hunters Jango and Boba Fett.
  
  
• Dryden Vos’ original concept art portrayed him as a dinosaur, bird-like figure. With the development of a love triangle between him, Han, and Qi’ra, his design became more humanoid, majestic, and handsome in order to evoke more jealousy from Han.
  
  
• Director Ron Howard was reportedly considered to direct Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) but declined the offer, calling the task “too daunting.” Eighteen years later, he accepted the offer to direct this film.
  
  
• With this film, Warwick Davis has been involved in ten Star Wars related projects, starting with Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983).
  
  
• The Imperial March, in a major key, plays during the recruitment film at the Corellian spaceport. The same variation was used during a parade in the Rebels episode, Star Wars Rebels: Empire Day (2014).
  
  
• Han bears a scar on his chin, which is only barely noticeable in some shots. It’s a recreation of the scar Harrison Ford has in real life, which is also visible in every Star Wars and Indiana Jones movie he appeared in.
  
  
• The poem on the final Enfys Nest helmet design, penned in stylized Aurebesh (the most common written language in Star Wars, first introduced in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983)), translates to, “Until we reach the last edge, the last opening, the last star, and can go no higher.”
  
  
• Lando Calrissian says to Han Solo, “I hate you”, and Han replies, “I know”. In Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Leia says to Han, “I love you” and Han replies, “I know”.
  
  
• Just before attempting a very risky maneuver in the Millennium Falcon, Han says “I have a really good feeling about this”. In the previous Star Wars films, characters (including Han) have said “I have a *bad* feeling about this,” in a variety of wordings.
  
  
• In Dryden’s yacht there are display cabinets, and among all of the treasures in them are some that might be recognized from another film franchise: “Indiana Jones.” There are the Sankara Stones from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), the fertility idol from Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and also the Holy Grail from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Some generic crystal skulls also appear, a likely allusion to Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). All of which starred Harrison Ford, the original Han Solo, as Indiana Jones.
  
  
• After Ron Howard came on board, there was a question about who would receive the directing credit. Directors Guild rules state that a person who shot 90% of a film would get directing credit. Howard re-shot 80% of Phil Lord and Christopher Miller’s footage. As a compromise, Lord and Miller got executive producer credit, and Howard got the directors credit.
  
  
• The stripes on Dryden Vos’ face are tan when he is calm, but turn darker when he gets angry.
  
  
• When Beckett, Qi’Ra, and Han discuss Imperial stashes of hyperfuel that they could steal, they mention Scarif, the Imperial planet that houses the plans for the Death Star in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
  
  
• Qi’ra is proficient in Teräs Käsi, a fictional martial art originally developed to be used against force-wielding opponents. In Finnish, the name translates to “Steel Hand”.
  
  
• When Qi’ra and Han are caught kissing in Lando’s cape closet, Qi’ra is trying on Lando’s blue cape with a black collar, which he wore in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
  
  
• The opening scene on Corellia and the opening scene in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), in which Krennic takes Galen Erso, take place 13 years before the events of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
  
  
• Kessel is controlled by the Pyke Syndicate, a recurring criminal gang from Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008).
  
  
• This was Lawrence Kasdan’s fourth time working on the Star Wars film franchise. He was also a screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), and Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015).
  
  
• Artists used a cast of Chewie’s head and bone structure to create the emaciated mine Wookiees on Kessel. Artists tested out various colors, hair loss patterns, and injuries to show not only variation amongst Wookiees, but the hardships they experienced in the spice mines.
  
  
• Two figures in the holochess game were scrapped in the original Star Wars film, but ended up making it into Solo. Crew used Joonas Suotamo’s frustrated performance of Chewie as an explanation for the missing pieces in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977): Chewie’s swipe at the game pops a couple of buttons off the table, thus causing two characters to be “lost” from the set.
  
  
• The word “Wookiee” was inspired by Bill Wookey, a friend of actor Terence McGovern. McGovern portrayed a robot cop in George Lucas’ THX 1138 (1971), improvising the line, “I think I ran over a Wookiee back there.”
  
  
• When Han and Lando first meet during the Sabacc game, Han claims he owns a VCX-100. In Star Wars Rebels (2014), The Ghost is a VCX-100.
  
  
• This is the first Star Wars movie in which Chewbacca reveals his age: 190 years. That means he is 200 years old in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), 203 in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), 204 in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), and 234 in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017).
  
  
• Shipped under the code-name “Project: Red Cup”. Solo is famous for manufacturing red cups.
  
  
• Director of photography Bradford Young worked closely with Panavision to find old lenses that suited the gritty look of the picture he was going for and to refine them for use on the film. By removing anti-glare coatings and slightly detuning the lenses, Young was able to achieve the imperfections he was exactly looking for.
  
  
• This is the second live-action Star Wars movie not to open with a narrative crawl. A standard narrative text is shown in place of the narrative crawl. The first was Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).
  
  
• According to the film’s Official Guide Book, the rules of Sabacc are as follows: a deck has 62 cards, each with a value ranging from -10 to 10. The goal is for a player’s hand to add up to zero. Players bet depending on their confidence in their hands, similar to poker. After each betting phase, a pair of dice are rolled. If both dice have the same image, or “doubles”, all players must discard their hands and redraw a new hand. The player who draws exactly zero is the winner. In the version published with the old West End Games roleplaying game adventure “Crisis On Cloud City”, a deck has four suits of cards, each numbered 1 to 15, and two sets of face cards numbered zero and certain negative numbers. The goal is for a hand to add up to 23 without going over, going under -23, or zeroing out completely. Alternatively a player can compile a hand of cards with the values 0, 2, and 3, also known as an “idiot’s array”, as seen in Star Wars Rebels: Idiot’s Array (2015).
  
  
• When Beckett changes the sniper rifle into the blaster and tosses it to Han, it’s a direct reference to the creation of the original prop. The famous DL-44 Blaster was created for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) using the Mauser C96 prop Frank Sinatra wielded in The Naked Runner (1967). In that film, Sinatra’s character disassembles his sniper rifle into the base Mauser to store it in his case. The same prop appears in Sitting Target (1972), with the scope attached, but without the “heatsinks” and other accessories.
  
  
• In Lawrence Kasdan’s initial storyline for Solo, Wookiees were enslaved by the Empire on the mining planet of Kessel.
  
  
• This is the first Star Wars movie to show Corellia, Han Solo’s home planet.
  
  
• This is the second film in which Warwick Davis has worked with Ron Howard. Howard directed Davis in Willow (1988). Davis originally appeared as an Ewok in Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), and as an extra in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
  
  
• This is the first Star Wars film in which C-3PO and R2-D2 do not appear.
  
  
• When Han and Qi’ra kiss aboard the Millennium Falcon, they are in the same room where Han and Leia kiss in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980).
  
  
• Enfys Nest tells Han “the war is just beginning”, a line of dialogue Luke would later say verbatim to Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017).
  
  
• Tam Posla, a background character from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), also shows up as a spectator watching Lando’s first game of Sabacc with Han.
  
  
• The image of the Star Destroyer in the beginning sequence of Solo is meant to evoke the opening sequence of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) – instead of seeing a giant Star Destroyer looming in space, Solo features a segmented Star Destroyer being constructed on Corellia.
  
  
• This film includes the first use of Lando Calrissian’s full first name, “Landonis.”
  
  
• At the start of the film, Han is wearing a white vest over a black shirt, the inverse of what he wears in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977).
  
  
• In this film, the Millennium Falcon has single-cannon guns mounted on its gun turrets. In Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977), Han mentions that he has made some modifications on the Falcon himself. From Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) onward, the Falcon’s gun turrets have quad-barrel guns. Evidently, it was one of Han’s modifications.
  
  
• The arms of L3-37 are modeled after R2-D2’s legs and various parts of his body.
  
  
• This is the first star wars film that a lightsaber was not used in battle
  
  
• This is the first Star Wars movie with an opening scene that isn’t set in space.
  
  
• Warwick Davis played Weazel in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999).
  
  
• Emilia Clarke is the 12th actress or actor from Game of Thrones (2011) to appear in the Star Wars film franchise. Julian Glover was in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980). Keisha Castle-Hughes was in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Gwendoline Christie, Max von Sydow, Jessica Henwick, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Mark Stanley, Miltos Yerolemou, and Emun Elliott appeared in Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015). Ian McElhinney appeared in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Kate Dickie appeared in Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017). Stuntmen Liang Yang and C.C. Smiff worked on Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015) as stuntmen. Nina Gold was the Casting Director on both.
  
  
• The Millennium Falcon starts to make its classic beeps and boops only after L3-37 has been uploaded into the ship.
  
  
• Darth Maul’s appearance in the finale was kept a secret until the film’s release. Ray Park reprised the physical role of Maul from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999). The voice was supplied by Sam Witwer, who voiced Maul on Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and Star Wars Rebels (2014).
  
  
• Darth Maul was originally not meant to be in the film. During the writing process, the head of the Crimson Dawn was referred to as “Boss”, and a list of potential characters to fill the role included Darth Maul. Ron Howard lobbied hard for Darth Maul to fill that position, and it ended up in the final film.
  
  
• The novelization reveals that Qi’ra is not merely Dryden’s lover or accomplice, but is also his slave, purchased from Lady Proxima.