When the first trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story debuted, one of the most noticeable differences in its cast of recognizable characters was that the Millennium Falcon we all know and love looked shiny and new for once. But beyond that, there are even more differences to the famous ship, both subtle and fairly large, and it seems the movie will have as much backstory to cover on that front as it does with its flesh and blood characters.
On the less remarkable side, Lando Calrissian, who owns the ship in the Solo time period, definitely enjoys a pop of color, with the Falcon’s seating area sporting yellow coverings that stand out against the rest of the white interior. It seems Han’s tastes are a little simpler, with the seats matching the walls when he shows up in the original Star Wars trilogy, although that yellow probably wouldn’t have stood out as much from Han’s dingy walls anyway. As Solo co-writer Jon Kasdan told Entertainment Weekly, “this Falcon reflects its owner very clearly in its shape and aesthetic and his needs, even if those needs be a little more space to entertain.”
While probably unrelated, that reminds me of the biggest change to the ship: its recognizable two-pronged front end has been filled in and elongated. This was easy to miss in the trailer, but it became more noticeable on the movie’s poster:
Then, the Star Wars Show gave a full look at the ship on video and the inspiration it pulled from the original Star Wars concept art of Ralph McQuarrie (at the top of the post). What that extra space will be used for is anyone’s guess, along with how and/or why it’s no longer part of the ship during Han’s later days. Is it a compartment for cargo? Just another part of the ship that gets broken off and Han decides to keep it that way? Is it really an extra designated partying zone for Lando’s lavish lifestyle?
It appears to be detachable on the toy version that Hasbro has on the way, along with some additional exterior panels that hide some of the more familiar design’s finer details. Maybe it’s all about looks, whereas Han prefers function over form—even to the point that he’d prefer the hunk of junk image. Whether that explains all of the changes, it’s certainly part of it, as Han Solo actor Alden Ehrenreich explained to EW, “It’s safer in the galaxy to fly something that looks like a piece of junk. People underestimate you—especially if you’re up to no good. Kinda like how you’re more likely to get pulled over if you’re driving a Lamborghini.”
Lando likes to do things in style. Han prefers to fly casual.
Then, there’s my personal favorite outside chance theory about the changes, which will now legitimately disappoint me if it is not how the movie goes:
Addendum: he will never, ever tell Lando that he did this. Every time Lando shows up he’s like “what the floop did you do to my ship” and Han’ll be like “yes it’s definitely the ship I got from you, 100% you are correct sir””
— Victoria McNally (@vqnerdballs) February 7, 2018
(via Entertainment Weekly, image: Disney/Lucasfilm)
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