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How Han Solo Was Almost In The Prequel Trilogy

How Would This Have Worked?

By Culture SlatePublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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The prequel trilogy not only showed the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, but it also gave fans a look at the origin of several other characters in the Star Wars universe. For some characters, like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda, it was imperative to see them in the time before the fall of the Republic. On the other hand, the origins of characters like C-3PO and R2-D2 were nice little treats for fans. Creator Georg Lucas wanted to see one more character on screen in the prequels, however. Originally, Lucas planned for the iconic trio from the original trilogy to make an appearance in Revenge of the Sith, and that included everyone’s favorite smuggler.

Luke and Leia appeared at the end of Revenge of the Sith with the scenes depicting their birth and their separate paths to Tatooine and Alderaan, respectively. The film also featured a cameo from Chewbacca, and marked the first canonical appearance of the Wookiee home-world of Kashyyyk. The Wookiees had been allies of the Jedi, and their home planet was a major asset to the Republic. Yoda would go on to help defend the Wookiees from the droid invasion, and the Wookiees would play a part in helping him escape Order 66. Where would a young Han have fit in?

RELATED: 10 Interesting Facts You Don't Know About Harrison Ford

Originally, a 10-year-old Han Solo was to appear during the attack on Kashyyyk. Raised by Chewbacca, the orphan Han Solo would play a major role in the film by discovering a droid transmitting signals from Utapau. This would then help the Jedi track the location of General Grievous. There was a concept art showing Han's design as a young boy in tattered clothes and messy hair. In the end, Lucas decided to cut this sequence from Revenge of the Sith because he did not think it served the plot well enough, and he was correct. It would also lead to continuity problems in A New Hope where Han talked about he does not believe in the Force at the beginning of that film. If he had been on Kashyyyk during the Clone Wars, he would have encountered the Jedi sooner or later. Furthermore, the father-son relationship revealed here would clash with future depiction of Han Solo and Chewbacca in the original trilogy and other Star Wars media where they were seen as equal partners. The young Han Solo idea would eventually be used in a LEGO Star Wars television special, but that would hardly be considered canon.

While seeing a lot of fan-favorite characters in the film would bring joy to a lot of Star Wars fans and viewers alike, it would have made the film very cluttered. It could appear very forced and come across as fan service. Therefore, the plan to have Boba Fett appear in the film was also scrapped. A small Easter egg would actually make it to the final cut of Revenge of the Sith where sharp eyes have spotted the Millennium Falcon docking into one of the landing bays on Coruscant.

Now that Solo has established the canon backstory of Han Solo, no one would miss his potential cameo in Revenge of the Sith. It would have also caused a lot of headache by breaking all kinds of canon at the time. However, there was a time when Revenge of the Sith was going to be the last Star Wars movie, and Lucas would have wanted to see the original trio appear one last time in whatever way possible. Solo had since made the Millennium Falcon cameo in Revenge of the Sith a little confusing, but that was but a very minor hiccup that most people probably did not even notice. Overall, the film was stellar in painting the origin story of Han Solo. If a younger version of everyone's favorite smuggler had been included as intended in Revenge of the Sith, it would have tied Kathleen Kennedy and Ron Howard's hands when making Solo. It would also raise interesting questions about Han and Chewbacca's relationship that might still exist today.

In the end, it may not have been the best idea to include Han in the prequels, but it certainly was an interesting idea. This could arguably even be where the inspiration for the Solo film started.

READ NEXT: The 10 Best Characters Introduced During The Prequels

Written By Alex Lenzini

Source: Screen Rant

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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