Why The Millennium Falcon Is The Best Ship In 'Star Wars '

When you think of Star Wars, what ship do you think of? Maybe Luke’s X-Wing, Vader’s TIE Advanced, or a traditional TIE Fighter? But odds are that the first ship that comes to mind is the Millennium Falcon. The fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy has stayed on top of the minds of Star Wars fans for generations since A New Hope, and the love of the ship has even been re-invigorated by Solo and the sequel trilogy.

The Millennium Falcon is so iconic and sexy, it even came with its own cape room. We see our first full chronological glimpse of the Millennium Falcon in Solo: A Star Wars Story, and while the ship is not yet in its final form, it is already to die for. The YT-1300f light freighter started out as the YT 492727ZED and was later renamed the Stellar Envoy. After a collision with a bulk freighter causing serious damage, the ship was reconditioned by a salvager and later won by Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc. Lando modified the ship, inside and out, to make it both stylish and fast. The ship allegedly made the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs in this state, and its navigation computer was upgraded when Lando’s droid L3-37 (voiced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge) was integrated into it (later causing C-3PO to comment on the navigation computer’s strange dialect).

The ship’s famed Kessel Run badly damaged the ship, but once Han Solo acquired the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a game of sabacc he made significant modifications to turn it into a premier smuggling vessel. The ship that had already made the Kessel Run received numerous modifications, enhancing its speed, weapons, and shields. These enhancements included a hyperdrive that was one of the fastest in the galaxy and that could outrun Imperial Star Destroyers, as well as sensor-proof smuggling departments that later hid Han, Luke, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO as they dodged stormtroopers on their way to rescue Princess Leia.

The Millennium Falcon is iconic in Star Wars fandom due to its star ship role in the original trilogy, but the ship is even iconic in the Star Wars universe. This ship made the Kessel Run in under 12 parsecs (if you round down, according to Han in Solo), and had a key role in destroying both the first and second Death Stars. In The Force Awakens, once Han, Rey, and Finn escaped capture in the Millennium Falcon from Han and Chewy’s transport freighter used to transport rathtars, the unsuccessful assailants reported to the First Order that Han Solo had escaped on the Millennium Falcon. They didn’t include a code or ID or even a general ship’s name, like they would if Rey or Luke escaped on an X-wing. While Kylo Ren is familiar with the ship, this could still indicate that the ship’s fame was galaxy-wide.

While the ship has proved to have some occasional maintenance issues, perhaps due to its many modifications, the ship has incredible speed and maneuverability. While not as small or agile as a TIE or X-wing, it was still able to elude capture in the asteroid belt in The Empire Strikes Back and later blend in as trash to limp to Bespin.

The Millennium Falcon may have not looked top notch since the Kessel Run, but the beat up looks added to the mystique. While the ship may look like a normal Corellain transport freighter so much as a “hunk of junk,” the usage and aged façade helped disguise what the ship hid in the engine room. The larger light freighter size allowed for the Millennium Falcon to hold a more powerful engine, have more firepower, and smuggle more goods than other smaller fast ships or larger transport cruisers.

While billed as a run of the mill transport, the Millennium Falcon is anything but. It’s the iconic ship in the Star Wars universe to characters and fans alike. Its numerous modifications have made it fast, resilient, and smuggle-ready. And its battle history is unparalleled in the far, far away galaxy we know and love.

Written By Dave Sacca

Syndicated From Culture Slate

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