NEWSFLASH: Han was in love with Luke the WHOLE time

In the year 1977, media lovers were given what turned out to be several classics in various formats. Stephen King’s third novel; ‘The Shining’ began the year in January and went on to become one of the most popular horror tales. Sing/Songwriter Billy Joel came out with his fifth studio album, ‘The Stranger’, which would later receive the ‘Diamond’ certification after selling over ten million units. The biggest thing to hit the film screen that year was a ‘little-known’ movie entitled; ‘Star Wars’, the Sci-Fi Western story which took everyone by surprise. It’s difficult to condense the journey from ‘A New Hope’s unprecedented success to the three film trilogies, spin-off movies & several TV shows which make up what is now a franchise. The intense popularity of ‘Star Wars’ could be credited to the characters who made the Sci-Fi landscape surprisingly relatable. Luke Skywalker resonated with so many people as he is perhaps the purest hero who in any other film, at that time, might’ve been the sidekick. Princess Leia Organa was a leading character who was never forced to the side-lines & Han Solo, though very cool, never had any idea what he was doing. As an audience absorbing these fantastical adventures, it is only natural that we make these character connections, interpret them as we see fit, and express them creatively. A particularly creative outlet that ‘Star Wars’ fans took to, what we now refer to as ‘Fan-fiction’, began as early as the 70’s/80’s in the pages of Fanzines. However, those ‘controversial’ pairings had to circulate privately. What was so ‘controversial?’ That would be the romantic interpretation of Han Solo & Luke Skywalker which will be discussed in this article.

Han Solo; Captain of the Millennium Falcon, a suave smuggler who was the epitome of cool…was head-over-heels in love with the oblivious Luke Skywalker throughout the entire original trilogy. He just didn’t know it and believed his feelings to be for Leia Organa. This, of course, is just a specific fan interpretation among many but a popular one, nonetheless. Starting at the beginning of ‘A New Hope’, Han Solo is perfectly amused by Luke just as soon as the ‘kid’ opens his big mouth. As soon as their journey together begins, Luke openly criticizes Han and is very excitable about all things to do with piloting, Jedi & The Force. This is a trait that beautifully compliments Han’s love of bickering and showing off. But as the mission of ‘A New Hope’ continues, Han develops respect and care for Luke. For instance, when Luke is dragged into the garbage in the trash compactor, Han immediately jumps into action. When discussing Princess Leia in the Millennium Falcon, Solo asks, “What do you think? You think, a princess and a guy like me—” and before he can finish Luke interrupts with a blunt “No.” (Lucas, George, director. Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Lucas Film Ltd, 1977.) And though it is assumed Han is interested in Leia, it’s quite cute that this answer from Luke makes him chuckle. Despite how one interprets them, it’s made very clear that Han quickly becomes very fond of Luke.

At the same time that Han is coming to care for him, Luke forms an unwavering faith in him despite his portrayal as a money-chasing smuggler. Thus, when they reach the Rebel Base and he finds Han & Chewie packing up to leave, he’s very disappointed. Amazingly, Han seems to drop his tough-guy act for Luke. “Why don’t you come with us? You’re pretty good in a fight. We could use you.” (Lucas, George, director. Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Lucas Film Ltd, 1977). This is a strangely soft request from the pilot who supposedly has feelings for Leia, though they have done nothing but argue. Solo knows the request is pointless, Luke is far too hopeful, but he asks anyway. He was going to take off, leaving Leia behind, but felt the last-ditch need to be vulnerable & ask Luke to come with them. One could say he didn’t ask this of Leia because she’d surely reject him but asking Luke Skywalker is no different…Han knew the man would say no. Perhaps the best part of this ‘goodbye’ comes just after Han calls after Luke before he fully stomps off. Throughout the entire film, it’s 100% clear that Han Solo doesn’t believe in The Force. But as he watches Luke go, he stops him with a “May the Force be with you.” (Lucas, George, director. Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Lucas Film Ltd, 1977). At that moment, Han dropped his ideals and wished Luke good luck in a way that actually meant something to the other man. Maybe he didn’t believe in the Force but Luke did and before he abandoned the ship, Han hoped for something to be on Luke’s side.

Surprise, surprise, Han comes back at the last minute in his trusty Millennium Falcon. Just in time to save Luke amidst all the danger. Having that last conversation with him, Han realized that this man truly believed in him and there was no way he would let him down. There was a true connection between them that was shown in each of their scenes together. Almost every interaction between Han & Leia has been tensely mean and teasing, which audiences have commonly viewed as flirting, but it can strike as a bit too harsh. With Han & Luke, there is that aspect of teasing but it's portrayed in a much more soft/relaxed manner. Then, completely true to his character, Luke expresses that he actually never lost faith in Han; “I knew you’d come back. I just knew it!” (Lucas, George, director. Star Wars IV: A New Hope. Lucas Film Ltd, 1977). These boys truly think the world of each other.

‘The Empire Strikes Back’ hit theaters in 1980 and continued the storyline perfectly, becoming a fan favorite. As soon as the film begins, audiences see that Han Solo has got itchy feet and is intending to leave the new Rebel Base again. Being as dramatic as he is, Han confronts Leia with this information in hopes that she might stop him. However, Leia’s reaction is not what he was looking for. It’s also notable that Han is choosing to take this leave at a time when Luke is not around, “Commander Skywalker reported yet?” “No he’s checking out a meteorite” (Kershner, Irvin, director. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm LTD, 1980). Obviously, he wanted to avoid what happened the last time he tried to take off. Disappointing Luke seems to have a great effect on Han. After his argument with Leia, which reads as a desperate attempt to not only have Leia express feelings but also to awaken true feelings from himself, Han seems satisfied with his decision to go.

What could stop Han Solo now? “Well, Princess Leia is wondering about Master Luke. He hasn't come back yet. She doesn't know where he is...Nobody knows where he is.” (Kershner, Irvin, director. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Lucasfilm LTD, 1980). Threepio stops Han in his tracks instantly with that comment. Suddenly, Han forgets about his intense desire to leave and the most important thing to him now is finding Luke. Now, of course, one can worry about their friend but Han drops everything, fights with the desk officers, and risks his own life in the freezing weather on a Tauntaun, all for Luke without a second thought and for the second time in their friendship. Upon finding Luke, Han does all he can to keep him safe and warm (despite the disgusting smells of the dead Tauntaun). After the mini-disaster and some time in the Bacta tank, Luke is doing a-okay and is glad to see Han check in on him. The suave man has no sense of personal space and happily rubs it in that Luke owes him for the second time. Another notable fact about this part comes from a supposed deleted scene (which sadly, has yet to be released) where instead of saying the line, Harrison decided to give Mark a tiny kiss. It’s silly but…to imagine that scene staying in the film, it’s rather fitting. “I reply ‘Thanks to you,’ and his line was supposed to be, ‘That’s two you own me, junior.’ But he didn’t say it… He gave me a little kiss.” quoted an account on Twitter from an old interview to which Mark Hamill replied with: “I never kiss & tell.”

At their next separation, they share yet another sweet little ‘goodbye’ moment where Luke seems ready to say something before thinking twice and keeping his mouth closed. Han sort of smirks at this and tells him to be careful. An all-around tender sort of moment and the last time they saw each other before the carbonite incident. One could also mention that during his training on Dagobah, when Luke first senses his friends are in trouble, the first name out of his mouth is ‘Han’. It’s the little things. A parallel interpretation to this story in ‘Empire Strikes Back’ is the theory that Han & Lando Calrissian have slept together in the past based on their charming banter and relationship. That idea can run in line with the Han/Luke story if one wanted to include it.

The last of the Original Trilogy to come to screen was ‘Return of the Jedi’ in 1983. One of the funny little moments in this film is Han’s complete shock at how much Luke has changed over his missed time. “A...Jedi Knight? I--I'm out of it for a little while, everybody gets delusions of grandeur.” (Marquand, Richard, director. Return of the Jedi. 20th Century Fox Release, 1983). The shock is understandable as Luke’s abilities have improved immensely and the last time he saw Luke, the man was still sort of wide-eyed and naïve. Experiencing what Han did and then coming out of it clueless and seeing that funny little friend of his that he’d always felt the urge to protect acting like a full-on Jedi who rescued him…is amusing. The boys are glad to be reunited.

One of the recurring themes of Han Solo’s characters is his use of ‘I owe you’s, especially when it concerns Luke. Judging by his frequent reminders of such favors in ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ & ‘Return of the Jedi’, it seems that Han uses that to anchor certain people in his life, one gets the sense that Han & Lando’s relationship is built on ‘I.O.U.’ exchanges. This is not a bad thing, however. This just seems to be a safe guise for Han to hide behind to make sure he can keep relationships with people without revealing vulnerability. He is quick to remind Luke that he has a small ‘debt’ to him and when the tables turn, Han doesn’t mind pointing out that he now owes Luke. As long as they owe each other, they’ll have to keep some sort of connection.

Another deleted scene, though this one is available to view, takes place in a sandstorm just after the gang escaped Jabba. Luke is about to take off on his own even though Han suggests he come with them and guess what comes next? Another tender ‘goodbye’ scene. Before Luke starts to leave, Han calls him back with a reminder; “Hey kid! Thanks for coming after me…I’m thinking, I owe you one.” (“Star Wars Return of the Jedi Deleted Scenes 1080p HD.” Youtube, uploaded by Deleted Scenes, 5 August 2016). The boys shake hands and then proceed to keep their grip as long as possible, only letting go when Luke walks too far to hold. Again, this ‘I.O.U.’ is just Han’s way of saying ‘I’m here! Don’t forget about that’. They spend the rest of ‘Return of the Jedi’ with the tables sort of turned, Han acting a fool and Luke being amused. Take the scene in which Han bickers with Threepio over the Ewoks, Luke can be seen holding back laughter.

Beyond the movies, people began to interpret Han & Luke as a possible romantic pairing back in the earliest days, no matter what some people might tell you. At the time, Fanzines were the way to go if one wanted to express their love for certain media creatively. Lucasfilm confusingly handled fanzines for a long while, sending notices of violation to some while praising others. Copyright is a tricky thing! Eventually, a rhythm was figured out which went on for some time before Lucasfilm discouraged stories/fanzines containing explicit material. Understandable until one realizes they would consider anything ‘Queer’ (be it explicit or not) as obscene. That rule was challenged when Karen Osman, editor of ‘Imperial Entanglements’ submitted a story called ‘Hoth Admiral’ which included ‘homosexual content’ for approval. When rejected, Osman challenged Lucasfilm. To her surprise, Lucasfilm eventually allowed the story to be published in 1982.

What does this have to do with Han/Luke specifically? Karen Osman also wrote one of the earliest Han/Luke fanfics, ‘Evidence’ in 1982. But due to Lucasfilm's hard guidelines, the story could only be privately circulated until 1998 when it was published in a fanzine called ‘Elusive Lover #3’. Ming Wathne was able to publish three Han/Luke stories in 1991 in her fanzine, ‘Bright Center of the Universe’. All this information and more can be found on a wonderful webpage linked here. What’s most interesting and admirable is that audiences/creators really pushed against Lucasfilm to publish these stories and it is actions like this that contributed to the growth of Fanfiction, which has come a long way since. These facts also prove that ‘Skysolo’ is not just a trend of this new generation. LGBTQA+ people have always existed & definitely exist in space too, of course, creators wanted to represent them. The problem has always been those individuals who push against LGBTQA+ representation and insist that people who ‘ship’ these couples are ridiculous & stupid. “Apparently, they are now shipping Luke Skywalker & Han Solo together in a ship called ‘Skysolo’...I don’t even want to live on this planet anymore.” (“Luke Skywalker and Han Solo deleted kiss scene?” Youtube, uploaded by Merry Mayhem, 13 January 2020) was what one Youtube creator had to say and continues to call ‘them’ (those who ship Skysolo) crazy lunatics and so on & so forth. The concept of someone freely writing or investing in what could’ve possibly been a gay couple just because it makes them happy is lost on those individuals who feel the need to go out of their way to remind fans that the ‘ship’ is fake. The fact that LGBTQA+ people can exist in space seems to bother a large part of the Star Wars fandom.

Interpreting the story of a single film/franchise in different ways is one of the most satisfying & creative ways to share media. If one sees a possible interpretation involving Han being in love with Luke and misplacing those feelings on Leia, what is the harm? As long as the idea is happy & healthy, fans should not be attacking each other for it. Writing this while knowing one of the current most popular Star Wars pairings, Reylo, is between a girl & her abuser….not fun. One of the sweetest men on the planet, Mark Hamill consistently reassures fans that they are free to interpret as they please if it makes them happy. Take his take on such during his discussion with the Oxford Union. “And they say to me, you know, could Luke be gay? And I would say, you know, it’s meant to be interpreted by you. If you think he’s gay, of course, he’s gay!” (“Mark Hamill Responds to Speculation on Luke Skywalker’s Sexuality” Youtube, uploaded by Viralnetics, 10 April 2016). Learn from him.

The point of this article is twofold; To ramble about a fun and loving way of interpreting the Star Wars story in which Han is a total simp for Luke & to bring up the discussion of LGBTQA+ representation/expression in Star Wars as a whole (There will be later articles discussing even more funky little gay things in Star Wars). In summary, watching these films through the lens of ‘Skysolo’ is very fun, you should try it sometime! Whether one interprets it as platonic or romantic, their relationship is one of the best things about the films. Han would obviously do anything for Luke, all the boy has to do is bat his eyelashes a little. If Luke Skywalker is in danger, Han Solo will always be there to save him! And if Han ever doubts himself, Luke will always be there to express the strong faith he has in him!