Though forever beloved by all, several Han Solo storylines and character elements in Star Wars are just hilariously nonsensical. As a third of the core trio of main characters in the original Star Wars trilogy, Han has one of the galaxy’s most storied lives. This spans across many years, both in-universe and in real life, stretching from Star Wars Legends (previously known as the Expanded Universe) to Star Wars canon. Such a storied life would no doubt call for some moments and facts that are simply laughable.
This is especially the case for Han Solo, due to the nature of his livelihood and the charming recklessness of his character. In both Legends and canon, Han has gotten up to no good, which has in several cases led him down a path to some of the most ridiculous kinds of situations. From absolutely absurd bets to some of the most outlandish family lore in the franchise, Han Solo certainly has his fair share of facts that are utterly ridiculous, and here are 10 of the most nonsensical.
Han Solo Was Being Hunted By Baylan Skoll… After The War
Though Han Solo is not a part of the story told in Ahsoka, one tiny detail loops him, and his dear friends and family, into the story. A gauntlet worn by Baylan Skoll (Ray Stevenson) contains a few names written in Aurebesh, which includes Han, Leia, Luke, Chewbacca (as “Chewie”), Ben, and even C-3PO and R2-D2. While this was likely just a fun Easter egg for eagle-eyed viewers, its meaning in context makes little to no sense in the grand scheme of things.
While this found family grouping is well-known to Star Wars audiences, it’s certainly not common knowledge for people in the actual galaxy to know how all of these individuals relate to one another, or how close their connection is. Even more alarming is the fact that Baylan somehow knows Chewbacca’s nickname, which is typically only used by Han or other close friends of his. This is something that is never addressed in Ahsoka, which makes it even more curious why Baylan would be hunting them all down – or at least keeping tabs on all of them.
Why Does Chewie Have A Lift Debt When He Was The One Who Saved Han?
The longtime explanation as to why Chewbacca remains at Han’s side loyally is because of the life debt he has to Han. This made more sense in Legends, where Han actually did save Chewie from slavery and thus earned a life debt from the Wookiee. This storyline, however, has since been changed in canon by Solo: A Star Wars Story, and now it’s been flipped the other way around. Rather than Han saving Chewie upon their first meeting, it’s Chewie who saves Han, even if the two do work together to do it.
Solo reveals that Han is supposed to be killed by Chewie, who had done the same to other Imperial prisoners, until he works out a deal with the Wookiee for them to plan an escape. Being chained to one another causes them to have to stick together, and once they manage to escape the planet Mimban with Becket and his crew, they simply remain together. Despite this, it’s still clear in canon that Chewbacca has sworn a life debt to Han, regardless of the fact it was Chewie who showed mercy to Han and not the other way around.
Han Solo’s Body Double Was A Dictator Who Conquered His Homeworld
For just as much incredible and fascinating lore that Star Wars Legends has, it has just as much that’s utterly absurd, and this is no exception. Han’s first cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo, bore a striking resemblance to Han. This resemblance went beyond mere looks; Thrackan’s voice also very closely imitated Han’s own. This, however, is where their similarities stopped. Thrackan was a wickedly cruel man, and he would go on to become a felon who even went to the lengths of conquering his own homeworld of Corellia.
Thrackan was responsible for starting the Second Galactic Civil War by giving the go-ahead for Operation Noble Savage.
Thrackan was responsible for starting the Second Galactic Civil War by giving the go-ahead for Operation Noble Savage. He even placed a bounty on his cousin, causing an ordeal that led to the death of Boba Fett’s daughter and Thrackan’s own death at the hands of Boba Fett himself – and his granddaughter. All of this happened while it was a well-known fact that Thrackan was related to Han, which truly did shrink the galaxy a considerable amount. Thankfully, however, this hilariously absurd body double to Han is no longer canon.
Han Solo Won The Planet Dathomir In Sabacc (In Legends)
Han has won some incredibly important things in sabacc, such as the Millennium Falcon itself, but he once aimed to earn something much bigger than this from the card game: an entire planet. In another Legends storyline, Han purposely took part in a sabacc game to win the planet Dathomir, all as a show to impress Leia Organa. At the time, she was considering marrying a Hapan prince to guarantee Alderaan refugees safety on his world, and Han wouldn’t stand for it – so, he won Dathomir in sabacc to lay claim to his own world.
Even worse was how Han got Leia to Dathomir to prove that he was ruling over it. Using a mind-control weapon, he shot her and took her there himself. As hilarious as it is to think about Han owning an entire planet thanks to a game of sabacc, the means behind it – and his actions afterward – are utterly outlandish. This did, at least, help to introduce the Nightsisters of Dathomir to the Star Wars galaxy, and they have since become very prominent figures. Otherwise, though, this is nothing but a nonsensical addition to Han’s character history.
Han Solo Is The Rightful King Of Corellia (In Legends)
As it turns out, Dathomir wasn’t the only planet Han laid claim to. The Courtship of Princess Leia also established that Han was a descendant of the Corellian king Berethron e Solo, though Han’s ancestry was something he desired to keep on the down-low. C-3PO was the one who brought it up when Han was faced with the dilemma of not being able to marry Leia due to his lack of nobility, and thus his lack of a planet to claim as his own. Threepio made this connection through Korol Solo, who was supposedly Han’s great-grandfather.
Later on, however, it was revealed that Korol may have made the whole thing up, and that he actually could have had no true relation to Berethron e Solo. This wasn’t made entirely clear, though, which continued to pose the question of whether Luke and Threepio made this up to satisfy Han’s disregard for his ancestry or if he really was Corellian nobility. If it were true, Han would have been the rightful heir to the throne of Corellia, and he could have been king. The lack of clarity in all of this and the fact it’s Han just makes this utterly comedic.
How Did Han Lose The Millennium Falcon In The First Place?
About thirty years after the original trilogy takes place in the Star Wars timeline, the Millennium Falcon makes its triumphant return as the “piece of garbage” that Rey and Finn have to use to escape Jakku. This was nothing short of a shocking reveal at the time, and even more riveting was the moment when Han and Chewie themselves got to reunite with the iconic ship. The line Han utters, saying “Chewie, we’re home,” will forever be memorable to Star Wars viewers. This full story, however, has yet to be written.
While Han offers a brief recap of the hands the Falcon has been traded through, it’s not known how exactly he lost it, aside from a few minor details. It’s known that Gannis Ducain stole the Falcon while they were working together on Christophosis, and that Chewie was away with his family at the time – but how this all went down is unknown, as well as how it ultimately ended up on Jakku with Unkar Plutt. One could argue it was the Force itself tying up destinies in a perfect little bow, but Han wouldn’t stand for that explanation.
Leia Wasn’t Han Solo’s First Wife
One little-known fact about Han Solo is that he actually had a wife before Leia. Sana Starros, a mercenary with a family history that dates back to Ghirra Starros of the High Republic era, crossed paths with Han on Takodana, where she hired both him and Chewbacca for a mission. This job went astray, but later on, the two worked together again for a robbery on Stenness, a scheme that required the two of them to have a fake marriage. When Han crossed her and got away with her cut, though, the two were left with bad blood.
That caught up to Han later on after the Battle of Yavin, and Sana eventually found him with Leia. She even introduced herself to the Alderaanian princess as “Sana Solo,” which, of course, was a surprise to everyone. Though it was later revealed that the marriage had been fake all along, this ordeal still eventually led to Sana helping Han, Leia, and the greater Rebellion as a whole. While Sana was never actually Han’s true wife, it’s still hilarious to think about how Han must have felt when she introduced herself as such to Leia, his future wife.
Is Han Solo An Amazing Marksman, Or Does His Gun Have The Force?
A longtime debate among Star Wars audiences has been whether Han Solo is secretly Force-sensitive or not, with the majority agreeing with the latter point. In a surprising twist, however, both could technically be true, thanks to a surprising part of Han’s arsenal: his iconic blaster. It’s revealed in the canon Star Wars: Forces and Destiny RPG sourcebook Unlimited Power that some blasters are blessed with the Force, and the description of one of their examples matches Han’s reliable DL-44 to a T.
The thought of Han’s skill with his blaster being enhanced by the Force is utterly hilarious and ironic, considering how unfavorably he views the Force for most of his life in Star Wars.
This, however, isn’t the full story. While these weapons are blessed by the Force, they don’t make their users better shooters with the Force. Rather, the Force draws upon the skill of the person using the weapon, meaning that those who already have a talent for aiming would have no trouble finding their targets. The thought of Han’s skill with his blaster being enhanced by the Force is utterly hilarious and ironic, considering how unfavorably he views the Force for most of his life in Star Wars.
Han Solo Got His Name From A Random Imperial
The exploration of Han’s backstory in Solo filled in some fascinating gaps and established some spectacularly interesting new lore, but not all of it was perhaps the best move. One such example is how Han gets his surname, which occurs during a random scene in this movie. After having to leave Qi’ra behind to escape and seeing a chance to learn how to fly with the Imperial Navy, Han chooses to enlist himself, but he cannot provide a surname – which the Imperial fills in for him by noting that he’s traveling “solo.”
For a name as iconic as Han Solo’s, this is truly a ridiculous way to establish its origin. Not only does it tie Han’s legacy somewhat to the Empire, which he later dedicates his life to fighting against, but it also feels extremely convenient. Han didn’t necessarily have to have a notable family line attached to his surname, but something more organic would have been better suited for him. Nevertheless, this is how it now stands in canon, which honestly is quite amusing.
Somehow, Han Solo Returned (From The Dead)
Easily the most nonsensical moment for Han Solo is his return from the dead, when he speaks to his son Ben on Kef Bir after Leia’s death. Considering it would be utterly impossible for Han to come back as a Force ghost, it’s unknown how exactly Han is able to return to his son in this way. Most viewers have concluded that this is a metaphorical way of showing Ben reckoning with his past and committing himself fully to his redemption, but the choice to physically show Han makes this exchange utterly confusing.
In a galaxy where people have returned from the dead as Force ghosts, and in a movie where this happens with Luke Skywalker, it’s strange to physically see Han speaking to his son again. As someone who was a skeptic regarding the Force for much of his life, it’s odd to see Han become an apparition of it somehow, even if it’s just a figment of Ben’s own imagination. Nevertheless, it does make for a powerful moment where audiences get to see Han Solo one last time in Star Wars, even if it is somewhat of a head-scratcher.