Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
We already know we’ll be seeing Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and the mighty Chewbacca in Solo: A Star Wars Story, but what other characters from the Star Wars film franchise could make an appearance in Han’s standalone movie?
Solo: A Star Wars Story is fast approaching. The teaser trailer gave us first looks at Alden Ehrenreich’s Han Solo, Donald Glover’s Lando Calrissian, and Chewbacca – new actors portraying characters we Star Wars fans know and love due to their roles in the Original Trilogy. Thus far, the standalone movie entries haven’t strayed too far off the beaten Star Wars path. 2016’s Rogue One offered an untold story but featured plenty of characters from the rest of the film universe including Princess Leia, R2-D2, C-3PO, Mon Mothma Bail Organa, and even Chopper and a verbal mention of Hera Syndulla from Rebels. If that film is any indication, then we’ll likely see familiar faces in Solo as well.
Solo will be set in the years leading up to A New Hope. Therefore, many Star Wars characters won’t be too far removed from their Original Trilogy selves. Some of them could cross paths with Han – in fact; it would make sense for a fair amount of them to interact with Han and his crew in Solo.
We know that Han, Lando, Qi’Ra, Chewbacca, L3-37, and Tobias Beckett will make up some kind of crew, likely hoping to pull off a major heist. Characters from the criminal underworld will probably play a role in such a heist, while Imperial forces – the galaxy’s source of law enforcement – could serve as the antagonists looking to put a stop to Han’s smuggling. Of course, there are a few other characters who could make fun cameos as well.
Without further ado, here are some of Original Trilogy characters most likely to make an appearance in Solo: A Star Wars Story
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
1. Jabba the Hutt
Yes, the almighty Jabba is extremely likely to show up – nay, play a pivotal role – in Solo. Han Solo and Jabba the Hutt have a history. In A New Hope we learn that Han owes Jabba a large sum of money due to a failed smuggling mission. Han had to jettison cargo that was apparently very valuable to Jabba after garnering the attention of Imperial forces. In fact, the whole reason Han and Chewbacca agree to bring Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi to Alderaan is because they need cash to pay off their debt to Jabba.
Solo could very well be the story of that fateful failed smuggling mission that Han alludes to in A New Hope. We could see Jabba early in the film, as the stimulus to the entire story. Either Han himself, or Tobias Beckett, Han’s mentor, could visit Jabba in search of work. Could Jabba commission the film’s crew to smuggle something of value – spice? kyber crystals? Who knows? – Past Imperial lines. Jabba gets paid, the crew gets paid, and the Empire loses some tax dollars – win, win, win. Unfortunately, we know that cargo won’t ever make it to its destination, so Jabba won’t actually get paid, Han will be in debt, and the Empire will collect a lot of unaccounted for money – lose, lose, lose.
"Solo! Solo! Too Nakma Noya, Solo!"
Of course, if Jabba the Hutt shows up, that means we’ll also see the planet Tatooine. It’s unlikely that Jabba would be on another planet – he could, though, even be shown visiting some of the other Hutts on a different planet. If we do see Jabba on the world on which he plays such a prominent criminal role, it will be the seventh time seeing Tatooine on the big screen, including its appearance in The Clone Wars film.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Furthermore, where there’s Jabba, there’s also his trusty Twi’lek servant Bib Fortuna, and his loves-to-laugh sidekick Salacious B. Crumb. We’ll be devastated if we see Jabba and we don’t see Crumb.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
2. Darth Vader & Grand Moff Tarkin
Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarkin are primarily in charge of day-to-day Imperial operations at the time of A New Hope. Don’t forget; the Empire is the entity that keeps order in the galaxy. Han and his crew are smugglers, which is merely an eloquent way of saying criminals. When push comes to shove, and the law gets broken, the Empire will be the ones to show up to drop the hammer and reinstate law and order.
The crew we’ll be seeing in Solo: A Star Wars Story will be on some sort of heist. The film’s antagonist(s) could very well be a powerful criminal organization, but the Empire will show up at some point. And thanks to the teaser trailer, we know we’re getting at least one Star Destroyer and a handful of TIE Fighters. My money’s also on Imperial stormtroopers bursting in guns a-blazing at some point to put a stop to any illegal activity.
Commanding those stormtroopers could be the man – err, machine – himself, Darth Vader. We’ve seen Vader in violent action in Rogue One. We could see him in action again in Solo if circumstances call for it. However, it’s more likely we’ll see him from afar, captaining a platoon of stormtroopers or commanding a Star Destroyer attempting to intercept the Millennium Falcon. Vader has, after all, been in, or been mentioned in, all nine live-action Star Wars films to hit the silver screen – from a certain point of view.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Another infamous Imperial who could make an appearance in Solo is Grand Moff Tarkin. He would likely play a far-off role or could be merely mentioned by those in the criminal underworld who fear Tarkin’s wrath. It’s less likely we’ll see him on screen because of the mixed opinions concerning Tarkin’s computer-generated return in Rogue One, but the timeline allows for Tarkin’s presence to be felt in Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
3. Bounty Hunters Galore
Han Solo and the gang are criminals – there’s no way around it. And where there are criminals, there are bounty hunters. What better way to get the likes of Bossk, IG-88, and Dengar back on the big screen than in Solo: A Star Wars Story. These bounty hunters could be chasing Han and company if they’ve been hired by the Empire – similar to what happens in The Empire Strikes Back – or they could be working against Han’s crew in an effort to reap whatever reward he’ll likely be after. If there’s one thing Han Solo and bounty hunters have in common, it’s their love for money. Any of these characters could play a role in the film’s story or could be background cameos that require repeat viewings to catch.
Of course, Greedo could also make an appearance. If he does, we’ll have to see if Han shoots first.
The most likely bounty hunter to play a role in Solo, however, is an obvious choice…
4. Boba Fett
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
Ahhh, yes. Boba Fett. He captured our hearts and minds in The Empire Strikes Back because of how cool he looked. Add a head nod in the special edition of A New Hope and you’ve got all of the ingredients for a proper, cooler than carbonite, fan favorite. That is… until you watch Return of the Jedi and realize Boba Fett gets killed basically by accident as a blind Han Solo inadvertently knocks him into the Sarlacc pit. Some say he’s still being digested to this very day; others argue he shot his way out of that pit and is currently roaming the galaxy, out for revenge. Lucky for us, Solo takes place well before the events of Return of the Jedi, so a cameo, or even a pivotal role, could be in the Sabacc cards for Boba.
Boba Fett could, in fact, be the main antagonist of Solo. More likely, however, since Han doesn’t yet owe Jabba any money when this film takes place and therefore doesn’t have a bounty on his head, Boba Fett could serve as a rival adversary, chasing the same haul that Han and his crew are after.
It would be very cool to see Boba Fett in action since we kind of get cheated out of any in the Original Trilogy. And no, seeing Jango Fett do cool things in Attack of the Clones, just like that business on Cato Neimoidia, doesn’t… doesn’t count. We want Boba!
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
5. Lobot
Who can think of a more famous, close-knit duo than Lando Calrissian and Lobot? Okay, okay… maybe they’re not as famous as Starsky and Hutch… Ruth and Gehrig… R2-D2 and C-3PO, but where there’s a Lando, there’s a Lobot.
Lobot is Lando’s, right-hand man. We see him, on Lando’s command, tap into Cloud City’s central computer when the Bantha fodder hits the fan in The Empire Strikes Back after Vader takes over the city. Lobot is an interesting character that we never got to see much of in any of the films. He does make appearances in other canon materials – further stressing his close relationship with Lando – but it would be nice to delve a little bit deeper into Lobot’s background.
We could see him and Lando meet in Solo: A Star Wars Story, as well as the origins of their trusting relationship. It would be fascinating to see what exactly is attached to Lobot’s head, as well as why it’s there and if it plays any role outside of Cloud City. Lobot could be the computer specialist that Han’s crew recruits for help.
We just want to see why, exactly, Lobot trusts Lando so implicitly by the time of The Empire Strikes Back.
And while we’re on the subject of Cloud City, Willrow Hood, ice cream extraordinaire, better make an appearance. How can you have Lando Calrissian and Lobot without Willrow Hood?! That’s like having Larry and Curly without Moe… or Rey and Finn without Poe!
Photo Credit: Lucasfilm
6. R2-D2 & C-3PO
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R2-D2 and C-3PO have been in every Star Wars movie to date. They played pivotal roles in the Original Trilogy, were present throughout the Prequel Trilogy, and have, thus far, been relevant to the events of The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi. R2 and 3PO even had a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo in Rogue One.
Unfortunately, for those of us who do welcome their kind, it makes a little less sense for our favorite droid duo to be in Solo in any capacity. During the events of Solo, R2 and 3PO will already be with the Rebel Alliance, likely nowhere near Han and his crew.
Any appearance by the two would probably feel like cheap fan service, but Star Wars leans heavily on tradition, and R2-D2 and C-3PO’s absences would be felt across the galaxy, and met with heavy hearts. We’ll have to wait and see if Ron Howard devised a clever way to get the two Star Wars veterans into the film.
7. Luke Skywalker & Ben Kenobi
Speaking of cameos, if the stars align, we could see Luke Skywalker and Ben Kenobi in Solo, depending on where the film ends. We know that Solo will take place before A New Hope, but, similar to how Rogue One ended moments before Darth Vader boards the Tantive IV, Solo could end moments before Han meets Luke and Ben. The final scene could be with Han Solo and Chewbacca walking into the Mos Eisley Cantina and sitting down at a table in the corner.
Luke and Ben would still be across the bar, but we could get a brief glimpse of them entering, or even approaching Han’s table before the screen cuts to black. This could, of course, come off as cheesy fan service, but, if done correctly, it could bridge the gap between Solo and A New Hope nicely.
Next: Why Star Wars itself says you’re wrong about The Last Jedi
Which Original Trilogy characters do you hope to show up in Solo: A Star Wars Story? Sound off in the comments section and be sure to catch Solo: A Star Wars Story when it makes point five past lightspeed and soars into theaters on May 25, 2018.