Star Wars: 30 greatest moments not seen in the movies

10. Millennium Falcon by James Luceno

The great thing about this novel is it provides information and back-story to a ship that many probably wonder why Han even keeps. Sure, sure, it “made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs,” but everyone who sees it thinks, as Luke said, that it looks like a “piece of junk.” It had hyperdrive problems in Empire, Rey called it garbage and didn’t think it could fly, and Leia quipped one had to be brave to fly in it.

Furthermore, maintenance on the Falcon reinforces the perceptions. Han performs percussive maintenance (i.e. hitting things), and in A New Hope begged it to “hold together.”  In fact, in Star Wars: Aftermath: Life Debt he hits it when alarms go off or the dash flickers (must be a futuristic O2 sensor). This ship is battered, patched together, full of micro-meteorite punctures and upgrades from Han.

Lando once had the following to say about the Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back: “She’s the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!”

Most Star Wars books are related to one character or multiple characters’ history. Millennium Falcon by James Luceno, however, is something completely different. It’s unique in that it’s entirely about the Millennium Falcon’s sordid, epic history, including how it ended up in Han Solo’s hands.

Told through several vignettes that trace the ownership history of the Millennium Falcon, this novel covers the ship’s mythology, chronicling each owner, from the assembly line to how Han won the Falcon from Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc. Ultimately, Millennium Falcon reads a lot like a history book that traces a celebrity’s family history throughout multiple generations, and uniquely fills a Star Wars hole for hardcore fans.