Star Wars: How did Han Solo die?

How did Han Solo die in Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens?

Audiences were thrilled when Harrison Ford reprised his role as fan-favorite character Han Solo for The Force Awakens. By the end of the movie, though, that thrill turned into shock and sadness as Han perished in a tragic fashion. How did everyone’s favorite smuggler with a heart of gold ultimately meet his end, though?

Han died when confronting his son on Starkiller Base. He and Leia had discussed whether or not their son could be brought back from the Dark Side, with Leia believing that Han could bring him back to the light.

When Han confronted him, Kylo Ren insisted that he was no longer Ben Solo and that he had destroyed that part of him. Han was adamant that he’d never given up on his son and wanted him to return home. Kylo Ren spoke about being emotionally torn apart, wanting to be free of the pain within him, and begged for his father’s help.

Kylo threw his mask to the ground and began to hand over his lightsaber. But in the process of handing over his lightsaber, he activated it and plunged the lightsaber through his father’s chest, killing him. Han touched his son’s face one last time before his body fell into the depths of Starkiller Base.

Han dying at his son’s hands after reaching out with open arms was already tragic and was made even more heartbreaking as Chewbacca, Rey, and Finn witnessed it happen. Leia also sensed this devastating loss through the Force.

Despite his death, Han Solo returned in The Rise of Skywalker. He did not return as a Force ghost but as a memory conjured by Kylo Ren in one of his lowest moments.

The dialogue and their interactions in this scene mirrored Han’s death scene in The Force Awakens, only this time Ben Solo made the right choice. This scene proved how much killing his father had deeply tormented him and became a crucial step in Ben Solo’s redemption.

Han’s scenes with his son will forever remain some of the most emotional and important moments in the Skywalker saga.