Han Solo, noted folk hero of the Rebellion, smuggler, and former general instrumental in the downfall of the Galactic Empire, died on Starkiller Base on Friday, December 18 during an offensive against the First Order. The former general sustained massive injuries after he was stabbed through the heart by a lightstaber, thrown into a bottomless pit, then exploded into a star.
Mr. Solo led a colorful life, surrounded by some of the galaxy’s most famous political and criminal figures. Not much is know about his childhood aside from his birth on Corellia, but at seventeen he enrolled at the Imperial Academy. He quickly dropped out after gaining a life debt from a seven-foot-tall Wookiee named Chewbacca; the two maintained a close friendship for the rest of Solo’s life. They took up smuggling together, working for well-known crime lords of the Empire-era, including Jabba the Hutt. During that time, Solo made the legendary Kessel Run on his ship the Millennium Falcon in less than twelve parsecs, shattering former records set by Dash Rendar and Cad Bane.
He came up often on Boba Fett’s bounty ledger–the mercenary offered this quote at news of Solo’s demise: “I am only sorry that I didn’t get to him first.”
Solo joined the Rebel Alliance right before the Battle of Yavin and was instrumental in the destruction of the Death Star base, receiving a medal of valor. It was there that he met the love of his life, Princess Leia Organa, formerly of Alderaan. Over the next several years, the two fought side by side to bring down the Empire, with Solo acting as commander of the ground forces during the Battle of Endor, the decisive offensive that brought down the majority of the Empire’s officials, including Emperor Palpatine himself, and signaled the end of the star empire’s influence.
Soon after the fall of Palpatine, Solo and Leia Organa married and had a son, Ben Solo. Several years later he returned to smuggling, leaving his family behind for what some would say were the most dangerous–and lucrative–years of his life. Life-long friend Lando Calrissian claims that Solo “still owes me money” and that his comrade would be missed in some of the seedier parts of Coruscant.
General Leia Organa of the Resistance could not be reached for comment about her husband’s demise.
Mr. Solo is survived by his wife General Organa, his life partner Chewbacca of Kashyyyk, his brother-in-law Luke Skywalker (whereabouts unknown), and his son Ben Solo (whereabouts unknown). For some, Solo’s death marks the final symbolic end of many decades of intergalactic conflict, and the beginning of a new saga.
I’m just going to say, in my tired morning haze, the glimpse of the picture and ‘1977-2016’ gave me a bit of a heart attack. And then I was like. oh, haha.
But I still don’t know if this article makes me want to laugh or cry, haha.
Too. Soon.
I’ve never read a more Star Wars sentence in my life.
That could be used as the most literal example of the term overkill ever.
Hah.
<small>(but we don’t know Ben’s canonical last name)</small>
Ouch. Was that description of his cause of death a jibe at my comment (and sue’s response)?
Don’t forget, TFA is available for digital download today! Already got my copy plus bonus features!
Hello? Unless he had an extra clone of a bounty hunter, there’s no way Boba Fett could comment on Han Solo, given he’s currently being slowly digested inside a slimy pit, on some remote backwater planet in the fringes of the galaxy.
@8: yes, slowly. Which makes it hilarious to imagine someone coming down the sarlacc, get Boba Fett’s reaction, then leave him to his busy schedule of being digested. I can’t find the comic I’m looking for, so here are a few other links instead.
@@@@@3 – zorpisuttle: It is. And yet, no body, no verifiable death. :)
@@@@@8 – Eduardo: Do we really know what happened to Fett after he fell into the Sarlacc Pit in the new canon? No, we don’t.
It’s impressive how the news agency has the power to tear the veil of death to get an interview with Bobba Fett. Either that or tear the skin of a sarlacc and ask someone who has been digested slowly for 30 years.
@10: Whatever happened, hopefully it wasn’t that unfortunate Sarlacc found me indigestible remark from Dark Empire. That’s a notable bit of lazy plotting I could do without.
Lazy plotting? Welcome to Star Wars!
That remark was a joke. He shot his way out of the Sarlacc, of course.
@11 – well, since this article is also using ‘Legends’ canon (given the Han/Academy story), there is also a short story in the Tales from Jabba’s Palace anthology which details his escape from the sarlaac (it involved a bomb and his jetpack :) ).
Precisely.
We get an indication of what happened to Boba Fett in the new canon in Chuck Wendig’s Aftermath. Since there’s no way to spoiler-protect things here, I’ll link you to my own speculation on my blog:
theslowpalace.blogspot.com/2015/11/spaghetti-with-boba.html
That’s a nice theory.