Han Solo

Han Solo, known only as Han until being given the surname Solo, and formerly known as Cadet 124-329 while serving as an Imperial cadet, was a human male smuggler. He rose from an impoverished childhood to become captain of the Millennium Falcon, as well as an instrumental figure and leader in the Alliance to Restore the Republic, the New Republic, and the Resistance. Although he grew to become a hardened scoundrel, Han came to join the cause of galactic freedom, joining Jedi Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia Organa in the fight for the Rebellion. Following the war, Han and Leia welcomed two children, Ben and Breha Solo, the former eventually becoming known as Kylo Ren after being lost to the dark side of the Force. During the ensuing war, Leia hoped that Han could help find a way to break the dark side's hold on Ben. Han Solo became legendary across the galaxy as both a smuggler and war hero of the Rebellion.
As a young man fighting for survival on the mean streets of Corellia, Han yearned to fly among the stars with dreams of becoming the galaxy's best pilot. With a fellow scrumrat named Qi'ra, Han lived as a street thief with Corellia's notorious White Worms gang until an important deal with Lady Proxima went bad, causing Han to flee Corellia. He was given the full name "Han Solo" by an Imperial recruitment officer while entering the Imperial Academy. Han later met the thief Tobias Beckett and wound up joining his crew to steal unrefined coaxium from Kessel in order to pay a debt to Dryden Vos, a kingpin with the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate. By the end of this scheme, during which he reunited with Qi'ra, Han was forced to kill his mentor after a brutal double-cross. Han also became close friends with fellow smuggler Lando Calrissian and the Wookiee Chewbacca, the latter who became his best friend. Calrissian owned the Millennium Falcon, a fast ship with which Han made the Kessel Run in just twelve parsecs and won from Lando in a game of sabacc.
With only Chewbacca remaining at his side, as his trusted copilot who swore a life debt to the Corellian smuggler, Han Solo embarked on a smuggling career under the employ of Jabba the Hutt, a notorious gangster and crime lord of Tatooine. After ditching a shipment of spice to avoid trouble with the Empire, Solo owed a great deal of money to Jabba, who then placed a bounty on the smuggler's head, as a result. His fortune seemed to have changed when Han and Chewbacca were hired to charter Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the droids R2-D2 and C-3PO to Alderaan, avoiding Imperial stormtroopers who were searching for Skywalker's droids. However, as they find Alderaan destroyed by the Empire's new superweapon, the Death Star, Solo became caught up in the rebellion against the Empire, rescuing Princess Leia Organa, delivering the stolen Death Star plans to the hidden Rebel base on Yavin 4, and saving Skywalker from the Sith Lord Darth Vader in the Battle of Yavin, allowing him to destroy the Death Star. Solo fought with the Rebellion for a number of years afterward, taking part in numerous operations and battles against the Empire.
After the Battle of Hoth, Solo sought refuge with Organa—with whom he had fallen in love—Chewbacca, and C-3PO on Cloud City, which was operated by his old friend Lando Calrissian. There, they were captured by Darth Vader as part of a trap to bait Skywalker to the city. Solo was frozen in carbonite and taken to Jabba's Palace on Tatooine by the bounty hunter Boba Fett, where he remained encased in carbonite for roughly a year until he was rescued by his friends. After returning to the Alliance Fleet, Solo was promoted to the rank of general and was given command of the Pathfinders, a special forces squad, for the Battle of Endor. Solo led the Pathfinders to Endor, where he, Organa, Chewbacca, and the special forces team, with the help of the native Ewoks, destroyed the shield generator protecting the second Death Star that was being constructed in orbit. Their actions allowed the Alliance Fleet to destroy the superweapon.
The Battle of Endor, which saw the deaths of Emperor Sheev Palpatine and Darth Vader, allowed the Rebellion to form the New Republic. In the early days after Endor, Solo continued to lead the Pathfinders against the Empire. He married Organa, and the two had a son, Ben Solo, and later a daughter, Breha Solo. Ben struggled with the dark side of the Force—like his mother, who was the daughter of Darth Vader and twin sister of Luke Skywalker, Ben was Force-sensitive—so Organa sent him to be trained as a Jedi by Skywalker. Ben was seduced to the dark side by Snoke, Supreme Leader of the First Order, resulting in the destruction of Skywalker's New Jedi Order.
Having lost their son, Solo left and returned to smuggling with Chewbacca, and even lost the Millennium Falcon to numerous thieves. He continued to smuggle until he was brought back into the fight by a scavenger named Rey and a defected First Order stormtrooper named Finn, who carried with them a droid, BB-8, that had part of a map to Skywalker's location. Solo, who retrieved the Falcon from Rey and Finn, returned to Organa, who led the Resistance against the First Order, and fought in the battle to destroy the First Order superweapon known as Starkiller Base. During the battle, Solo saw his son, who had taken the name Kylo Ren, and tried to convince him to return home. Instead, Ren stabbed his father with his lightsaber. Mortally wounded, Solo fell to his death in the bowels of the Starkiller weapon. However, through the Force, Solo appeared in a year later to convince Ren to abandon the dark side and defeat the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, which was enough for Ben Solo to return and eventually sacrifice his own life to help Rey end Darth Sidious and the Sith for good.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
Han was a human male born in a rough-and-tumble favela on the planet Corellia during the waning years of the Galactic Republic in 32 BBY. During his formative years, his father Ovan worked in the Corellian Engineering Corporation shipyards, building vessels such as YT-1300 light freighters until he was laid off. Han's father wished he could leave Corellia on such a ship, but was never able to afford to. According to Han, he was never close with his father. At one point his father brought him to the freighter factory where he worked and pointed out to the young Han that the ships being built there were his contributions to the galaxy, but that they ultimately didn't matter. He advised him that he wasn't meant to build ships, but rather to fly them. Eventually, his father abandoned him.
Around 24 BBY, Han joined the White Worms criminal gang as a scrumrat. Here, Han met fellow scrumrat Qi'ra. Han would grow up running scams and cons on the streets of Corellia, learning many skills along the way, such as being able to speak and understand different languages, and even being able to boost AV-21 Landspeeders by the age of ten. At some point during his early years, he befriended a street racer named Needles, who died attempting to pull of a dangerous manoeuvre. When Han was eighteen, he and Qi'ra were vying for the position of Head within the White Worms. During their respective assignments, Han and Qi'ra both failed to deliver as promised, leading them to be hunted down by factions such as the White Worms, the Kaldana Syndicate, as well as the Empire. Han had acquired a datacube with plans for a shield generator that was desired by all the factions. Han and Qi'ra had no choice but to partner up to find a resolution to their problems. Eventually, Qi'ra became Head thanks to Han's recommendation to Lady Proxima. Sometime later, Han and Qi'ra began a romantic relationship.
Under orders from Lady Proxima in 13 BBY, Han set up a deal to exchange coaxium for credits, despite Qi'ra's suggestion that he shouldn't go alone. Meeting with the individuals, Han got into a fight over terms, escaping with a vial of coaxium and a speeder. After fleeing on his M-68 landspeeder through Coronet City, he reached the Den of the White Worms. There, Lady Proxima's enforcers brought Han before her, where he claimed the other criminals kept his money and coaxium. Proxima, angry at Han's failure, ordered a beating. In defiance, Han bluffed with a rock, before throwing it and exposing Proxima to sunlight, forcing her to retreat. Han and Qi'ra then escaped, planning to bribe their way offworld with the coaxium. Racing to Coronet Spaceport, Han and Qi'ra were pursued by Moloch's truckspeeder. They managed to evade Moloch, however upon their arrival, Qi'ra was captured by White Worms' enforcers. Han vowed to return for her and, while evading capture, joined the Imperial Navy to escape the planet. Speaking to recruitment officer Drawd Munbrin, Han was assigned the surname "Solo" and was directed to the Imperial Flight Academy on Carida, with hopes of becoming a pilot.
After escaping Corellia, Han swore to never return to the planet. Later in his life, there would be rumours and speculation as to what had happened to Han during his earlier years. He was the subject of several holofilms, documentaries and at least two supposed "autobiographies" whose true authorship was questionable. One contested account said that Han was raised by Wookiees on Kashyyyk after being abandoned by his parents, with some believing he assisted Jedi Grand Master Yoda during the search for General Grievous at the end of the Clone Wars. Another rumour claimed that Han was actually a descendant of the Prince-Admiral Jonashe Solo, a member of the ancient Corellian royalty. Han however, rarely discussed his past.
=== Serving the Galactic Empire ===
==== An Imperial cadet ====
Solo disobeys orders to jettison and instead crashes his TIE fighter. Solo, after receiving a eye wound, is then court-martialed by Commodore Almudin in a tribunal. Han attempts to defend, but is found guilty and is assigned to the infantry on Mimban.
==== The Mimban Campaign ====
After three years of Imperial service, Han Solo was expelled from the Carida Flight Academy for insubordination and was serving as a Mudtrooper Corporal during the battle on Mimban. His unit, the 224th Imperial Armored Division, was entrenched in a grueling fight against the Mimbanese Liberation Army, battling in the torrid, muddy conditions. Han participated in a crucial ground assault led by Major Staz aimed at capturing a ridge. During the engagement, Han was thrown to the ground, and although Staz helped him up and indicated they were close to their objective, Staz was killed by an explosion shortly thereafter. Han and the surviving troops regrouped in a trench with "Captain" Tobias Beckett, who, being the highest-ranking officer present, took command. Beckett then led them in eliminating the last resistance on the ridge.
Following the skirmish, Han spoke with Beckett, expressing gratitude for his assistance. Beckett, who was initially dismissive, advised Han to leave as quickly as possible. Solo then encountered Beckett's companions, Val and the Ardennian Rio Durant, who were disguised as Imperial Army troopers and similarly advised him not to follow them. Han later approached Lieutenant Alayus Bolandin, who informed the troops that they would be moving to the Southern Marshlands in three hours. When Bolandin requested an advance party, Solo questioned the Empire's motives in occupying Mimban, which led to a confrontation with his commanding officer. Han then sought out Beckett and his crew, recognizing them as thieves. Despite initial hostility, Han offered his piloting skills in exchange for joining their heist. Beckett, however, managed to convince Bolandin that Solo was attempting to desert, leading to Han being thrown into a pen to battle a "beast"—a Wookiee named Chewbacca.
Solo, able to speak Shyriiwook, managed to convince Chewbacca that he was not a threat. The two staged a fight and exploited a weak pillar to escape their cell. After the collapse of the supporting mesh, Han and Chewbacca emerged from the pit and headed towards a nearby airfield to catch Beckett and his crew. Han persuaded Chewbacca to join him, promising they could part ways afterward. Meanwhile, Beckett’s gang was preparing to leave in their stolen Y-45 armored transport hauler. Impressed by Han’s determination and seeing value in Chewbacca’s strength, Rio persuaded Beckett to pick up Han and Chewbacca. The five of them then departed Mimban together, leaving the planet behind.
=== Smuggling career ===
==== Protégé of Tobias Beckett ====
===== Vandor heist =====
After escaping Mimban, Solo, Chewbacca, and Beckett traveled to the snowy world of Vandor. Solo, grateful for Chewbacca's help, proposed they work with Beckett's gang for one job in exchange for their freedom, which Chewbacca accepted. Upon landing, Beckett enlisted them for a heist to steal refined coaxium from a 20-T Railcrawler conveyex transport. The plan involved detaching the payload and lifting it onto their hauler, with Val and Rio providing support. On the eve of the heist, Beckett warned about the threat posed by Enfys Nest and her Cloud-Riders, while Val criticised the decision to bring Solo and Chewbacca along, doubting their abilities. Around the campfire they set up, Solo shared his hope to become a pilot and find Qi'ra, while Chewbacca revealed his goal of helping the Wookiees on Kashyyyk. Beckett promised they could earn enough to buy their own ship, before gifting Solo a DL-44 blaster.
During the heist, Solo, Chewbacca, and Beckett landed on the conveyex, while Val positioned herself on a nearby bridge. Their presence alerted Imperial range troopers, leading to a firefight as the train moved along a narrow cliff. Solo and Chewbacca managed to detach the coaxium wagon, but the Cloud-Riders, led by Enfys Nest, attacked on swoop bikes, targeting the wagon with harpoons. As the battle intensified, Rio was fatally wounded, leaving Solo to take control of the hauler. Meanwhile, Val realised she couldn't escape in time and sacrificed herself by destroying the bridge, causing the train to plunge into a gorge. Chewbacca successfully detached the wagon, but the Cloud-Riders' grappling hooks pulled it down. Faced with the responsibility of the situation, Solo made the choice to release the coaxium, causing it to fall into the ravine and explode. Chewbacca saved Beckett, and the three barely escaped with their lives.
Following the failed heist, Beckett, Solo, and Chewbacca traveled to Fort Ypso, where Dryden Vos' yacht, the First Light, awaited. Beckett explained to Solo that he had no choice but to face Vos, as he was indebted to the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, to which Solo and Chewbacca agreed to join him. Upon arrival, they surrendered their weapons and entered the yacht, where Solo unexpectedly reunited with Qi'ra, now working for Vos. After a tense meeting, Vos was ready to have them killed for the failed heist, but Solo proposed a new plan: stealing unrefined coaxium from the Pyke Syndicate on Kessel. Though Vos was initially skeptical, Solo and Beckett assured him that Crimson Dawn wouldn't be implicated. Qi'ra supported the plan, adding that the unstable coaxium would need to be quickly refined on Savareen. Vos agreed but warned them of the consequences of failure, sending Qi'ra along to ensure their success.
===== Mission to Kessel =====
Needing a fast ship for their Kessel heist, Qi'ra took Solo, Chewbacca, and Beckett to the Lodge at Fort Ypso to meet Lando Calrissian, a smuggler and pilot, who owned a vessel known as the Millennium Falcon. Against the advice of Qi'ra and Chewbacca, Solo challenged Calrissian to a game of sabacc, hoping to win the Falcon. Solo won the first round, collecting several credits, but in the second round, Calrissian used a hidden card to win. Despite his frustration, Solo and the crew struck a deal with Calrissian for his services and ship, negotiating his share down to twenty-five percent of the profits thanks to the involvement of Beckett. Just prior to leaving, Solo caught a glimpse of a mysterious figure wearing Mandalorian armour, his first encounter, albeit indirect, with the notorious Boba Fett. The team, including Calrissian's droid co-pilot L3-37, set off for the impounded Falcon, where Beckett agreed to remove the gravity lock in exchange for a further reduction of Calrissian's cut. As they took off in the Falcon, the Cloud-Riders, led by Enfys Nest, planted a homing beacon on the ship, tracking their movements.
Aboard the Millennium Falcon, Solo and Calrissian bonded over their pasts, with Solo revealing his father had worked at a Corellian Engineering Corporation plant where he built YT-1300 freighters similar to the Falcon. Meanwhile, Beckett played dejarik with Chewbacca, giving him advice on strategy as the Wookiee grew frustrated with the game. Solo found Qi'ra trying on one of Calrissian's capes, and the two shared a romantic moment. Beckett interrupted them, warning Solo against trusting Qi'ra, insisting that the best way to survive was to trust nobody. As they approached Kessel, Beckett outlined the heist plan, with each team member assigned a role. Qi'ra posed as a slaver, Beckett as her security detail, and Solo and Chewbacca as slaves. They infiltrated the Pyke Syndicate's mine, where Qi'ra negotiated with Capo Quay Tolsite while Solo and Chewbacca were sent to the mines. There, they quickly overpowered their captors, with Chewbacca ripping off the arms of one of the guards.
While Solo and Chewbacca freed the slaves, L3-37 incited a droid rebellion, creating chaos throughout the mines. Solo reached the thermal vault where the coaxium was stored, stealing twelve canisters of unrefined coaxium with Chewbacca's help. Calrissian joined the battle as the team fought their way out, but L3-37 was fatally damaged in the crossfire, and Calrissian was injured attempting to rescue her. With Calrissian unable to pilot the Falcon, Solo took charge, piloting the ship out of Kessel himself as the team barely escaped the Pyke forces. Meanwhile, Beckett sealed the coaxium in a hidden compartment aboard the ship. As the Falcon flew toward the Akkadese Maelstrom, Calrissian warned that the unrefined coaxium was too volatile and needed immediate processing. Before they could escape, the Falcon was intercepted by an Imperial Star Destroyer, which launched several TIE fighters to recover the stolen coaxium.
Solo, determined to outrun the Empire, proposed taking a shortcut through the Maelstrom, despite Calrissian's objections. As they dodged TIE fighters, Beckett manned the ship’s guns, while Solo navigated the ship through the treacherous storm clouds. With the Falcon taking damage and the coaxium growing unstable, Calrissian and Qi'ra installed L3's processor into the Falcon's systems, allowing them to use her navigational data to chart a safe path. They soon encountered a massive gravity well and a giant space creature known as a summa-verminoth. Solo ejected the ship's escape pod to lure the creature into the Maw, giving them a brief window to escape. With the Falcon trapped by the Maw's gravitational pull, Beckett injected a drop of coaxium into the ship's fusion core, boosting the engines and allowing Solo to make the jump to lightspeed just in time, completing the Kessel Run in record time.
===== Showdown on Savareen =====
After completing the Kessel Run, Solo and his companions landed on the planet Savareen to meet with Dryden Vos. Upon arriving at the Bis Refinery, Solo radioed the air traffic controller, warning that he had a shipment of coaxium that needed to be offloaded immediately. The damaged Millennium Falcon landed with a lopsided stance, and as the coaxium was offloaded, Han boasted about making the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs. Calrissian, furious over the damage to his ship and the loss of L3-37, told Solo he would wait in his quarters for his share of the profits and vowed never to see him again. Meanwhile, Solo found Qi'ra at a nearby bar and inquired about when Vos would arrive. They discussed her servitude to the crime lord, with Qi'ra warning Solo not to make an enemy of him. Solo reassured her he could take care of himself, though she reminded him that she was the only one who knew he was a good guy at heart, which Solo denied.
While walking through the village, Solo and his group noticed the poor conditions, before encountering Enfys Nest and the Cloud-Riders, who surrounded them. Despite Solo's attempt to bluff about having mercenaries aboard the Falcon, Calrissian took off, leaving them stranded. Beckett tried to negotiate, while dismissing the Cloud-Riders as mere marauders, though Enfys Nest stepped forward and removed her mask. Inside a nearby bar, she explained the dark origins of Crimson Dawn and how they terrorised populations across the galaxy, including her people. Nest revealed her intentions to use the stolen coaxium to fuel a rebellion against the Crime Syndicates and the Empire. Though Solo proposed a plan, Beckett remained focused on his own survival and offered Solo the chance to leave with him and join him on a job for a big-shot gangster on Tatooine, which he saw as a way to pay off his debts. Solo however, decided to stay, and the two parted ways. Solo, having remembered what he had been taught by Beckett, believed his mentor would double-cross them. As a result, he planned to leave a fake coaxium container, expecting Vos to believe it was real and send his enforcers after it.
When Vos arrived aboard his yacht, Solo, Qi'ra, and Chewbacca delivered the coaxium, stating that Beckett had died in the effort to steal it. Vos, seemingly pleased, welcomed them and expressed admiration for Beckett's principles. However, the crime lord soon stated that he had been told that Solo would sell the real coaxium to the Cloud-Riders, revealing Beckett as the inside man who had informed him. As tensions rose, Vos ordered Solo to surrender and Solo claimed it was too late. Meanwhile, Vos' Hylobon Enforcers stormed the village, only to discover that the coaxium containers were empty, with the real Cloud-Riders launching a surprise attack. Realising Solo had outwitted him, Beckett shot Vos' remaining guards and took Chewbacca hostage, escaping with the coaxium. Solo then engaged in a fight with Vos, before Qi'ra intervened and betrayed the crime lord, ultimately killing him.
After Vos' death, Qi'ra urged Solo to confront Beckett and rescue Chewbacca, claiming that she would be right behind him, and that they would soon escape together. Eventually, Solo caught up with Beckett along the Pnakotic Coast and confronted him. Despite Beckett's attempt to deceive him, Han shot first, mortally wounding the gangster. In his final moments, Beckett complimented Solo's quick thinking and admitted he would have killed him if given the chance. Meanwhile, Qi'ra took over Vos' role, contacting Maul and avoiding any mention of Han's involvement. As Solo watched her leave aboard Vos' yacht, Qi'ra gave him a clean break from his entanglements with Crimson Dawn. After delivering the refined coaxium to Enfys Nest, she offered Solo a chance to join the growing rebellion, though he declined. Grateful for his help, Nest gave Solo a vial of coaxium, enough to buy a ship of his own, hoping that one day, he might be more sympathetic to their cause.
==== Working for Jabba the Hutt ====
===== Ensuing adventures =====
Solo and Chewbacca soon came into the employment of the Outer Rim crime lord Jabba the Hutt, who was based on the desert planet Tatooine and was the leader of the powerful Hutt Clan. During this time, Solo became acquainted with many prominent bounty hunters, including the notorious Boba Fett. At some point, Solo was reunited with his friend Lando Calrissian, and worked with him on numerous occasions. On one occasion, Solo and Calrissian attended a party aboard a casino starship, aboard which they met up with the infamous Tonnika sisters, on the Hydian Way. Throughout their travels, Solo would also meet the smuggler Dash Rendar. Solo and Chewbacca smuggled for Jabba for many years, and were considered to be Jabba's top smugglers. When they weren't taking up missions for the Hutt, the duo would occasionally spend time in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina looking for work.
Sana
Hans planet
===== Raiders of the lost urn =====
===== Swoop incident =====
Over the years, Solo developed a reputation for being an expert in racing repulsorlift swoops, professionally and on the independent circuit. In these days, Solo was frequently compared to fellow Corellian swoop jockey and bounty hunter Dengar. The bounty hunter challenged Solo to an illegal race through the crystal swamps of Agrilat, which Solo agreed to, each eager to prove their reputation. In the final stretch however, Solo brought his swoop's exhaust in front of Dengar, burning his face and causing him to crash headfirst into a crystalline plant, resulting in extensive injuries, and leaving him in a critical condition. As a result, Dengar would develop a deeply rooted hatred for the smuggler for years to come.
===== Later missions =====
Han continued to work for Jabba the Hutt as a smuggler, and once again met with Calrissian. However, Solo ended up causing trouble for Calrissian before the two parted ways.
===== Failure =====
In 0 BBY, while Solo and Chewbacca were smuggling a cargo shipment of Glitterstim, the Millennium Falcon was boarded by an Imperial patrol and Solo had to dump the load of spice he was carrying–spice he couldn't recover. Solo and Chewbacca attempt to recover the dumped spice, though the situation turned nasty. As a warning, Jabba hired Greedo to let Solo know that he was serious about getting paid. However, the Hutt lord was not renowned for patience, and none of Solo's smuggler friends helped him. For their failure, Solo and Chewbacca had a fifty thousand credit bounty placed on their heads.
=== Galactic Civil War ===
==== A fateful business venture ====
===== Charter to Alderaan =====
After dropping their cargo, Han Solo and Chewbacca went to Chalmun's Cantina on Tatooine to find work to pay off their debt. While Chewbacca stepped away, Solo flirted with a B-girl named Jenny and witnessed a bar brawl between Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and the criminals Ponda Baba and Cornelius Evazan. Kenobi ended the fight by cutting off Baba's arm. When Chewbacca returned, Jenny left, and Kenobi and Luke Skywalker approached Solo's booth. They negotiated a deal for Solo to transport them and two droids to Alderaan for seventeen thousand credits—two thousand upfront and fifteen thousand on arrival. Surprised by the high pay, Solo accepted and told Kenobi to meet him at Docking Bay 94. Solo warned Kenobi about a few nearby Imperial sandtroopers and expressed his excitement to Chewbacca about the lucrative job.
As Solo prepared to leave, Greedo confronted him, demanding payment for Jabba. Solo covertly drew his blaster and killed Greedo, then tossed credits to the bartender before heading to Docking Bay 94. There, he encountered Jabba and his guards, including Boba Fett. Solo explained he had a new charter to settle his debt, which Jabba agreed to with fifteen percent interest. Solo boarded the Millennium Falcon, and soon Kenobi, Skywalker, and their droids arrived. Skywalker dismissed the Falcon as a "piece of junk," but Solo defended it. As stormtroopers opened fire, the Falcon took off and escaped Mos Eisley. In space, Solo realised his passengers were highly sought after by the Empire, evident by multiple Star Destroyers pursuing them. Amid Skywalker's remarks, Solo set coordinates for Alderaan and jumped to hyperspace.
During the trip, Solo boasted about outrunning the Empire while Skywalker worried about Kenobi sensing a disturbance in the Force from Alderaan's destruction. Chewbacca and R2-D2 played Dejarik, and Solo warned C-3PO about Wookiee rage. Skywalker trained with a remote, impressing a skeptical Solo who dismissed the Force as "simple tricks and nonsense." Emerging from hyperspace, the Falcon found a meteor shower where Alderaan should have been, realising the Empire had destroyed the planet. An Imperial TIE fighter led them to the Death Star, an Imperial space station. Shocked by its size, Solo attempted to flee but was caught by its tractor beam. Kenobi convinced Solo to hide in the Falcon's smuggling compartments after ejecting the escape pods, avoiding immediate confrontation.
===== Death Star rescue =====
The freighter was pulled into Docking Bay 327, where stormtroopers boarded and quickly searched it, acting on the orders of Darth Vader, the Emperor's chief enforcer and a Dark Lord of the Sith. Once the troopers left, Solo and the others emerged from their hiding places, and Kenobi devised a plan to disable the tractor beam. As they worked out the details, an Imperial scanning crew came aboard for a more thorough search. Solo shot the crew and impersonated them, tricking two stormtroopers who came aboard. Solo shot them too, and he and Skywalker donned their armour. Disguised as stormtroopers, Skywalker and Solo tricked an officer into opening the door to the hangar's control room. Inside, Chewbacca and Solo shot the officer and his comrades, while R2 plugged into a computer terminal to locate the tractor beam controls.
R2 found the tractor beam's controls, and Kenobi left to disable it, instructing the others to stay in the control room. However, R2 discovered that Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan was aboard and scheduled for execution. Skywalker insisted on rescuing her, convincing Solo by promising a huge reward from the Rebel Alliance. They decided to use Chewbacca as a prisoner to bluff their way into the detention block. They reached the detention level with Chewbacca in stuncuffs, but the officer in charge, Shann Childsen, grew suspicious. As planned, Chewbacca attacked, and Solo fired on the guards while Skywalker located Organa's cell. Solo tried to convince an officer via comm that everything was under control, but when the officer saw through the ruse, Solo shot the panel and warned Skywalker of the upcoming attack.
As stormtroopers blockaded the exit, Solo and Chewbacca returned fire. After rescuing Organa, she criticised their escape plan. Amidst the blaster fire, Organa shot open a chute and commanded them to follow her. They ended up in a garbage compactor with a dianoga creature that attacked Skywalker, but they eventually escaped with the help of R2 shutting down the compactor. Back in the hangar, Solo and the others encountered more stormtroopers. While Solo and Chewbacca charged at the troopers, Solo ran into reinforcements and retreated. They regrouped, but stormtroopers stood guard outside the Falcon. The troopers were distracted by Darth Vader's lightsaber duel with Kenobi, allowing the group to board the ship. Kenobi sacrificed himself, ensuring their escape.
As they took off, Imperial TIE fighters pursued them. A dogfight ensued, and Solo and Skywalker manned the turrets, eventually shooting down the fighters and escaping into hyperspace toward Yavin 4. During the journey, Organa revealed her suspicion that the Imperials allowed their escape to track them to the Rebel base. Solo, skeptical of the ease of their escape, demanded to know what information R2 carried. Organa explained that R2 held the Death Star's technical readouts. Solo, shocked, stated he would leave once rewarded, uninterested in the Rebel cause or the princess herself. Organa assured him that if he loved money, then that would be all he would receive. After she left, Skywalker asked Solo about his thoughts on Leia. Solo admitted she had spirit and asked Skywalker about the possibility of he and Organa being together, which Skywalker shut down, much to Solo's amusement.
===== Battle of Yavin =====
The Falcon soon reached Yavin 4, where Solo and the others were welcomed by the Alliance, who had feared that Organa perished with Alderaan. The plans stored in R2-D2 revealed a weakness in the Death Star: a two-meter wide exhaust port leading to the main reactor. Solo and Chewbacca attended a briefing for the Rebel pilots, including Skywalker, who were tasked with attacking the station. General Jan Dodonna explained that a one-man starfighter could get close enough to fire proton torpedoes into the exhaust port, causing a chain reaction that would destroy the station. Solo was skeptical, considering it to be a suicide mission. After receiving his reward, Solo packed up to leave, but was confronted by Skywalker, who urged him to stay and fight. Solo, focused on his debt to Jabba, refused and asked Skywalker to join him, but the young pilot angrily declined. As Skywalker walked away, Solo wished him luck with the Force, before Skywalker continued on with frustration.
Solo and Chewbacca then left Yavin 4 aboard the Millennium Falcon. However, Chewbacca's insistence and Solo's conscience soon led them to turn back and join the battle against the Death Star. Arriving just in time, Solo helped Skywalker by destroying one of the TIE fighters pursuing him, sending Darth Vader spinning out of control and clearing the way for Skywalker to fire his proton torpedoes. Skywalker's shot was successful, destroying the Death Star and killing everyone aboard, though Vader escaped. Only four Alliance ships survived the battle, including Solo's Falcon. Upon returning to base, Solo congratulated Skywalker and received a heartfelt embrace from Princess Organa, recognising his bravery. Later, at an award ceremony, Solo, Skywalker, and Chewbacca were honoured by Organa as she placed medals around Solo and Skywalker's necks, with the crowd cheering for the new heroes of the Rebellion.
==== A ====
===== Duty on Hoth =====
===== On the run =====
===== Crisis on Cloud City =====
==== A ====
===== Rescue from Jabba's Palace =====
===== Leading the strike =====
===== Battle of Endor =====