Lucasfilm’s next installment in the side story collection of the galaxy far, far away made its 38-second debut during Sunday night’s Super Bowl LII. We’ve known it was coming for months and the announcement of Ron Howard taking the driver’s seat has given fans a boost in confidence that one of Star Wars’ most beloved heroes will be getting a movie worthy of the legend he himself so shamelessly promotes.
In the wake of the conflicted response to Rian Johnson’s The Last Jedi, this trailer is an important milestone. Fans elated by the break with tradition the Sequel Trilogy is showcasing are eager to dive into the next big space adventure while waiting for Episode IX. Those left disappointed and angered are being given a chance to revisit a part of the story they love.
Not everyone will be pleased by Rogue One’s successor in the new one-off approach the franchise is taking in between main title releases. That’s just the way the space-cookie crumbles. But this teaser and the full trailer that quickly followed offer up some interesting bits and pieces to persuade even the most unforgiving of fans to give Star Wars another chance.
Spoilers for the Solo: A Star Wars Story trailer abound beyond this point. If you’d prefer to see it first, you may access it here.
The Quick List:
- A Certain Solo’s Point of View
- Imperial Pilot
- The Millennium Falcon
- An Old Flame?
- Small Spaces & Big Space Monsters
1. A Certain Solo’s Point of View
Han always has his say – always. We know, however, from both the Original Trilogy and The Force Awakens, that our favorite space captain is not typically the most accurate source of information … particularly about himself. They say “no-good swindleh,” he says “meeee?” They say “scoundrel,” he says “Imma nice man.” In the new Solo trailer, we get some of Han’s take on his rise to fame and glory, but (as ever) it leaves us wondering where the line between fact and fiction lies. He regales us with how he’d been doing this whole swindling thing since he was a young kid on Corellia and derisively comments on being kicked out of the flight academy “for having a mind of my own.” Uh huh. There are many points of view in this galaxy, Obi Wan…
2. Imperial Pilot
It’s been part of Han Solo’s backstory for a long time. Nonetheless, there have been some jaws dropping at the sight of the future Rebel general chatting up an Imperial recruiter, but this tidbit of trivia is actually canonical. They may not have come out and said it in the Original Trilogy, but Han’s experience from his time in the Imperial military comes in handy on occasion. Think about his familiarity with Imperial protocol when preparing to go into hyperspace in Empire Strikes Back. Han’s history with the Empire has a strong influence on his future with the Rebellion as well as his relationships with that pair of Skywalkers he ends up hanging out with. And it looks like we’re going to get to see how things went down.
3. The Millennium Falcon
As much as the sight of an X-Wing soaring through space sets our hearts aflutter, there is no more iconic ship in the galaxy than the Millennium Falcon. We get a handful of shots of Han and his sweetheart peppered throughout the trailer. We also get a look at Donald Glover’s swanky iteration of Lando Calrissian, which begs the question: will we be treated to the infamous gamble that put Han Solo in the captain’s chair? If so, those of us who went all misty-eyed during the final exchange between Luke and Leia in The Last Jedi can certainly expect that those gold dice will be showing up…
4. An Old Flame?
The Sequel Trilogy’s leading lady may have ended up being called “Rey,” but it looks like they managed to find a use for the name originally intended for Daisy Ridley’s character, after all. Transforming “Kira” into “Qi’Ra,” Solo gives us the Khalees…um. Emilia Clarke. Her character seems to have more than a passing familiarity with our dashing captain, giving him the soft doe eyes when she’s not making dramatic fashion statements eerily reminiscent of a certain throne room someone decides to hold a lightsaber duel in a few decades later. Since black-and-red has consistently been the color combination Star Wars villains choose to rock, we’ll be keeping an eye on Qi’Ra and listening for any tirades about fire and blood.
I wonder whether Han ever told Leia about “the only person who knows … what you really are.”
5. Small Spaces & Big Space Monsters
It’s a good thing the Millennium Falcon is slim and agile because its pilot ends up flying around in some tight spaces more often than not. And if there’s a giant space monster lurking around in there waiting to chomp down on them? So much the better! We’ve discovered that space worms can survive in the convenient hidey-holes of asteroids, and now we’re going to see the preferred hang-out for a giant space squid … fun times.
© 2018 Sarah Easley – All Rights Reserved.
The RhiView 