Han Solo's Most Iconic Scenes
Over the last four decades we have been introduced to a plethora of characters inhabiting the galaxy far, far away. The films in the Skywalker Saga and the television shows have also given us some great scenes featuring them, but few compare to the legend that is Han Solo. Introduced in the very first Star Wars film, and played by the amazing Harrison Ford, Solo would appear throughout all three films of the original trilogy as well as two of the sequel trilogy. He is easily one of the most recognized characters in cinema history, and his legacy will continue to live on for years to come.
With that in mind, today we are going to look at some of his most iconic scenes.
"I Know"
Starting us off is a scene from The Empire Strikes Back. Han Solo, Leia, and Chewbacca were betrayed by Lando Calrissian, and ended up in the clutches of Darth Vader. Vader intended on using them as bait to trap his son Luke. He planned to freeze Luke in carbonite and transport him to the Empire. Before this though, he decided to test the setup on Han. As Han was lowered into the freezing chamber, Leia told him she loves him and he replied with the infamous line "I know."
This brilliant scene from the original trilogy perfectly captured Solo's character in a nutshell. He was often portrayed as quite confident and narcissistic at times, so this reply was right on the money. Originally, the line was supposed to be "I love you too," but Ford decided to improvise. The line that appeared in the final cut of the film showed that Ford really understood the character he was portraying.
Saving The Day
In A New Hope, Han Solo turned out to be quite instrumental in the defeat of the Empire and the destruction of the first Death Star. Near the end of the film, Luke and a group of Rebel fighters made the famous trench run in an attempt to destroy the Death Star. Unfortunately, they faced fire from turrets, and TIE fighters, which managed to do some damage to their forces. Luke then took it upon himself to make the attack run for the thermal exhaust port. However, Darth Vader himself joined the battle and was determined to crush the Rebel fighters. Just as Vader had Luke in his sights and was about to fire, a shot from seemingly out of nowhere took out the TIE fighter travelling next to him, and knocking him into space. A mighty "yeehaw" was heard and we saw that it was is Solo who took the shot from the Millennium Falcon.
Having been portrayed as extremely selfish throughout the entirety of the film and wanting no part in the fight, this scene showed us that deep down he cared, and that he had a larger role to play than he thought at first. If Han hadn't swooped in to save the day, the story would have ended very differently.
Who Shot First?
We could not have a list of Han Solo's most iconic scenes without including one of the most infamous scenes in all cinema history, not just of the Star Wars saga. The exposition scene meant to introduce the character would go on to stir discussions and arguments and for years to come. When we first met Solo, he was approached by a bounty hunter, named Greedo, who stated that Jabba the Hutt had placed a bounty on his head. The two sit at a booth and Han tried to talk his way out of it. It turned out he was merely buying some time to get his blaster ready. Han casually drew his blaster and two shots were fired seemingly simultaneously. However, Greedo was the unlucky one of the two. This scene set up the character pretty spectacularly and told viewers that Han was definitely one to watch. On the other hand, the reason the scene was so infamous is because Lucas kept changing it. Everyone remembered two shots, with Greedo missing and Han hitting his mark. In the original release of A New Hope, Greedo did not fire at all. Lucas added the second shot later on to give Han a self-defense play. This minor change had caused many arguments amongst fans over the years.
His Tragic Passing
Our most iconic scene from today, unfortunately, focused on the beloved character's demise in The Force Awakens. Many fans knew that Harrison Ford often expressed his wish for the famous smuggler to meet his end. Whilst it was partially expected, it still took many fans by surprise. Having lost his son, Ben Solo, to the Dark Side, Han had a chance to reach out to him and bring him back to the side of good towards the end of film. They met face to face on a walkway above a large chasm. Solo tried to appeal o his son and begged him to come home with him. It seemed to work, with Ben (now Kylo Ren) acting like he was struggling with the decision. He even started to hand his lightsaber over to his father. Sadly good did not prevail here. Instead of changing his ways, Kylo ignited his saber through Solo's stomach and let him drop into the depths of the chasm below them.
This scene was an absolute gut-wrencher for fans. (I think I genuinely screamed in shock in the cinema.) Watching Han lovingly touch his son's face as he started to fall back was actually quite a difficult scene for fans. It was made even harder by the fact that Han died believing his son to be lost to the Dark Side forever. The look on his face, one of a failed father, was enough to make any parent weep.
Honorary Mentions
The scenes above are, what I believe to be, Han Solo's most iconic. Having said that, there are few which deserve an honorary mention.
The smirking shrug scene from Return of the Jedi, the scene where he and Chewbacca finally got back to the Millennium Falcon in The Force Awakens, and finally, the scene from The Rise of Skywalker where he appeared before Kylo Ren just after his near fatal duel with Rey, representing the death of Kylo Ren but the redemption of Ben. This helped Ben find his way back to light, and allowing Han to rest in peace.
What do you think of the scenes above? Do you think they are his most iconic? Are there any other scenes you feel deserve to be mentioned? Be sure to let us know.