Much of the Star Wars original trilogy's success is owed to Han Solo. His roguish charm captured the hearts of countless fans, as did his development from scoundrel into reluctant hero.

Han's popularity meant that his story didn't end with Return of the Jedi, with numerous Expanded Universe works--now known as Star Wars Legends--continuing to flesh out and follow his journey for many years.

The Disney era of Star Wars continues to prominently feature Han. Harrison Ford reprising the role was crucial to fans' buy-in of The Force Awakens and its overall success. Audiences are now experiencing a younger version of Han via Alden Ehrenreich in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

It is the time period after Return of the Jedi and before The Force Awakens that some fans aren't familiar with when it comes to Han. It's widely known that Han married Leia, their son Ben Solo turned to the dark side, and Han returned to smuggling, but some don't know much of his story during this time period beyond that. Non-film canon stories show that Han kept himself quite busy during those thirty years. Understanding what he did during that time offers tremendous insight into how he developed in between the original trilogy and sequel trilogy.

Hop aboard the Millennium Falcon as we look at Star Wars: 20 Things Han Solo Did After Return Of The Jedi.

Struggling With Fatherhood

Many things came easily to Han Solo, but fatherhood was not among them. Even from a very young age he sometimes struggled to connect with and comfort his son. From Han's perception, Leia was able to connect with and comfort Ben more easily than he could. He believed part of their connection was grounded in the Force, a connection he would never be able to share with Ben. Leia assured him that fathers shared a special connection with their children, one that was different but just as important as the connection Ben shared with her. This idea seems to influence Leia's thinking in The Force Awakens that Han, and possibly Han alone, could turn their son back to the light.

Raising a child can be tough, especially if you child grows up to be Kylo Ren. 

In general, Han felt like he didn't know what he was doing as a father and eventually admitted as much to Leia. His free spirit felt more natural out on an adventure than it ever did raising his son, especially as Ben became more complicated and darker with age. Han never gave up on trying to be a good parent, though and he certainly tried. The sweet opening scene of Star Wars: Last Shot shows exactly that as Han works hard to keep Ben peacefully asleep, despite all the interruptions happening in their home.

Parting Ways With Chewbacca

There are few duos more iconic and inseparable than Han Solo and Chewbacca. Their chemistry and overall bond remains a highlight of the original trilogy. Seeing the smuggler and Wookie together again helped solidify fans' buy-in to The Force Awakens. Their bromance is currently one of the most praised elements of Solo. All these factors make it difficult to imagine life without Han and Chewbacca together. But, that's exactly what happened after the liberation of Kashyyyk. Chewbacca's life debt to Han was complete. Han had his pregnant wife, Leia, to get back to and Chewbacca had his own family to reunite with on Kashyyyk. After all they had endured against the Empire, it was time for them to settle down and be with their families.

Despite parting ways, Han knew that it certainly wouldn't be the end of their relationship. Han encouraged Chewbacca to contact him if he ever needed help, and that there was no way his child would grow up without Chewbacca in his life. This particular sentiment is heartbreaking knowing what will eventually happen with Chewbacca, Han, and his son Ben Solo. In the years after Ben's fall to the dark side, Han and Chewbacca would constantly be by each other's sides again, just as fans saw in The Force Awakens.

A Racing Champion And Manager

If there's one thing that's always been true of Han Solo, it's that he loved to fly and was born to do it. Han used his passion and skill for flying to become a successful racing pilot. In addition to being a war hero, Han became a star racing pilot as well.

Han not only liked the world of racing because of the flying, but because it required consistent travel around the galaxy, something that was well-suited to his free spirit.

He built on this reputation by becoming a racing manager. Twenty four years after the Battle of Endor, he managed the renowned racing championship series known as the Five Sabers. Just like it sounds, the Five Sabers consisted of five rounds. The first two could be watched live, but the final three rounds could last for weeks, meaning they couldn't be viewed until after the races were completed via edited footage. Busy with politics during a particularly divisive time in the Galactic Senate, Han stayed in contact with Leia, but it was difficult to maintain that during the final three rounds of the Five Sabers.  Due to how far out they'd need to go, sometime he'd be out of comm range, and the extensive nature of the races themselves.

Teaming Up With Poe Dameron's Parents

Despite the demises of Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader, and the destruction of the Second Death Star, the Empire continued to fight following the Battle of Endor. The morning after, Han led the Pathfinders--the same group of rebels he commanded during the Battle of Endor--to strike against an Imperial outpost on Endor that was preparing for a counter-attack. Poe Dameron's father Kes Dameron had already fought beside Han during the Battle of Endor as a member of the Pathfinders. Like her son, Poe's mother Shara Bey was an ace pilot. She flew with the Rebel fleet against the second Death Star.

Without Poe Dameron's parents, the mission's success would not have been possible. Both of Poe's parents helped Han in the mission to destroy the remaining Imperial outpost. Kes Dameron continued to fight with Han and the Pathfinders. Shara Bey piloted the gunship that took the Pathfinders to the outpost as it was located on the far side of Endor. The mission was a success as the Imperial garrison was defeated and the Pathfinders acquired access to the data in the outpost's computers. Not only did their efforts prevent an Imperial counter-attack on Endor, but it also ensured that the Ewoks would not be left vulnerable to Imperial forces once the rebel forces left.

Admitting The Ghost Is Superior To The Millennium Falcon

Not long after the Battle of Endor ended, the Ewoks found themselves hungry and eager for a good meal. The Star Wars Forces of Destiny episode "An Imperial Feast" reveals that the Ewoks were itching to chow down on some captive Stormtroopers. Han and Chewbacca were about to let it happen, but Leia intervened, refusing to let their allies feast on the imprisoned Stormtrooper. Leia told Han and Chewbacca to go to General Hera Syndulla as she had ration packs that would satisfy the Ewoks.

Fans may be divided over Forces of Destiny, but it must be given credit for making the meeting of Han Solo and Star Wars Rebels favorite Hera Syndulla a reality.

Han did as requested, but Hera wasn't willing to cooperate so easily. In order to receive the ration packs, Han had to say that her ship, the Ghost, was a superior ship to the Millennium Falcon. Knowing how much acquiring the rations mattered to Leia, an exasperated Han stated that the Ghost was superior. Returning just in the nick of time, the Ewoks chose to eat the rations instead of the captive Stormtroopers. If Han's love for Leia was ever in doubt, this should put those doubts to rest. It's only out of love for Leia that Han speaks poorly of his beloved ship, even though Hera is clearly messing with him.

A Wedding Gift For Leia

Han and Leia wasted little time getting married after Return of the Jedi. In fact, their marriage occurred only a day after the Battle of Endor. As a wedding gift for Leia, Han reconfigured part of the Millennium Falcon for her. The book Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Incredible Cross-Sections reveals the gift as a galley that he added onto the Millennium Falcon.

Some fans were upset at the idea that his wedding present for Leia was essentially a kitchen and perpetuation of gender stereotypes. The book's author Jason Fry assuaged these concerns on Tumblr:

“The idea wasn’t that Princess Leia – General Organa, for Pete’s sake – would obviously need a kitchen to potter around in, or feel the instinct to hang up her blaster and start cooking for her new husband and his Wookiee pal. That wasn’t the idea at all. As I imagined it, the galley isn’t there for Leia to cook in – it’s there so someone else could use it to make something that Leia might want to eat. Leia’s a military leader, so I don’t see her as finicky. But she grew up as a member of the royal house of Alderaan and served in the Imperial Senate. Those months eating Corellian TV dinners and reheated Wookiee goulash on the Falcon had to rankle – and I imagined that later they’d become a humorous bone of contention between her and Han. Plus the Falcon is Han’s home – as we all cheered to hear him tell Chewie back at Celebration.”

So it seems like Han's gift wasn't sexist, but was about making the Millennium Falcon less of a man-cave and more of a suitable home for a married couple. Besides, as the rest of this list will show, Han and Leia didn't have much time to spend in the galley anyway following their marriage.

Helping To Liberate Kashyyyk

Despite the weakened state of the Empire following the Battle of Endor, the Wookie planet of Kashyyyk and its denizens remained under Imperial control. The New Republic's forces were preoccupied elsewhere, but Chewbacca and Han Solo were still determined to liberate Kashyyyk from the Empire.

The novel Aftermath: Life Debt tells this story in-depth, as Han and Chewbacca endured many trials and tribulations during their attempts to liberate the planet. It began with false intelligence that lured Han and Chewbacca into a trap. Eventually, Leia herself and many allies joined forces with Han and Chewbacca. Together, they worked to defeat the Imperial stronghold over Kashyyyk and give control of the planet back to the Wookies. The liberation of the planet was ultimately successful. It was the first time, since the Clone Wars, that Kashyyyk was no longer under Imperial occupation and enslavement.

Many individuals were crucial to liberating Kashyyyk, but none of it would've been possible without Han, who kicked off the whole venture in the first place with Chewbacca. It speaks a great deal about Han's character and his bond with Chewbacca, that freeing his friend's homeworld became such a priority and something with which he dedicated everything he could.

Attacking The Empire With Spiders

Han Solo was never one to lack imagination. His plans were often bold and risky, but they tended to have a way of working out despite the odds. This continued to be the case when Han worked with Chewbacca and other allies to liberate the Wookie planet Kashyyyk from Imperial control. As the Wookies and their rebel allies overcame the Empire's forces on the ground, Imperial Star Destroyers began bombarding the planet's surface.

In terms of the coolest things Han Solo has ever done, attacking the Empire with giant spiders has to be among them.

After getting the civilians underground, Han began working on a plan to retaliate. He helped load a ship of webweaver spiders aboard one of the Empire's main Star Destroyers bombarding the planet's surface. Webweaver spiders are large creatures native to Kashyyyk with the ability to consume humans. In fact, Wookies hunt the spiders and eat them. Chewbacca's porg appetite in The Last Jedi seems almost justifiable., considering he came from a background where he sometimes ate gigantic spiders. Han unleashed the spiders against the Empire as the creatures devoured much of the Imperial presence aboard the ship, allowing Han and his team to reach the ship's bridge.

Helping To Stop Operation: Cinder

The data that Han and the Pathfinders found in the Imperial outpost made it even more clear that the war against the Empire was far from over. This data led Han and the Pathfinders on the road to discovering what the Empire had planned in the wake of Emperor Palpatine's defeat.

With the help of C-3PO, they eventually unearthed that the Empire had begun to execute Operation: Cinder and even discovered crucial details about the Empire's execution of the initiative. In the event of his demise, Palpatine left a plan known as the Contingency--only accessible to a select few of high rank within the Empire--that would ensure the Empire did not endure after the Emperor perished. Operation: Cinder was part of the Contingency, focused on devastating planets loyal to the Empire--including Palpatine's homeworld Naboo--through satellites that caused climate disruption. Electrical storms and other extreme natural disasters ensued to wreak havoc on these planets.

The information that Han and the Pathfinders discovered about Operation: Cinder enabled the Rebel Alliance to combat the Empire's deadly initiative. The Rebel Alliance now had the intelligence to send the necessary forces and resources to prevent Operation: Cinder from causing further chaos and destruction across the galaxy.

Growing A Beard

The portrayal of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi may be controversial among some fans, but few will deny that Mark Hamill rocked his beard. The 2017 Star Wars Battlefront II game reveals that Han actually grew a beard long before Luke. Han showed off his new look when he ventured to Maz Kanata's castle on Takodana. The beard surprised many fans as it's not something they've ever associated with Han Solo, but a number of fans have admitted they actually like the look. It's done well enough in Battlefront II to make it clear that Han is still pretty youthful and it's not too long after Return of the Jedi. His missions with the Pathfinders and other events have already happened, so it's enough time for him to try out the beard.

Maybe the beard was used as a disguise. Or Han just decided to give it a shot, he finally had some time on his hands. 

The bearded look obviously didn't stick around long-term. Even though he's been bearded for a number of roles before, Harrison Ford returned to the mostly clean-shaven look in The Force Awakens. It's probably for the best that fans got to experience the different look in Battlefront II while the more classic look was maintained for Han's return to the big screen. In an early draft of the original Star Wars, Han was described as bearded at one point. Many scrapped concepts have returned to the Star Wars universe one way or another, such as one of the designs for Chewbacca inspiring the look of Zeb and the Lasat species in Star Wars Rebels. It's possible that Han's beard, in Battlefront II, is a nod to his description in that early draft of the original Star Wars.

Rendezvous At Maz Kanata's Castle

When Maz Kanata was introduced in The Force Awakens, it was established that she and Han had a long history together. Of course, this left fans wanting to see exactly what that history entailed. Star Wars Battlefront II offered a little insight into that with Han arriving at her castle on Takodana several months after the Battle of Endor.

Han enjoyed a beverage known as Parkellan Sling and traded banter with Maz, but his real purpose was to meet an Imperial turncoat named Ralsius Paldora. Ralsius had access to Imperial intelligence that would help liberate Chewbacca's homeworld of Kashyyyk.

Kashyyyk was one of the very first planets to suffer during the reign of the Empire and its Wookie inhabitants among the first to be enslaved. This still held true despite the Empire's crippling defeat in the Battle of Endor.

Trying to maintain her castle as a neutral site--a melting pot and business for beings across the galaxy--Maz didn't want Han's mission to bring the Empire to her doorstep, but she did help nudge her friend in the right direction so he could rendezvous with Ralsius and acquire the intelligence integral to the liberation of Kashyyyk. Maz would help Han, but not so overtly that it would make her a target of the Empire.

A General No More

Han was promoted to the rank of general in Return of the Jedi. He commanded the Pathfinders special forces squad during the Battle of Endor, his leadership integral to taking down the second Death Star's shield and the Rebel Alliance's victory against the Empire. He continued to serve as General Solo and command the Pathfinders for a period of time, working to ensure the Empire was defeated once and for all and the New Republic could be established. Eventually, Han resigned from his commission as a general. The position was tying him down, too much to politics and bureaucracy. Han had changed a lot from the scoundrel fans first met in the Mos Eisely Cantina, but not so much that he could be happy as a cog in the bureaucratic machine.

He's a tamed rebel without a cause. 

The change granted him more freedom to do the things he valued most, instead of just doing whatever the New Republic leadership wanted him to do. For example, Han really wanted to help Chewbacca liberate Kashyyyk, but the New Republic was diverting their forces and resources elsewhere and wouldn't sanction such a mission.  Several years later in the novel Star Wars: Last Shot, while listening to Leia converse with New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma over political affairs, Han would reflect that he was still grateful to no longer be a general.

Reluctantly Letting Snap Wexley Borrow The Millennium Falcon

Fans will recognize the Resistance X-Wing pilot Temmin "Snap" Wexley from The Force Awakens. He flew alongside Poe Dameron and other Resistance pilots in the Battle of Starkiller Base. Wexley's days of piloting against a tyrannical enemy goes back farther than the war with the First Order. Wexley's mother Norra was part of the Rebel Alliance. The mother and son fought together for the New Republic following the Battle of Endor.

The Millennium Falcon was Han's baby, he can't just trust it with anyone. 

When Norra became a prisoner of the Empire on Jakku, Wexley asked Han Solo to let him borrow the Millennium Falcon for a rescue mission. Han was focused on Leia's pregnancy and didn't want to sacrifice his ship for what he considered a suicide mission, so he initially denied Wexley's request. Eventually, Han relented and reluctantly allowed Wexley to borrow the Millennium Falcon. It had become clear that the Empire had gathered most of the remaining forces on Jakku, meaning there was even more at stake than the fate of Norra Wexley.

Wexley wasn't able to board the Millennium Falcon at all, because of two Senate Guards dispatched to stop him from leaving. They were not sent by Han, who had been genuine, but still reluctant, in letting Wexley fly his ship. Wexley would have to find another way to reach Jakku and save his mother, which he eventually did.

Helping Uncover A Conspiracy

The end of Emperor Palpatine was far from the end of political conspiracies across the galaxy. Han helped uncover a massive conspiracy in the early days of the New Republic. Han had agreed to lend the Millennium Falcon to his friend and ally Snap Wexley, but Wexley was prevented from boarding the ship by two Senate Guards. He thought the Senate Guards might've been sent by Han, but he assured Wexley that neither he nor Leia nor Mon Mothma sent those guards. They realized that the guards were sent by Senator Wartol, which Han helped to begin uncover the conspiracy.

Senator Wartol worked with with major crime syndicates in order to intimidate and hold political sway over fellow senators. These crime syndicates wanted to prolong the Galactic Civil War, because of the profit it provided them. This meant that in return for the intimidation and control they held over Senator Wartol's fellow senators, Wartol and his colleagues he now had in his pocket would do anything they could to prolong the war. This included preventing the New Republic from sending forces to combat the Empire on Jakku. Han helped expose the truth and pull the senators out from their compromised positions. His actions included rescuing one of the senators' children who had been taken hostage to ensure a political vote against the New Republic sending forces to Jakku. No longer compromised, the senators provided the votes necessary to send New Republic forces to Jakku and end the Empire once and for all.

Witnessing The Official End Of The Galactic Civil War

The Battle of Jakku marked the final conflict in the Galactic Civil War. The Empire was finally defeated, its few survivors fleeing to the Unknown Regions where they would later encounter Snoke and form the First Order. Following the Empire's defeat at the Battle of Jakku, Grand Vizier Amedda and New Republic Chancellor Mon Mothma met in public and signed the Galactic Concordance, a peace treaty that officially ended the Galactic Civil War.

As one war ends, another one was brewing in the shadows. 

Han and a very pregnant Leia were in attendance as the treaty was signed. Their presence was more than fitting considering all they did to end the Empire and bring peace to the galaxy. What Han didn't know was that Leia was about to go into labor. As soon as the peace talks concluded, he rushed her to a facility where she would give birth to their son Ben Solo. Some might argue that true peace barely lasted as Ben Solo would one day become Kylo Ren and help give rise to the oppressive First Order. In that moment, though, the birth of their son was a joyous occasion for Han and Leia. The Galactic Civil War had ended just in time for the miracle of new life.

Hiring A Droid Nanny

Nanny droids are actually fairly common in the Star Wars universe. For instance, Rogue One's protagonist Jyn Erso had a nanny droid as a young child growing up on Coruscant. The droid, nicknamed "Mac-Vee", often watched Jyn and took care of her, especially with how distant and absent Jyn's father Galen became as a result of his scientific work.

Married and with fatherhood fast approaching, Han Solo decided to hire a droid called T-2LC and nicknamed "Elsie" as a nanny. T-2LC was actually a protocol droid, but one Han found less annoying and more suited to nannying than C-3PO. The droid helped out while Leia was pregnant and continued to help after Ben Solo was born, even left with the responsibility of watching and caring for the child at times.

Enemies of Han and Leia would take advantage of the couple's trust in T-2LC, embedding a listening device inside the droid in order to overhear their conversations. Fortunately, the device was discovered and Han successfully extracted it. Han and Leia didn't hold this against T-2LC as it wasn't the droid's fault. Their enemies had merely taken advantage of the droid's intimacy within the lives of Han and Leia. T-2LC remained a part of the Solo family for years to come.

Reuniting With Chewbacca And Lando

Han did his best to settle into family life with Leia and their son Ben, but the past had a way of knocking on his door. That happened literally in Star Wars: Last Shot as Lando Calrissian knocked on Han's door and informed him that the owner of the Millennium Falcon was being hunted by an old enemy named Fyzen Gor. During both Lando and Han's time as captain of the Millennium Falcon, they sought a valuable transmitter that Gor desperately wanted. Lando had already found trouble from Gor and his minions because of this history, and that same trouble would soon find Han.

Gor was prepared to unleash an attack on Cloud City in order to retrieve the transmitter, which he believed was in Lando's possession. Already using Lando's own droids against him, Gor had shown that he had the capability to make an attack actually happen, proving that his threat was more than credible.

Chased by trouble once again, Han reunited with Lando and Chewbacca in order to combat Gor and his nefarious plan involving the valuable transmitter. Joined by some new allies as well, the dream team was back together on an adventure rivaling the Kessel Run itself.

Saving His Son's Life

Han's old enemy Fyzen Gor threatened the whole galaxy with a plan that would unleash droids against unsuspecting individuals. With Gor's plan, even the most loyal or kindhearted droid could turn against someone. This exact scenario occurred and put many lives at risk, including the life of young Ben Solo. At the time, neither Han nor Leia were at home. Ben was supposed to be in the care of the droid nanny T-2LC, but that droid was out. So Ben was left in the care of the kitchen droid BX-778. Through Gor's actions, BX went from wanting to serve little Ben Endoran-harvested caf to stop his crying, to thinking the child needed to be terminated. BX went so far as to pick up a sobbing Ben with intentions to harm him.

No wonder Ben turned to the dark-side, two of his guardians tried to end his life. 

The actions of Han, Lando, Chewbacca and their allies prevented the droids from taking further malicious steps under Gor's control. Han didn't do it alone, but he and his team saved many lives that day, including the life of his son. Ben's childhood trauma of finding the kitchen droid standing over him, picking him up and about to attack him,  makes the flashback of Luke standing over his nephew with a lightsaber in The Last Jedi even more chilling.

A Shipping Company

After reuniting in The Empire Strikes Back, Lando talked about how the gas mines of Cloud City aren't as self-sufficient as he'd like, not to mention supply problems and labor difficulties. Han laughed and gave him a hard time as the suave, card-playing daredevil he once knew now sounded like a businessman and a responsible leader.

Han eventually went down that path as well and he became the owner of a shipping company. Leia was kept quite busy with the life of an important politician. The shipping company gave Han his own unique, meaningful way to spend his time and utilize his talents, while Leia excelled in the field of politics. Despite his past and long history of smuggling, Han's work with the shipping company gave him a reputation of being an attentive and responsible owner. To the surprise of many, Han became the kind of businessman and responsible leader he once laughed at Lando for becoming.

A past life of smuggling actually proved helpful within this business. Han had an intimate and lifelong understanding of the illegal side of the business, which allowed him to make smart decisions about running a legal shipping company. Just as the most troublesome students can end up becoming the most effective teachers, ex-smugglers can become the best owners of shipping companies.

Saving Leia's Life

Twenty four years after the Battle of Endor, Leia began uncovering dangerous and suspicious activity throughout the galaxy, activity linked to the rising threat of the First Order. Her investigations took her to the planet of Sibensko where she discovered troops, weapons, and ships being organized for an attack on the New Republic. During her mission, Leia found herself cornered by enemy starfighters, her life in imminent danger. Fortunately, Han showed up in a racer to save her. Husband and wife shot down the enemy starfighters together, leading to the destruction of the the troops and resources on Sibensko amassing for the attack against the New Republic.

After all the times Leia saved Han's life, it's only fitting that he saved her life in this instance. Even more fitting is that they worked together to defeat the enemy, just as they did countless times during the Galactic Civil War. Leia's survival and what she learned during her mission on Sibensko led to her creating and leading the Resistance, which in a few years' time would be the only thing standing in the way of the ruthless First Order. Without Han, that never would've been able to happen. Before their son's fall to the dark side would temporarily drive them apart, it's heartwarming to know that Han and Leia united to do what they always did best--combat an enemy threat and save one another.

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What's your favorite thing Han Solo did after Return of the Jedi? Let us know in the comments!