The Star Wars movies have given fans many iconic characters over the years, from heroes such as Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to villains like Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine. And, amongst them, is loveable rogue Han Solo. First introduced in 1977's A New Hope, he's appeared in five other movies - including 2018's Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Han's arc was handled well in all of the movies, particularly in the original trilogy. And, consequently, there are many ways his solo could have played out differently.
He Could Have Gone With Qi'ra
At the beginning of Solo, Han finds himself in a bit of a sticky situation. They're forced into running from a local gang on Corellia and decide that, as cover, they would give joining the Imperial Empire a shot. Things go south, however, with Qi'ra captured before they can board - leaving Han to go on this new adventure all by himself.
It's certainly interesting to wonder what would have happened if fate hadn't intervened. Their romance would likely have blossomed given how much they cared about one another. And that may have been enough to prevent Han and Leia Organa from ever becoming involved with each other further down the line.
He Could Have Been Killed By Chewbacca
Han, being the cocky, arrogant individual he is, ruffles the feathers of Tobias Beckett by eavesdropping on his crew's plan to play the Empire. As a result, Woody Harrelson's character opts to hand him over to the Empire. The Empire then sentence Han to death, throwing him into a dirty, muddy cage where Chewbacca is introduced.
This could feasibly have been the end of Han there and then. Chewbacca is stronger, quicker and, perhaps most importantly of all, hungrier. Fortunately, Han's ability to speak Shyriiwook means they are able to escape together - birthing a long and blossoming friendship in the process.
He Could Have Appeared In Revenge Of The Sith
Han Solo's first movie appearance was in 1977's A New Hope. However, he could very nearly have appeared as a teenager in 2005's Revenge of the Sith, with George Lucas originally intending to have the character cameo in that blockbuster.
Lucas intended to have Han as a ten-year-old orphan on Kashyyyk, being raised by Chewbacca. There's concept art that shows the youngster alongside his future friend but, in the end, Lucas opted to leave it out for other creative storylines.
He Could Have Quit The Rebel Alliance
When fans get their first glimpse of Han in A New Hope, it's clear that he's cynical. He doesn't believe all the talk about the force and believes anybody fighting against the Empire, with their vast resources, are wasting their time. It seems as though he's ready to quit the Rebel Alliance after escaping the Death Star yet, in a fine twist, he returns to help Luke obliterate the evil space station.
If Han hadn't done that, though, the Rebel Alliance may have ended. Their mission to destroy the Death Star would have failed, regardless of Luke's talents as a pilot, and all the deaths would have been for nothing. It would have strengthened the Empire, too, and Luke himself may even have perished with Darth Vader hot on his heels at the time.
His Carbonite Freeze Could Have Gone Wrong
In The Empire Strikes Back, Darth Vader decides he wants to freeze Luke Skywalker in carbonite as a way of getting him to Palpatine. So he uses Han as a guinea pig on the planet of Bespin, putting him in the chamber first, with Boba Fett then taking the former Imperial smuggler to Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine.
But Han could easily have died. Carbonite is dangerous business and C-3PO admits that survival isn't guaranteed. Luckily, Han's made of stern stuff is able to overcome the experience - with it only strengthening his desire to get rid of the Empire and anybody sympathetic to their cause.
He Could Have Been Eaten By The Sarlaac
Yet another near-death experience for Han takes place in Return of the Jedi. In that blockbuster, he awakens from his Carbon freezing thanks to some help for Leia. But, in the aftermath, Jabba sentences both characters to death via the Sarlaac pit in the Dune Sea.
Han is defenseless, and partially-sighted, at this point. And had it not been for Luke Skywalker, he would have certainly been at a loss to get himself out of the situation. The Jedi Knight saves the day, sparing his friends from a very slow death and flying them all to safety in the aftermath.
He Could Have Died Before The Force Awakens
Harrison Ford loved playing Han Solo. But he wanted the character killed off in Return of the Jedi, something George Lucas opted against doing because he wanted the main trio all to have happy endings.
Ford elaborated on that in 2016, telling EW Weekly's Tumblr: “I think it's a fitting use of the character. I've been arguing for Han Solo to die for about 30 years, not because I was tired of him or because he’s boring, but his sacrifice for the other characters would lend gravitas and emotional weight.” If he had got his wish, Han would never have appeared in the sequel trilogy.
He Could Have Lost Leia To Luke
Star Wars fans today will know that Luke and Leia are siblings. This is a bombshell dropped in Episode VI, leaving fans quite shocked in the process. At the time, many expected Luke and Leia to actually become romantically involved - despite the figure of Han lingering in the background.
After all, they do have an awkward kiss in The Empire Strikes Back. And Luke, as a powerful Jedi Knight, comes across as the perfect partner. Fortunately, Lucas decided to go in a different direction with the two characters. This then allowed Han and Leia's relationship to blossom.
He Could Have Been Rey’s Father
Rey’s origins were definitely a hot topic when the Star Wars sequel trilogy kicked off in 2015 with the release of The Force Awakens. Just about everybody wanted to know what made Daisy Ridley’s character so powerful and, as a result, her parentage was a hot topic on social media.
So it was certainly feasible she could have been related to Han. While he’s not force-sensitive, Leia is and the two were pitched to have produced a second child, in addition to Ben Solo. In the end, Disney opted to make Rey the granddaughter of Palpatine instead - in a move that was certainly divisive, to say the least.
He Could Have Lost Kylo Ren Forever
It’s Han who actually turns Kylo Ren back to the light side of the force, appearing in a vision to entice Ben Solo into shedding his villainous alter ego. This happens after he and Rey battle it out during their duel on the remains of the second Death Star, in one of The Rise of Skywalker’s best moments.
However, had Han not appeared, Ben could potentially have been lost forever. His slide to the dark side may only have intensified after Leia’s heartbreaking death, especially with Palpatine pulling the strings. So it’s a good job Ford decided to sign on and reprise his role as the Rebel Alliance/Resistance hero one last time.