In the history of Star Wars, there are few characters quite as beloved as Han Solo. Most memorably portrayed by Harrison Ford, he is the archetypal scoundrel, the man who is willing to flout the law and who, at first, seems to have no loyalty to anyone but himself. Ultimately, of course, he shows that he is a great hero, earning his place in the pantheon of the franchise.
However, it also has to be said that a number of things that he does during the course of the series would result in him being arrested if he lived on Earth.
Desertion
Though this wasn’t clear at the beginning of the series, Han Solo actually spent some time in the Imperial forces. However, like many others, he realized that he wasn’t one of the good guys, which led to him deserting the force of which he was a part.
As so often in this series, this is meant to show that Han is a good man, someone willing to abandon an unjust war. In the real world though, he would almost certainly be arrested for desertion, which is a crime in many countries.
Disobeying Orders
If there’s one thing that characterizes Han Solo, it’s his free spirit and his seeming allergy to obeying authority. Time and again, both during his time in the Imperial army and among the Rebellion, he showed that he was more than happy to disobey orders. Obviously, this is a key part of his charm, even as it causes a headache for a number of other people.
On Earth, he would almost certainly be arrested for refusing to obey as he should, as most militaries don't take these things lightly.
Reckless Driving
There are many great ships in the Star Wars universe, and there’s no question that Han is one of the best pilots. Time and again, she shows that, when confronted with a situation that requires skilled flying, he’s the person that can be relied upon.
However, it also has to be acknowledged that, as with so many other areas of his life, he doesn’t care about rules, and his aerial antics would most certainly get him arrested on Earth for some variant of reckless driving.
Jailbreaking
The bond between Leia and Han is one of the best relationships in the history of Star Wars, and it’s established very early on in the series when the latter breaks Leia out of her imprisonment at the hands of Darth Vader and the other Imperials.
Obviously, this is a key moment in the trilogy and one that demonstrates Han’s bravery and ingenuity. But on Earth, this would almost certainly lead to his being arrested for jailbreaking (and breaking and entering).
Drug Dealing
Jabba the Hutt is one of the most sinister villains in the Star Wars universe, which is what makes him such a dangerous employer for Han. Han finds this out to his chagrin when Jabba contracts Boba Fett to track him down.
The real problem for Han is that Jabba is trading in the substance known as spice, which is usually considered illicit. This is bad enough in the Galaxy, but on Earth, it would almost certainly earn him an arrest and a possibly very long prison sentence.
Smuggling
As part of his employment for Jabba (among others), Han was responsible for smuggling. From a certain point of view, this is very much a part of his character, since it shows that he’s the type of person that will do what he can to get ahead, even if it means operating outside of the law.
Obviously, that kind of behavior wouldn’t be condoned if he was a resident of Earth, and the authorities would almost certainly be after him in an attempt to make sure that he faced appropriate justice.
Murder
One of the most infamous scenes in Star Wars happens very early in A New Hope, when Han shoots Greedo, a bounty hunter who has been sent to find him. This gave birth to the “Han shot first” phenomenon, arguably one of the most important in the history of the franchise.
Regardless of whether Han shot in self-defense or not, however, there’s no question that on Earth he would be arrested, either for manslaughter or for outright murder (though obviously the latter would carry more severe consequences).
Grand Theft “Auto”
Han Solo is the type of person that is capable of almost anything. Given that he sees the law as a set of suggestions rather than rules that he has to follow, this means that he’s often willing to do things that others might not for fear of facing the penalty. Most notably, he shows several times that he is quite capable of committing theft, particularly when it comes to ships.
Once again, this is very key to his development as a character, but on Earth, he would face pretty stiff penalties for engaging in the Galaxy’s version of grand theft auto.
Piracy
In addition to being a smuggler for Jabba, Han also showed that he was very willing and able to engage in piracy. For some, this is a part of what makes him such an appealing character, since he fits into the mold of the dashing pirate that is such a key element of popular culture.
However, no matter how dashing he might be, this wouldn’t save him from the consequences of his actions on Earth, where pirates often face very stiff penalties for their illegal activities.
Mass Murder
The destruction of the first Death Star is widely seen as one of the most important events in Star Wars, and it was decisive in the ultimate defeat of the Empire. Han, obviously, played a key role in that as well, and without his intervention, it’s unlikely that Luke and the others would have succeeded.
While from the movie’s point of view this is a great event and something to be lauded, on Earth Han would most likely be held accountable for what amounts to an act of mass murder.