Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) death might have come as a surprise to fans when Lucasfilm released Star Wars: The Force Awakens back in 2015 but as game-changing as it was, killing off the scruff nerf-herder didn't come as an easy decision for Lucasfilm.
Not only did the studio have to debate internally whether killing off Han would be the best route for the smuggler's son, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy and Force Awakens director J.J. Abrams both had to run the idea by Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Speaking with Vanity Fair's Nick Bilton at the publication's annual summit in Los Angeles (via Polygon), Iger spoke about how Lucasfilm and Disney were both concerned about balancing legacy and innovation.
The studios were trying to find the right formula on how much fan service they could instill in their films and how many original characters, worlds, weapons, and ships they could introduce into Star Wars lore, and eventually the discussion led to the death of Han Solo.
"We had a big debate about Han Solo," Iger said. "Should he die or not? It was a decision made by Kennedy and Abrams, but I got involved."
In the end, both Lucasfilm and Disney decided that it would be best to have Han's story end, figuring that his death would significantly influence the decisions of Kylo Ren. We wonder what this would mean for Ren in Star Wars: The Last Jedi.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi premieres December 15, 2017.
Read: The Last Jedi's Trailer Release Speculated To Bring Another Star Wars Treat
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