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8 Questions We Have After Watching Solo: A Star Wars Story


SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story, now in theaters.

The Star Wars Universe just got even bigger with the release of the franchise’s tenth live-action motion picture, Solo: A Star Wars Story. However, while the film certainly helped fill in plenty of blanks in terms of the eponymous scoundrel’s backstory, it also left us with a number of questions that we can only hope will be answered in a future installment.

With that in mind, here are eight questions we have after watching Solo: A Star Wars Story:

  1. When Did Han Learn How to Speak Shyriiwook?

    When Han first meets his Wookiee companion Chewbacca, it’s not exactly under friendly circumstances. Nevertheless, Han’s able to avoid being ripped limb from limb by the enslaved Kashyyykian by speaking to him in his native tongue, Shyriiwook. When (and where) did Han learn this complex language, though? Consisting of grunts, growls, and howls, Shyriiwook isn’t often spoken by non-Wookiees, not only because it’s difficult to learn but also because it’s tough on the throat. From what we saw of Han’s early days on-screen, learning such a niche language doesn’t seem like it would have been a much of a priority, but clearly, he picked it up somewhere.

  2. Did Han Really Not Know His Last Name?

    Perhaps the most controversial element of Han’s backstory is the fact that, in the film, we learn that “Solo” isn’t his real last name, but rather one that was assigned to him when he signed up for the Imperial Army. When the recruitment officer asks Han who his people are, he says that he has none, so the officer dubs him Han “Solo.” (Get it?... Because he’s alone?...) In any case, one can’t help but wonder if Han really didn’t know what his family name was. After all, when he’s talking to Lando on the Millennium Falcon later in the film, he mentions his father used to build YT-1300 light Freighters, so he clearly has some memories of his family. Not of his family name, though? 

  3. What Role Did Enfys Nest Play in the Rebellion?

    One of the biggest character twists in Solo is the reveal that the enigmatic Enfys Nest, leader of the Cloud-Rider gang – isn’t a villainous pirate after all. In reality, she’s a young girl whose goal is to keep the valuable hyperdrive fuel known as coaxium out of the Empire’s clutches. Furthermore, it’s implied that she’s somehow an instrumental figure in the fledgling Rebel Alliance, but we never really learn what her true role is. The events of the film predate the Galactic Civil War, so there’s no official Rebel Alliance yet, but we do know that prior to the war, there were various rebel cells that lacked any formal leadership until they were united by Bail Organa and Mon Mothma. Is Enfys Nest simply the de facto figurehead of one of those cells?

  4. What is the Significance of Han’s Golden Dice?

    The golden dice that were first seen hanging in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon in A New Hope have become something of a staple of Han Solo. As such, many believed the film that bears the character’s namesake would provide an on-screen origin for them, but sadly, we get no such thing. Instead, all we know is that Han had them at the start of the film, he gave them to Qi’ra for good luck before they were separated on Corellia, and then she returned them to him on Kessel for the same reason. Why are they so important to Han, though? If they were originally a gift from Qi’ra, it’d make sense that he kept them through the Original Trilogy as a reminder of what happens when you put your trust in the wrong people, but we have no evidence of where they actually came from. 

  5. How Did Qi’ra End Up Working for Dryden Vos?

    When we first meet Han and Qi’ra on Corellia, they’re scrumrats working for Lady Proxima. However, while Han manages to escape and join the Empire, Qi’ra is captured by the pair’s pursuers. Then, when they’re finally reunited three years later, we learn that Qi’ra has somehow risen through the ranks of the crime syndicate known as Crimson Dawn, where she serves as a lieutenant for Dryden Vos. How did she literally go from rags to riches, though? As she tells Han herself, she had to do many things she wasn’t proud of, but that doesn’t exactly tell us how she managed to get into Dryden’s good graces in the first place.

  6. Is Qi’ra Really a Villain?

    Segueing off of our last entry, we’d be remiss if we didn’t bring up the fact that, at the end of the film, we learn that the true mastermind behind Crimson Dawn in none other than Darth Maul (now just Maul). After killing Dryden Vos, Qi’ra tells Han to go rescue Chewbacca from Beckett, but as soon as he leaves, she grabs Dryden’s ring and uses it to activate a communication device and inform Maul of Beckett’s betrayal. Then, at Maul’s request, Qi’ra abandons Han on Savareen and departs for Dathomir, but the question remains as to whether Qi’ra is truly an outright “villain” or if she’s simply in too deep with Crimson Dawn. After all, she doesn’t exactly look happy to leave Han behind, so it’s likely safe to say she does care about him. Still, if she’s willing to betray him for Maul, you have to wonder what else she’d be willing to do. 

  7. What is Maul’s Endgame?

    Speaking of Maul, what exactly is he up to? It’s no secret that, after his apparent death in The Phantom Menace, Maul began plotting his revenge against not just Obi-Wan Kenobi but also against the Sith, whom he felt had betrayed him. During that time, he led the Shadow Collective, which consisted of the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Clan, the Black Sun, the Death Watch of Mandalore, and – as we learned from Solo – Crimson Dawn. Does this mean his role as the true leader of Crimson Dawn is simply to serve his greater mission of getting revenge? If so, it would make sense that he’d want to obtain the coaxium, as he could then keep it away from Sith-controlled Empire. This, however, leads to an even greater question…

  8. Will There Be a Sequel?

    After Solo was met with lukewarm reviews and a shockingly low opening weekend box office haul, the likelihood that the film will receive a sequel is understandably up in the air. However, we still don’t know what leads Maul from the events of Solo to his next chronological appearance in Rebels, or what happens to Qi’ra, for that matter. As far as Han and Lando, everything’s pretty cut and dried, as the film basically puts them both on their respective paths to the Original Trilogy, but the ramifications of Maul and Qi’ra’s roles in Solo are far too big to just leave hanging. 

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