After Lucasfilm Killed Han Solo In ‘The Force Awakens,’ They Lectured Him On Racism In Daniel José Older’s ‘Star Wars: Last Shot’ Novel
John F. Trent
|
Director J.J. Abrams and Lucasfilm infamously turned Han Solo into a deadbeat dad and then had him killed off in The Force Awakens without ever having him reunite with Luke Skywalker. But not only did they kill him off, they brought the character even lower by lecturing him on racism in Daniel José Older’s Star Wars: Last Shot novel.
Harrison Ford as Han Solo is killed by Adam Driver as Kylo Ren in The Force Awakens (2015), Lucasfilm
YouTuber Open-Airlock Policy recently shared excerpts from the 2018 novel that show Han Solo getting lectured by a Gungan named Aro N’Cookaala.
Upon seeing that he’s going to be interacting with a Gungan, Solo takes the lead telling Chewbacca and a character named Peekpa, “I’ll handle this.”
Star Wars: Last Shot (2018), Random House Worlds
He then proceeds to address the Gungan as the Gungans address each other as seen in The Phantom Menace. Solo states, “Greetings! Meesa—”
Solo is quickly cut off and lectured by Aro who tells him, “Let me just stop you right there, buddy. … I am saving you the trouble of further embarrassing yourself with all the meessa meesa bantha poodoo. Just don’t.”
Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), Lucasfilm
After some protestation from Solo, Aro questions, “How many Gungans have you met? … I mean actually spoken to.” After Solo tells him seven, the Gungan informs him he’s rounding down to one and proceeds to lecture him.
Aro states, “And based on that one interaction with one Gungan plus whatever nonsense you’ve heard about us out in the galaxy—which let’s be honest, is mostly garbage—you feel that you have a real grasp on who the Gungans are as a species.”
He continues, “And yet you’re ready to walk up to a random Gungan you’ve never met and start in with the meesa meesas. Bro, save it. Trust me. … You thought! And that’s where you messed up. You thought. But did you ask?”
There’s a lot of bad stuff in Disney Star Wars, but Han Solo being anviliciously racesplained to by a Gungan, a species historically conflated with Jamaicans by the racist media, in a Daniel Jose Older book, may be the least forgivable. https://t.co/e0XMuDLyhH pic.twitter.com/wUeQQqcvAw
— Open-Airlock Policy (@AirlockOpen) September 2, 2023
RELATED: Star Wars Reveals New The Empire Strikes Back Story That Demeans Han Solo For Being Handsome
As noted above, this is not the first time that Lucasfilm went out of their way to demean the character of Han Solo. In an excerpt from the short story “A Good Kiss” by C.B. Lee that was published in the company’s anthology From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back he’s derided for being handsome.
The story follows Chase Wilsorr, the character who walked between Han Solo and Princess Leia as the two bickered about Solo leaving Hoth to pay off his debt to Jabba the Hutt at the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back.
From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (2022), Random House Worlds
As he passes between both Solo and Leia, Lee writes, “Captain Solo leans closer, and every centimeter of his handsome face annoys Chase to no end.”
Lee then explains why Wilsorr is so annoyed with Solo, “Some people can’t just sweep into the Rebellion with their own ship and accept actual critical missions from General Rieekan and banter with the princess all over Echo Base.”
The author continues, “Some people aren’t handsome and don’t have a presence like Han Solo. Some people are just ordinary people, okay?”
Harrison Ford as Han Solo and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucasfilm
Next, Lee makes clear Wilsorr is jealous of Solo based on his looks, “Chase bristles, his knuckles turning white as he picks up the pace. He’s so tired of people like Solo. You know who’s never been kissed? Chase Wilsorr, that’s who.”
“He could certainly use a good kiss. It offends him that Captain Solo and Princess Leia are just arguing about it, the way they’ve been dancing around each other since they’ve arrived on Hoth, clearly pretending to hate each other,” Lee continues.
Finally, the excerpt concludes, “Don’t attractive people have anything better to do than to taunt everyone else on the base with their unresolved tension?”
Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (1980), Lucasfilm
RELATED: Star Wars Continues To Scrape The Bottom Of The Barrel, Insults Luke Skywalker And Han Solo Again
Lucasfilm also insulted Luke Skywalker and Han Solo in their Doctor Aphra novel that they published in 2021 based on the 2020 audio book.
In the dramatis personae, Lucasfilm describes Luke Skywalker as a “Yellow-haired rebel humanoid who is supposedly important for some reason?”
They also describe Han Solo as “Reformed scoundrel. Always claims to save the day. Actually useless.”
Del Rey Star Wars Twitter
What do you make of Lucasfilm lecturing Han Solo about racism in Last Shot?
NEXT: Liam Neeson Accuses Lucasfilm Of Diluting Star Wars With Too Much Content
More About:Books