Han Solo

"Never tell me the odds!"

- Han Solo

Han Solo was a cocky Corellian with a wry wit, dry humor, a reckless disposition, and technological savvy, who began his career as a smuggler circa 10 BBY. He went through several employers, had a short military career, and met and befriended Chewbacca. He was the captain of the Millennium Falcon and upset enough sentients to have several bounties placed on his head before being swept up into the Galactic Civil War against his wishes. He later became a general in the Rebel Alliance and eventually married Leia Organa, who became the mother of his three children, Jaina, Jacen and Anakin.

Early life
"Oh, Han's no mystery man. What you see is absolutely what you get. His past is a mystery, yes. He's never said much and I doubt he ever will."

- Leia Organa Solo

Childhood
There were many rumors and speculation as to what happened to Han Solo in his earlier years. He was the subject of several holofilms, documentaries, and at least two supposed "autobiographies" whose true authorship was questionable. For example, one contested account said that Solo was raised by Wookiees from age seven to twelve after his parents left him.



In reality, Han Solo was abandoned by his parents at an early age, and his earliest memories were of being found in a Corellian spaceport by Garris Shrike. Shrike took Solo in as a member of his band of vagabonds, training and using him in his underhanded enterprises. First, Han was sent out as a beggar, using his young appearance to get handouts. When he was older, Han learned how to pickpocket by first practicing on a droid of Shrike's, and then being sent out into the streets. During this time, Solo was befriended by Dewlanna, a Wookiee who was serving as a cook aboard Trader's Luck, Shrike's ship. Dewlanna raised Solo as her own son, teaching him Shyriiwook and taking care of him when he became ill. Han would go on to participate in numerous scams and illegal activities under Shrike's direction, including participating in an asteroid mining scam and swoop racing.

Though Solo wanted to learn more about his family, especially his parents, Shrike kept all that information from him in order to better keep him under his control. For years, he did not even know his family name. At one point, soon after learning from Dewlanna that he was part of the famous Solo line, he ran away from Shrike on Corellia. There, he tracked down his long lost aunt Tiion Solo and his cousin, Thrackan Sal-Solo. The reunion with his family went badly, however—his aunt was a housebound madwoman, while his cousin was a sadistic bully who eventually sold him out to Shrike. Han did not learn about his parents, Jonash and Jaina Solo, until he reached adulthood.

Adventures with Shrike
"I sentence you to death, Solo. May you rot in all the hells there ever were."

- Garris Shrike

Han Solo visited many planets on the behest of Shrike. During a mission on Corellia, Han befriended the half-breed Bey, an individual he would later encounter during the Nagai Invasion, shortly after the Battle of Endor. There are also scattered reports that claim Han Solo was present on Kashyyyk during the battle there, near the tail-end of the Clone Wars. Why Shrike would have put young Solo in such dangerous circumstances remains unknown. Similar reports have been made about a brief run-in with bounty hunters searching for an escaped Jedi on the planet Socorro.



Solo's education was spotty, like those of the other children Shrike used as beggars and thieves. Though most of the children received only an elementary education from the ship's computer on Trader's Luck, he managed with Dewlanna's help to pick up some knowledge of mathematics, physics, and history by reading in his spare time. Intermittently, he would attend school while going undercover as part of a "respectable family" while Shrike was running a complicated con. At one point, Solo briefly attended a school where Garm Bel Iblis gave a speech. Afterwards, he asked the Senator two insightful questions, which impressed Bel Iblis.

Solo earned his keep for Shrike doing a variety of unsavory jobs. He once joined a pirate group operated by cutthroats Lemo and Sanda. He made a name for himself racing repulsorlift swoops professionally and on the independent circuit. In these days, Solo made an enemy out of a Corellian swoop jockey named Dengar, who would later become a bounty hunter contracted to find him. There are rumors that, some time around 13 BBY, Han may have fathered a daughter, Danielle Kieran.

In 10 BBY, Solo was ready to leave Trader's Luck in order to start his own career. He made plans to stowaway aboard Ylesian Dream, an automated freighter, and go to Ylesia, where he would apply for a job opening advertised by the Ylesian high priests. When Solo was about to leave, Shrike and a few of his cohorts caught him as he was saying goodbye to Dewlanna. The armed men tried to stop Solo, but Dewlanna sacrificed herself so that Solo could escape. Solo promised to himself that, if ever he had the chance, he would help one of Dewlanna's people to repay his debt.

Pre-military career
"Inspiration's a specialty!"

- Han Solo

Solo stowed away aboard Ylesian Dream and after a difficult flight arrived on Ylesia. He applied for the piloting job under the alias Vykk Draygo; he was to pilot the Ylesian Dream&mdash;being a drone ship, it had been falling victim to pirate attacks. A Togorian by the name of Muuurgh was assigned to be Solo's 'bodyguard', and, despite some initial tension due to the nature of the relationship, Solo and Muuurgh became fast friends. Solo also developed a relationship with one of the pilgrims who had come to Ylesia seeking religious sanctuary&mdash;a Human woman by the name of Bria Tharen. Solo remained in the High Priests' employ for a time, but after discovering the true nature of the operation- a complete scam designed to lure Pilgrims into becoming slaves-he fled the planet with Tharen, Muuurgh, and Mrrov, Muuurgh's wife-to-be. Also key in his flight was that Bria, who had also learned the truth about the Ylesian fraud, was to be married to Ganar Tos. In the process, Solo and Tharen stole a small cache of treasures from the High Priest Toroenza's treasure room and killed Zavval, the Hutt administrator of Ylesia. This would come back to haunt him later in his life as many bounty hunters would be after him due to the bounty placed on his head by Zavval's relatives.

Solo and Tharen eventually made their way to Coruscant so that Solo could fulfill his dream of becoming a pilot in the Imperial Navy. There, Han had his identity completely changed, including new retinal patterns by Nici the Specialist. They remained together for a short time, but in the end Tharen left Solo without warning because she felt that she was holding him back. She felt that her struggles with the addictive "Exultation" of the Ylesian t'landa Til would hinder Han's career.

Just after he was accepted into the Academy of Carida, he was attacked by Garris Shrike, who was one of the few people who knew that 'Vyyk Draygo' and Han Solo were the same person. Han was certain to have been doomed to Hutt retribution, but another bounty hunter killed Shrike and Han was able to kill that hunter. The next day he shipped out to Carida.

Service in the Imperial Starfleet
"I think there was a time that Solo, who had bound his conception of honor to his service to the Empire, forgot that honor could exist outside Imperial service."

- Tycho Celchu



Solo was crushed at Tharen's departure, but he followed his dreams (and Tharen's wishes) and went to study at the Academy of Carida. There he would hone his skills as a pilot. Among his fellow students were future TIE fighter ace Soontir Fel and Solo's friend Mako Spince.

Solo graduated at the top of his class with the rank of lieutenant. However, his hard-earned military career was short lived. In 5 BBY, he was dispatched to aid Commander Nyklas in duties including slaving and construction work. In this capacity, Han boarded a derelict slaving craft to find its cargo (Wookiee children) escaped and a badly wounded Wookiee in the pilot's seat. Nyklas ordered Han to skin the helpless Chewbacca, but Han refused and Nyklas swore to punish the Corellian. Shortly afterwards, Han and Chewbacca were put to work on the construction of a new wing of the Imperial Hall of Heroes on Coruscant by Wookiee slaves. An enraged Chewbacca turned on Nyklas, who drew his blaster on the Wookiee. Solo refused to let Chewbacca die; he stunned his commanding officer and helped Chewie escape, with the assistance of the Rebel Alliance. Court-martialed and dishonorably discharged, Solo returned to smuggling with Chewbacca (who had sworn a life debt to the Corellian) at his side.

Solo later reflected that even without Chewbacca he probably would have left Imperial service anyway, due to the ridiculous regulations, incompetent officers and widespread anti-alien prejudice.

Solo earned the Corellian Bloodstripe at some point during his military career, though the reasons for this award are unknown. Because it was not Imperial, it was the sole decoration that was not stripped from his uniform during his court-martial.

Smuggling career
"I happen to like to shoot first, Rekkon. As opposed to shooting second."

- Han Solo



Initially, Han was not happy to have the big Wookiee around. He had saved Chewbacca out of remembrance of Dewlanna, but it had cost him his life's dreams. Han spent much time drinking and playing sabacc, until he was accused of cheating by an irritated Barabel named Shallamar. He probably would have been seriously injured if Chewbacca had not stepped in. After that, Han and Chewie grew much closer.

Solo's friend Mako Spince, who had been expelled from the Academy two years before graduation, helped Solo and Chewbacca get started as smugglers. Using Nar Shaddaa as their home base, the three of them enjoyed considerable success. Solo and Chewbacca also frequently worked for the Hutt Lords Jiliac and Jabba. They piloted many of their ships, including both Hutts' personal yachts. Solo also befriended Lando Calrissian, a gambler who saved him from the notorious bounty hunter Boba Fett, and Jarik "Solo", a street urchin who claimed to be a long-lost relative. Han discovered that Jarik's claim was a lie, but he took the youth under his wing anyway. He also became romantically involved with the magician Xaverri and later fellow smuggler Salla Zend. During his time with Xaverri, Han became her stage assistant, and performed across the galaxies in her shows. He also served in the other part of her work- schemes designed to hurt the Empire and Imperial officials. At one point, Han even taught Lando how to fly in a ship that would be the center of much of Han's life- the Millennium Falcon.

Han also bought his own ship, the Bria, from Lando, and restored it to spaceworthy condition with the help of Shug Ninx. When the Empire sent a fleet to raze the Smuggler's Moon, Han and his friends rallied a force of smugglers and pirates to victory in the Battle of Nar Shaddaa. Shortly after the battle, as Han was paying the Imperial admiral that the Hutts had agreed to bribe in exchange for his battle plans, the Bria was destroyed by Imperial fighters. Han and Chewbacca worked again with Mako, until he was crippled during a smuggling run in the Ottega system. Solo and Chewbacca continued their career on their own.

Short on cash, Han pawned his last stolen treasure from Toroenza's cache and entered the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament. Against all odds he reached the tournament finals and beat his friend Lando, winning the Millennium Falcon with his earnings. For a time afterwards Han Solo and Chewbacca worked in the Corporate Sector, the Tion Hegemony, and other remote but potentially lucrative sectors of the Galaxy. Part of Solo's motivation for these travels was a desire to get away from Salla Zend and her wedding plans, as he was not ready for such a commitment. Solo would later boast that he had been "from one side of the Galaxy to the other."



While in the Corporate Sector, their ship was damaged while smuggling weapons to insurgents on Duroon. However, they did collect payment from the insurgents and went to pay off Ploovo Two-for-One, but in a rather creative manner. Given the prickly relationship and even outright disgust they had for each other, Han bought a foul, irritable, putrid dinko, attached the payment to it, and unleashed on the unfortunate employer. Although Corporate Sector Security arrived at the establishment where they were, Han and Chewie escaped their grasp relatively unscathed. Payment completed, they went off to find the outlaw tech "Doc" Vandangante's hideout, only to discover he had been taken to the Corporate Sector Authority prison at Stars' End. Doc's daughter |Jessa offered upgrades and repairs to his ship, and a Corporate Sector waiver, in exchange for Han helping rescue Doc and other prisoners. Before he could take off, the outlaw techs were attacked by IRD-A Fighters. Piloting a Z-95 Headhunter, Han led the other techs and Jessa in defense of the base. Despite heavy losses, they were successful. To complete their rescue mission for Jessa, Solo and Chewbacca were given two droids, Bollux and Blue Max, and went to the agriworld Orron III to meet up with a group led by Rekkon planning the prison rescue. Though Solo was initially only interested in getting the repairs for his ship, his motives became personal when Chewbacca was captured. After dealing with a traitor in the group, Solo and the others arrived at Stars' End. In order to gain entry, Han, Atuarre, Pakka, Bollux and Blue Max posed as a troupe of entertainers. The rescue proved successful; freeing Chewbacca, Doc, and the other prisoners and destroying the Star's End in the process. After the Falcon was repaired, Solo and Chewbacca left the Corporate Sector for a time, taking Bollux and Blue Max with them.

After a disastrous incident on Kamar, where Solo and Chewbacca accidentally began a religion (the Cult of Varn) before having to flee with their lives, they returned to the Corporate Sector. There, they were contracted to transport cargo from Lur. When they discovered the cargo was a group of Lurrian slaves, Solo freed the slaves and killed the slaver Zlarb. Since they had not been paid for their cargo run, Solo and Chewbacca decided to track down Zlarb's partner on Bonadan and get the promised ten thousand credits as revenge. While on Bonadan, Han was jumped and nearly overcome by a mysterious figure and Chewbacca encountered a skip-tracer, Spray, trying to possess their ship for debts and regulation compliance. However, Han and Chewie became mixed up with a CSA Auditor, Hart-and-Parn Gorra-Fiolla, who was investigating the slavers also. Han went to meet an associate of hers, Magg, but he betrayed them. Forced to flee on a swoop bike, they made it off planet after a harrowing encounter and planned to meet up with Chewbacca on Ammuud. Chewie was also forced to make a somewhat hurried escape. While Han and Fiolla were on the transport that was taking them to meet Chewie, they were attacked by pirates, who were looking for them. They escaped in one of the pirate's craft and landed at the nearby estates of the Mor Glayyd. Han and Chewie were eventually reunited after Han saved the Mor Glayyd from a duel which would have gotten him killed. The Glayyd estate provided Han with a way to get back to the Falcon and Chewie. As Han was leaving the planet, he was pursued by the pirates/slavers. However, at that point a CSA Victory-class Star Destroyer intervened and tractor beamed both ships. Though they helped her break up the gang, they barely escaped being arrested by another CSA executive, Odumin, who had really been the tracer Spray, and earned the enmity of a hired gun named Gallandro. They did, however, manage to steal the money Solo felt the CSA owed them.



Giving up on the Corporate Sector, the Falcon's crew attempted clotheslegging in the Cron Drift and a currency exchange scam in the Lesser Plooriod Cluster before finding themselves short on cash and stuck in the Tion Hegemony. After several misadventures, they joined with Solo's old friend Badure, a young woman named Hasti, and a Ruurian historian named Skynx on a hunt for Xim the Despot's long-lost treasure ship, Queen of Ranroon. On Dellalt, they finally discovered the treasure vaults. After run-ins with the "Survivors" (the descendants of Xim's soldiers) and their ancient War-Robots, Solo finally discovered the vaults. Though Gallandro followed him to the vaults and challenged the smuggler to a duel, the automatic defense systems killed the gunfighter. Solo and his associates then recovered the treasure &mdash; unfortunately for them, after all those years it had become outdated war materiel. The two droids stayed with Skynx when Solo and Chewbacca left the Tion Hegemony.

During this period, Solo and Chewbacca worked for Jabba the Hutt on occasion. They also had several run-ins with the Rebel Alliance. After being saved from an Imperial fleet over Corellia, they helped plant an EMP charge on a shipment that was delivered to an Imperial facility over Corulag and helped steal Mon Calamari cruiser schematics on Carida.

Solo's heaviest involvement with the fledgling Rebel Alliance occurred when he and other smugglers, including Lando Calrissian and Jarik Solo aided Bria Tharen's Red Hand Squadron in raiding the Ylesian colonies and putting them out of business &mdash; a plan endorsed, aided, and supported by Jabba, a business rival of Ylesia. In the subsequent battle, the Alliance forces were victorious, but several smugglers, including Jarik Solo, were killed. Han and his smuggler friends were double-crossed by Tharen who seized all the spice and treasures that were to be the smugglers' reward for the Alliance.

Soon afterwards, he met with Tharen again during a Hutt-sponsored treasure hunt for the Yavin Vassilika. Once again, Tharen took the prize for the Rebellion, while Solo and his smuggling associates were left with nothing. Solo and Tharen left on poor terms on both occasions, since Solo refused to give up his independent ways and join Tharen in the Alliance. However, most of his fellow smugglers assumed that he had been working with Tharen from the beginning. Even one of his closest friends, Lando Calrissian, said that he never wanted to see him again.

Working for Jabba
"Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money." "You needn't worry about your reward. If money is all that you love, then that's what you'll receive. Your friend's quite a mercenary. I wonder if he really cares about anything – or anybody."

- Han Solo and Leia Organa



Han continued to work for Jabba the Hutt as a smuggler, but once, while smuggling glitterstim, Han was boarded by an Imperial patrol and had to dump his load of spice. Han never did recover the spice. As a small consolation, Han and Chewie made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs after an attempt to recover the dumped spice turned nasty. As a warning, Jabba hired Greedo the Younger, a novice bounty hunter, to let Solo know that he was serious about getting paid. However, the Hutt lord was not renowned for patience, and none of Solo's smuggler friends would help him. Solo was also dealt another personal blow at this time, when Boba Fett broke the news of Bria Tharen's death at the Battle of Toprawa to Solo.

Since Han Solo still had not paid Jabba the Hutt, the crimelord sent Greedo to collect the money from Solo, dead or alive. When Greedo found Solo in the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooine the next day, it became clear that he intended to kill Solo rather than give him a chance to pay Jabba. Han shot Greedo under the table, then paid the bartender for 'the mess', as he put it. Later, Solo found Jabba and a band of his thugs in Docking Bay 94, where the Millennium Falcon was docked. Solo managed to convince Jabba to give him more time, promising to repay him what he owed plus fifteen percent after being paid for a routine charter flight he and Chewbacca had recently arranged in the cantina, with an Obi-Wan Kenobi|old man and a young farmboy.

A mercenary turned Rebel
"You're all clear, kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home."

- Han to Luke Skywalker

The passengers, of course, were Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker, who meant to escort the droids C-3PO and R2-D2 from Tatooine to Alderaan on behalf of the Rebel Alliance. When they arrived in the Alderaan system, the crew and passengers of the Millennium Falcon found that the planet had been destroyed by the Death Star. After they were dragged on board by the Death Star's tractor beams, Skywalker convinced Solo and Chewbacca to help him rescue Princess Leia Organa by promising a reward "richer than [he] could possibly imagine". Han helped Luke infiltrate the massive station in stolen stormtrooper armor, and after several misadventures they managed to rescue the Princess and escape, at the cost of Obi-Wan's life. Afterwards, Solo took Leia, Skywalker, and the droids to Yavin 4 to collect his reward. Though he was initially willing to abandon the Rebels and make off with his fee, an attack of conscience, (brought on partly by Chewbacca's arguments) led him to join the Battle of Yavin at the last moment. The Millennium Falcon joined in just in time for Solo to disable Darth Vader's TIE advanced, allowing Skywalker to destroy the Death Star, scoring a major victory for the Alliance and recognition for Solo.

Hero of the Alliance
Solo and Skywalker were both awarded medals of honor for their efforts, and Solo was handsomely rewarded with 20,000 Alliance credits and a stash of valuables. The day after the Battle of Yavin, he shot down an Imperial Cruiser that was searching for the Death Star, much to the chagrin of his superiors. The chests of treasure the Rebels had given him were stolen from him almost immediately after leaving Yavin by the space pirate Crimson Jack (who, ironically, had ties to the Hutt crimelord), leaving Solo still unable to pay off Jabba. With the help of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia, Solo managed to defeat the pirate. Following the debacle, Solo gave the recovered money back to the Alliance. Broke and fearing Jabba's retribution, Solo and Chewbacca discovered an ancient cache of treasure hidden in one of Yavin IV's temples. He took the treasure to an Ithorian named Sprool on Dennogra, who in turn delivered the money to Jabba. It was, however, too little and too late. Jabba kept the money and refused to call off the bounty. Han Solo found himself at square one again. Han used money earned from selling more of the treasure to purchase new T-65 X-Wings for the Rebellion.

Following weeks of searching for Vader's TIE Fighter, Solo and Organa stopped over at Ord Mantell, where he hoped he might make some money on the sabacc tables and try to get Jabba his bounty. Before long, Solo found himself racing the Togorian Alfreda Goot to Tatooine, after the bounty hunter kidnapped Organa. Before long, Solo had inadvertently handed Vader back over the Empire, encountered a prototype Executor, and rescued the princess of Alderaan, all within the span of a short amount of time. After a misadventure on the massive gambling complex known as The Wheel, Solo hid out for repairs on Orleon and was soon besieged by an emissary of Jabba the Hutt. Within a week, Solo had rescued the emissary from stone mites and, by some miracle, had the bounty taken off of his head. He returned to Tatooine, and started to heal his relationship with the Hutt. He made Kessel Runs for the crimelord, even beating BoShek's most recent record-breaking time. Sadly, this was not to last. The remains of Crimson Jack's Star Destroyer were discovered by the Hutt's agents, and within days the bounty was back on Solo's head. An even higher reward was registered for anyone who could capture him alive so Jabba could kill Solo himself. While evading Jabba's organization, Solo and Chewbacca continued to work with the Rebel Alliance for the next three years. Solo became a good friend of Luke Skywalker, and developed a love-hate relationship with Princess Leia, cementing friendships after close encounters with bounty hunters.

In yet another attempt to find the funds to pay off Jabba, Han and Chewie were hired to transport an escaped crime lord, Tyber Zann off the prison world of Kessel. Though the deal did not transpire exactly as planned, much to Solo's annoyance, the duo transported Zann and his associate Urai Fen as agreed, though only after an increased fee.



Later, Han and Chewbacca were hired by Ramiz, a moisture farmer on Aduba-3, to protect his village from a band of local thugs known as the Cloud-Riders led by Serji-X Arrogantus. To help with this task, Han and Chewie hired six misfit spacers, including Don-Wan Kihotay, an old man who believed himself to be a Jedi Knight and Jaxxon, a rabbit-like creature with a mean disposition, Jimm Doshun and his droid FE-9Q. Han, Chewbacca and the Star-Hoppers arrived at Ramiz's village Onacra, only to find it under attack by flying High-hounds. They managed to drive away the beasts, saving the life of a young girl named Merri to the great relief of her father Oncho, the village spokesman. But their relief was short-lived once Serji-X Arrogantus and his gang attacked. Han and the Star-Hoppers did their best to defend the village but it was to no avail as FE-9Q was killed and Merri's grandfather the Old One, dismissed the hired spacers' help. Instead of relying on Han and his team, the shaman summoned a large, mythical reptilian monster called the Behemoth from the World Below to handle the invading Cloud-Riders. Many members of the Star-Hoppers died trying to destroy the creature. Using Kihotay's lightsaber, Han managed to kill the deadly beast once and for all.

Han Solo and Chewbacca left Aduba-3 soon after, in the Millennium Falcon, only to be captured once again by Crimson Jack and his gang of pirates. Princess Leia Organa had also been captured by the pirate while on her way to the Drexel system to find out what happened to Luke, and Jack intended to hold the Princess for ransom. But Han and Leia secretly devised a plan to trick the pirates into taking them to the Drexel system by claiming that the Rebels have stockpiled a treasure there. Accepting Solo's claim, Jack went to Drexel II where the met up with Luke and encountered Quarg, the Governor of Drexel II, and the Dragon Lords. Han managed to escape on the Falcon, only to crash it near Quarg's ship. Teaming up with the Dragon Lords, Han and Luke managed to save Leia, the droids, and Chewbacca. Han then faced off against Jack in space where he shot the pirate, killing him.

Later on, Han, accompanied by Chewie, Leia, and Deena Shan, traveled to the planet of Aguarl III. During an untimely detour on the dangerous planet, Han and his first mate, Chewbacca, were attacked by the creatures native to the planet. Fortunately, Leia and Deena were able to save them from the dangerous native wildlife.



Nearly a year after the destruction of the Death Star, Chewbacca and Han left for the celebration of Life Day on Kashyyyk. It served as a short break between the periodical fighting. But peace did not last long for the pair. Not long after they departed Tatooine for Kashyyyk, they found themselves once again being chased by the Empire. Fleeing to lightspeed, they went on their way. However, the Empire had apparently traced their route to Kashyyyk, which they rightfully suspected to be a harbor for rebels. Upon learning of this, Darth Vader ordered a blockade and search of the planet. A group of Imperial officers entered Chewbacca's home, terrorizing his family and wrecking the house. They looked for any sign of rebel activity. However, after a while, Chewie's son, who then went by the name Lumpawarrump, devised a plan. He used his mini-transmitter, which he had received as a Life Day present from Saun Dann, to send out a voice message through the Imperial airwaves &mdash; which changed the sound of Lumpy's voice. He gave the command of "return to base," which the officers in the home picked up on their receivers. They complied, with the exception of the stormtrooper known as B-4711, who was ordered by a superior to stay behind in order to temporarily watch the house for rebel activity. However, the trooper soon learned of Lumpy's trick, and pursued him through the house, out onto the balcony, where Han and Chewie had just arrived. Chewie roared as Han managed to kill the trooper. That night, the group, along with the other Wookiees on Kashyyyk, celebrated an uninterrupted Life Day.

Han provided support for Crix Madine and Rogue Squadron during the Battle of Corellia and evacuated the Coronet Capital Tower. Days before the Fifth Battle of Yavin IV, he was "accused" of being an Imperial Spy by Leia Organa. In truth, the accusation was just a ploy to draw out the real spy in their midst.

As part of the Rebel Alliance, Solo undertook many missions while trying to evade Jabba's organization. However, no matter how Han tried, he still encountered many bounty hunters who wished to carry out Jabba's bounty. On one such occasion, Han and Chewbacca returned to Ord Mantell where he encountered the cyborg bounty hunter, Skorr. Skorr had planned to use Luke and Leia to lure him into a trap. Fortunately, Solo and the Wookiee managed to evade the trap, rescuing Skywalker and the Princess in the process. However, Skorr killed himself during a duel with Solo.

Crisis on Cloud City
"You like me because I'm a scoundrel."

- Han Solo to Leia Organa



After a run-in with a bounty hunter on Ord Mantell, Solo resolved to leave his friends in the Rebellion so that he could try and settle things with the Hutt. Before he could finish repairs on the Millennium Falcon and leave the Rebels' Echo Base, however, he was caught up in the Imperial attack on Hoth. When Princess Leia and C-3PO were cut off from their evacuation ship, Solo took them on board the Millennium Falcon, where they avoided Vader's Death Squadron by hiding in the Hoth Asteroid Field, and then by drifting off with the Star Destroyer Avenger's garbage. During their escape, Solo and Leia began to fall in love.

"Why you slimy, double-crossing, no-good swindler. You've got a lot of guts coming here, after what you pulled. (laughs) How you doin', you old pirate! So good to see you!"

- Lando Calrissian

Since the Millennium Falcon's repairs were still not complete, Solo went to the nearest safe haven&mdash;Bespin, home to Solo's old friend Lando Calrissian's tibanna gas mining facility, Cloud City. Unfortunately for Solo, he had been beaten there by Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Lando had made a deal with the Dark Lord to betray the Rebels in exchange for continued autonomy. Lando invited them for "refreshments", and led them into a room where Darth Vader stood, waiting. Han, with one of the fastest draws of his life, pulled his blaster and fired several shots at Vader, who easily blocked them and snatched the blaster out of Han's hands using the Force. Then, Boba Fett and stormtroopers surrounded the Rebels and captured them. Solo was tortured by the Imperials. While in his cell, Lando came to talk to the agonized Han. Uncaring about the consequences and furious at Calrissian's betrayal, Han slugged Lando before being stopped by Bespin guards accompanying the administrator. Shortly afterwards, Han was taken by the Imperials and then frozen in carbonite as a test to ensure that Luke Skywalker would survive a similar freezing, and eventually taken by Boba Fett to Jabba's Palace. His last words before being frozen were in response to Leia saying "I love you." Solo responded, "I know." After escaping Bespin, Skywalker, Leia, Chewbacca, and a repentant Calrissian set about planning Solo's rescue.

Rescue


"Chewie&hellip; Chewie, is that you? Ch.. Chewie. Wait, I can't see, pal.  What's goin' on?  Luke? Luke's crazy; he can't even take care of himself, much less rescue anybody&hellip;  A Jedi Knight? I'm out of it for a little while and everybody gets delusions of grandeur."

- Han to Chewbacca in their cell in Jabba's Palace

In 4 ABY, the group managed to locate Solo and set up a rescue operation. As a result of careful planning, Solo was brought out of carbon freeze by Leia disguised as Boushh, temporarily suffering from blindness, a symptom of hibernation sickness. However Jabba was aware of Leia's real identity and sentenced Han Solo to death while Leia was to become his new slave. He tried to barter for his life but it was to no avail as he was considered a failure to Jabba. Han reunited with Luke as the two were being carried off to the Sarlacc pit.

At the Sarlacc pit, Luke turned the tables and a battle broke out. During the fight Calrissian redeemed himself by risking his life to save his old friend. Solo accidentally set off Boba Fett's jetpack which sent him flying into Jabba's sail barge then into the Sarlacc (he later survived). Solo then managed to rescue Lando from one of the Sarlacc tentacles while hanging from one of the damaged skiffs, despite hibernation sickness still affecting him. Fighting ended with Leia killing Jabba and Han being reunited with his friends. The heroes quickly escaped Jabba's barge as it exploded due to a chain reaction set off by Leia by firing it's cannon into its hull at point-blank range, and then left Tatooine.

Attack on Endor


"There's only a few guards. This shouldn't be too much trouble." "It only takes one to sound the alarm." "Then we'll do it real quiet like."

- Han and Leia before attacking the shield generator on Endor

With the death mark no longer on Solo's head, he felt free to devote his time to the Rebellion. After recovering from hibernation sickness, he accepted a general's commission in the Rebel military. General Solo led a commando team, which included Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa and Chewbacca, on a mission to Endor to destroy the Death Star II's shield generator, which would allow Admiral Ackbar and his fleet to move in and attack the station, hopefully capturing or killing the Emperor in the process.



On Endor Leia became separated from the group when she chased after two Scout trooper on a speeder bike. Worried, Han, Chewbacca, and Luke, accompanied by R2-D2 and C-3PO, searched through Endor's thick forest in order to locate her. However the group fell into a trap that appealed to Chewbacca's stomach and was captured by Ewoks, natives of Endor. They were eventually freed with the help of Threepio--who the Ewoks mistook for a deity--and Luke. Following their initial encounter, Han and the others became part of the Ewok tribe, forming a close bond with them.

After their initiation into the tribe, Han led his strike force to the shield generator. However, it turned out to be a trap as the Empire knew of their attempt to destroy the generator, and Solo and his force were captured, while a battle raged in space between the Rebel and Imperial fleets. Fortunately, with the help of the Ewoks, Han and the other rebels were able to turn the tables and capture many Imperials. After planting several thermal detonators, Han destroyed the shield generator in time, allowing General Calrissian to begin his attack on the Death Star. The Death Star was finally destroyed, taking the Emperor with it. As the explosion of the Death Star lit the skies Han and Leia shared a passionate kiss. It was during this time that Han, to his surprise, learned that Leia and Luke were siblings.

Encounter with Boba Fett
Though he won the Battle of Endor, Solo found himself in need of credits. Refusing to accept money from the House of Alderaan and the Rebel Alliance, Han, along with Princess Leia and R2-D2, went to Tatooine to access Han's bank account. However, his account was frozen due to his encasement in carbonite. Shortly afterwards, Artoo was captured by Jawas. Unbeknownst to Han, the Jawas also captured Boba Fett, who was suffering from amnesia. Han leaped from the moving landspeeder and entered the sandcrawler's cargo hold to find Artoo and Boba Fett; he was surprised the bounty hunter survived the Sarlacc too. Han managed to convince Fett into helping Artoo out of the sandcrawler and onto the racing landspeeder. Unfortunately, Fett regained his memory and tried to shoot Solo but missed. Solo and the others fled Tatooine, leaving Boba Fett and the Jawas to be eaten by the Sarlacc.

Founding the Republic
Solo would play his part in helping the foundation of the New Republic. He would participate in the Battle of Coruscant, aiding the Alliance in capturing the Imperial capital and securing it as the capital for the New Republic. Afterwards, he would retire from active service and marry Leia.

Battle of Etti IV
While on Etti IV with Chewbacca, he would be captured by Corporate Sector officials under the sway of the Empire. Chewbacca would escape to alert the Republic, which would bring their fleet in to have Solo returned. The Empire sent their own fleet commanded by Admiral Russel Canis to oversee Solo's hand-over to the Empire.

The Empire and Republic eventually entered full-scale combat as Solo was turned over to Sabbathius Osbourne, Dark Lord of the Sith, by the CSA Prex, Simone Drake. Solo would not be rescued until after the Duel on Palanhi, where Luke, Leia and the Republic would track Han down.