Han Solo

Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise created by George Lucas. The character first appeared in the 1977 film Star Wars portrayed by Harrison Ford, who reprised his role in The Holiday Special (1978), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). Ford returned to the role for The Force Awakens (2015), as well as a brief cameo in The Rise of Skywalker (2019). In the spin-off film Solo (2018), a younger version of the character is portrayed by Alden Ehrenreich, while in the animated series Forces of Destiny (2017–2018), the character is voiced by Kiff VandenHeuvel and A. J. Locascio.

First appearing in the original trilogy, Han Solo and his first mate Chewbacca are smugglers who are hired by Ben Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to transport them to Alderaan so they can deliver the stolen plans for the Death Star. Although initially unwilling to join the Rebel Alliance in their fight against the Galactic Empire, he eventually does so and in the process falls in love with Princess Leia, whom he eventually marries, becoming Luke's brother in-law. In the sequel trilogy set decades later, Solo joins forces with scavenger Rey and former stormtrooper Finn to help them and the Resistance in their fight against the First Order, whose forces are led by Supreme Leader Snoke and Kylo Ren, the latter of whom is his and Leia's son, Ben Solo, who fell to the dark side of the Force, which caused him and Leia to separate. Han is killed by his son but eventually returns as a memory to his son and helps redeem him back to the light side of the Force.

The American Film Institute has named Solo as the 14th best film hero. Mythologist Joseph Campbell has described the character, "He thinks he's an egoist; but he really isn't. ... there's something else pushing [him]." In 1997, Lucas described Han as "a cynical loner who realizes the importance of being part of a group and helping for the common good".

Ever since his debut, Han Solo has remained one of the most famous characters from the Star Wars series. In addition to the character being hailed as one of cinema's greatest heroes, Harrison Ford's performances in the franchise have received significant acclaim from critics and fans. Alden Ehrenreich's performance in Solo was also well received. Ford received two nominations for the Saturn Award for Best Actor, winning for his performance in The Force Awakens.