Line #2 Fridge/Solo


1	!! Fridge Brilliance
2	* Why is Weazel from ''Film/ThePhantomMenace'' randomly part of the Cloud Riders? As Nest says, each of the crewmembers came from a world ravaged by the Empire or criminal organizations. Weazel's homeworld of Tatooine is run by the Hutts, probably one of the most powerful crime organizations out there. Seems like he got fed up with them at some point. Also some great {{Foreshadowing}} for Maul.
3	* In the ending, both Han and Qi'Ra take down their mentors, [[HeWhoFightsMonsters but in doing so, follow the same path as respective mentors]]: he becomes an outlaw, she becomes a crime syndicate leader.
4	** The same also applies to [[GenerationXerox Han's son]] Kylo Ren, who kills his mentor Snoke and becomes Supreme Leader at the end of ''The Last Jedi''. Maybe they're more alike than they think?
5	* Now we know why Lando is particularly upset when he thought Han has done something to 'his ship' in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. It's because the ''Millennium Falcon'' housed the memory core of L3-37, a droid that Lando cared very much for, after her death, and she basically became part of the ship when her core is plugged into it.
6	** Also, Han's piloting tears the new paint job off the ''Falcon'' (along with much of the hull plating, the landing gear, and the sensor dish, among other things), and costs Lando the ''Falcon''[='=]s escape pod.
7	** Speaking of, L3 being part of the Falcon helps explain why she's so special, if occasionally temperamental. The Falcon has proven herself to have capabilities that go way beyond any ship in the franchise.
8	** Also, since Episode IV, how often was the Falcon either instrumental in winning battles for the Rebel Alliance or allowing rebels to flee so they could live to fight another day? Being uploaded to the Falcon gave her the opportunity to save rebel lives and kick oppressors' asses all across the Galaxy, which is pretty much her stated purpose in life.
9	*** Building on that, it's possible that Han took some of the actions he did in the trilogy because of L3's possession of his ship. For example, Han's change of heart at the end of Episode IV was out of the blue - run from the fight with the money is more his style. But who's to say he didn't suddenly have "mechanical troubles" courtesy of L3's "ghost" until he relented and rode in to the rescue?
10	** Given Lando's reaction to her death, L3-37 was right about how Lando felt about her. All that remained of her was then uploaded into the ''Falcon''. So, when Han won the ship from Lando, he wasn't just taking his ship, he was stealing his girlfriend, too!
11	*** L3 wasn't necessarily completely correct; you can care for someone or something enough to react to its death the way that Lando did without wanting to actually have sex with it.
12	* Beckett apparently having taken down Aurra Sing in a rather anti-climactic manner is a hilariously brilliant nod to Boba Fett, who'd get taken down by Han (Beckett’s protege) and Fett’s own bounty at the time in nearly the same manner. Both seemingly legendary bounty hunters offed by falling to their death, whose deeds were only ever really displayed in the EU; with the average audience members who never dug that deep into Star Wars beyond the films left questioning what the big deal was.
13	* In the ''Episode 4, A New Hope'', Han was adamantly unwilling to aid Luke and the rebellion in their assault on the Death Star. Such reluctance could easily be chalked up to a pragmatic or mercenary attitude (which Han most certainly has). Yet in ''Solo'', we see firsthand that he's already been in a war (the occupation of Minban to be exact) where he was utilized as cannon fodder, damn near died pointlessly in the mud and blood, and had to suffer under capricious commanding officers. He's already had his taste of WarIsHell and probably retains some mild PTSD from the experience.
14	* Dryden Vos' weapons are a pair of heated vibroblades that glow red and connect at their hilt into a DoubleWeapon. It's a cool, unique weapon for the villain of the film to use, but its design and color also take on a new meaning when you find out that his boss is Maul who popularized the double bladed weapon look. They're also a CallBack to ''Film/TheLastJedi'', since it was one of the weapon types in the arsenal of Snoke's Praetorian Guard.
15	* Enfys Nest's theme stands out heavily from the rest of the film's score, with an emphasis on a choir and big dramatic spikes. And that choir? Young women. It's all foreshadowing to Nest's DramaticUnmask.
16	* This film adds a new dimension to Lando's friendly hug back in ''The Empire''; he was making the same exact gesture that Han did at the end of the film, only to steal his winning card. Lando was deliberately trying to convey that Han was going to be cheated off of everything he's got if he stayed in Cloud City.
17	* Han ends the movie owning the Falcon, a YT-1300 freighter built at the shipyards of Corellia by the Corellian Engineering Corporation, where his father once worked the production lines. He's carrying his father's legacy with him wherever he goes.
18	* In the other movies, numerous references are made to the ''Millennium Falcon'' being "the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs." ''Not'' to Han being the pilot who made that run, but to the ''ship'' making the run. Lando had the ''Falcon'' back for an unknown length of time before Han came back and won it away from him. Seems likely it was ''Lando'' who made the ship famous for the feat, while pointedly leaving off any mention of the pilot because he'd done so much damage to her in the process, instead allowing people to assume that Lando either was the pilot or at least was in charge of the trip.
19	* Why is Han the only one to notice Beckett's Imperial uniform is damaged? It's not just because he's perceptive, as we see from his card-counting in the sabacc games; it's also because he's insubordinate! The Empire focuses on unthinking obedience and uniformity. Thinking too deeply about your orders or the people giving them is strongly discouraged. But Han never got that particular memo, so when he's given orders, he actually thinks about them and puts them in context - including assessing whether the officer is trustworthy.
20	** Or he was on the receiving end of uniform trouble himself
21	* We learn that the YT-1300's nose is supposed to hold an escape pod, but the Falcon keeps its distinctive double prong forever. It's entirely possible that the escape pod isn't ''designed'' to be replaceable. You're supposed to use escape pods as a last-ditch method of survival in situations where your ship is about to be destroyed, so it's likely the designers didn't put any thought into how you would replace them - in the circumstances where you're meant to launch the pod, the ship isn't going to be around long enough to have a new one put on. (Using it as bait to lure a space kraken into a black hole probably never crossed the designers' minds.)
22	** Unfortunately, this is not the case. Earlier in the film, Lando mentions he "added an escape pod" as one of his improvements to the ship. This becomes Fridge Brilliance about Lando, however, because his escape pod is the size of a small ship itself and probably very luxurious. In Episode VIII, Rey uses the ship's regular, coffin-sized escape pod midway through the film. In Legends, the YT-1300 is specifically a freighter and the prongs are meant to secure a large cargo crate between them.
23	* During the escape the heroes inject raw coaxium into the Falcon's reactor, essentially supercharging the engines to allow them to escape. Based on what's seen on screen, this is clearly a lot of power for those systems to handle and is clearly beyond any sane manufacturer's recommendations, much like porting too much nitrous into a vehicle engine. No ''wonder'' the Falcon had engine problems during the entire original trilogy.
24	* The events of the Kessel Run, not to mention palming Lando's cheater card and essentially publicly beating him at his own game, cheating a cheater out of his beloved ship create the perfect context for Lando's accusatory "greeting" in ''Empire Strikes Back'': ''"You got a lot of guts showing up here after the stunt you pulled."'' Literal and figurative points.
25	* There are certain moments in the film where the Star Wars anthem is played, usually when our heroes are getting closer towards the path that they're destined to attain. But in almost every instance, there's something 'off' with the music... sometimes it's slower and off-key, and sometimes it's missing instrumentation. But only in the final flight when Han is piloting the Millenium Falcon, and Qi'ra gives up her seat for Chewbacca to be the co-pilot - only then does the Star Wars anthem play properly at full volume, and proudly sending our heroes off to save the day.
26	* Some commenters pointed that in ''Solo'', Han's personality didn't match his personality from the original trilogy. This CharacterDevelopment actually makes sense: he starts as a young and idealistic adventurer, but the events of ''Solo'' (having to flee his homeworld to escape the mafia, becoming cannon fodder in a war, and eventually being betrayed the same day by two persons he trusted, i.e. his mentor and his childhood love) would probably turn a lot of people into a jaded and cynical person.
27	* Beckett tells Han to expect every one to betray him, but across the course of the Film (and later in Han’s life), we actually see the opposite of that for the most part. Rio is the one to suggest they take Han & Chewbacca on board and shows genuine liking to the two. Val sacrifices herself, to save the rest of the Gang, during the Train Heist. Chewbacca had a chance to be with his people again during the breakout on Kessel but chose to stay with Han, even getting the other Wookies to help in retrieving the Coaxium, and the two have been together since. Lando may have run off, but by the time of Episode V, while he initially had Han captured by the Empire, he later assisted in Han’s rescue, and we see during the Kessel Breakout that he would run out in to heavy fire in order to save L-3. While it may seem like to Han that Qi'ra abandons him, part of the reason for that was cause she was trying to protect him from her own fate of being owned by Crimson Dawn, when she talks to Maul she makes sure not to refer to Han's part and says it was Beckett alone, so that Han does not incur Crimson Dawn’s wrath. The only one who actually does betray Han is Beckett himself, a point of which Han notes by stating Beckett’s Problem is that [[EvilCannotComprehendGood he thinks every one is like him]].
28	* This film '''finally''' sets the tone for stormtroopers and why they are both feared and terrible at actually being warriors. To begin with, Han mentions that he was drummed out of the Naval Corps for having a "mind of his own." Of course, you would want elite soldiers to be the ones that would follow orders unquestionably, such as the stormtroopers do. This willingness to be simply tools of the Empire is probably what sets them on the path to the white armor. However, just because you are willing to follow orders, doesn't make you ''good'' at performing the order. A ''willingness'' to shoot at people doesn't make you '''good''' at it (only practice does). The white armor at this point is more of a terror tool, because the average citizen knows that those that wear it will do 'whatever' their commander asks, regardless of the morality. This lack of morals doesn't translate to actual combat skill, which is why the mooks in white get mowed down pretty regularly in the series. They have been using the fear factor for so long, that when an actual skilled combatant comes along who ''isn't afraid of them'' (think Han in the hangar escape in Episode IV), they have almost no idea how to respond. This also leads into the ease in which Obi-Wan uses the Mind-Trick to fool the group at Mos Eisley: these mooks in white are willing soldiers, but they aren't the best mentally, as the Empire does not want thinking soldiers.
29	* Maul doesn't seem that convinced of Qi'ra's innocence in Vos' death, but lets it go anyway. Which makes sense: Maul is a Sith and probably respects her killing her own boss for power, as long as she understands that she won't be pulling that with him.
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31	!! Fridge Horror
32	* Chewie was used by the Imperial Army to execute deserters, with one of them mentioning he hasn't eaten for three days. Even if Chewie really was only down there for three days, the thought of Chewie of all people being forced to kill and eat other sapient beings just to survive is horrifying.
33	** Speaking of poor Chewie, the last time we saw him was in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', on his home world of Kashyyyk. At the time, Kashyyyk was heavily occupied by clone troopers, whose army was about to quickly transition into the Empire. It's a very real possibility that they enslaved the whole planet then and there, with Chewie having been their captive the entire time, possibly a decade or more, between that film and ''Solo.''
34	* Now we see why Han wasn't as freaked out by the space slug in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' as Leia was; he's run into larger, far nastier space monsters inside the Maw and lived to tell the tale.
35	* Maul seems to be very (albeit rightfully) suspicious of Qi'ra when she informs him of Dryden's death and Beckett's betrayal, even igniting his lightsaber to intimidate her and keep her in line. He then tells Qi'ra to come to his own homeworld of Dathomir. To date, we haven't seen her again.
36	** It's also not hard to view Maul's parting words to her as a DeadlyEuphemism.
37	---> '''Maul:''' Qi'ra, you and I will be working much more ''closely'' from now on.
38	* Qi'ra, in-film, seems a Type IV AntiVillain (working for bad people, but not committing overtly evil acts herself). But you don't ''get'' that high in an organization like that without leaving a mile-wide trail of bodies and worse. Given Han's no saint himself, and his feelings for her, he's deliberately looking the other way. She's definitely committed some atrocities and is probably on her way to commit more.
39	** Of course, she outright ''tells'' Han this, saying he wouldn't look at her the same if he knew what she had done to survive.
40	* L3-37 instigating a riot on Kessel with the combined force of unshackled droids and freed slaves seem like an awesome moment at first, except it most likely won't last long. The arrival of an Imperial Star Destroyer means any escape attempt would've been impossible (since the ISD blocks the only safe passage through the maelstrom surrounding the planet, the ''Millenium Falcon'' got lucky because its pilot is crazy enough to go ''through'' the maelstrom itself to escape) and any prisoner remained on planet would've been recaptured or outright executed later.
41	* Combined with {{Tearjerker}}. The last time we saw this many Wookiees together in a ''Star Wars'' film, they were proud warriors bravely fighting the Separatist droid army alongside the Clones to defend their homeworld. Shortly after that battle, the Empire took over and ''enslaved'' the Wookiees, who as we see in ''Solo'' are subjected to a miserable existence of hard labour and abuse in spice mines. As if being invaded wasn't bad enough, the Wookiees supposed allies turned on them the moment they'd seemingly won the war.
42	** It also makes you wonder what happened to Tarfful, the chieftain of Chewie's tribe who helped out Yoda during Order 66. One can't imagine the Empire were too happy about that...
43	* At least one of Dryden Vos's servants is a [[WetwareBody Decraniated]]. Either [[MadDoctor Doctor Evazan]] has been lobotomizing people and selling them into slavery ten years before the Jedha Insurgency or this medical malpractice isn't unique to him. Given what we know of [[BadBoss Vos's]] [[AxCrazy personality]], it wouldn't be too far a stretch to believe that Vos's Decraniated were people that have gotten on his bad side for whatever reason, and he uses what are [[TechnicallyLivingZombie essentially zombie waitresses]] as living reminders not to cross him.
44	* L3-37, whose passion is equal rights for droids, is now [[AndIMustScream stuck in a body that can't even move on its own]] and will spend the next few decades being stolen over and over again.
45	* Rio's mortal wounding from a shot to the shoulder isn't just a subversion of JustAFleshWound. For a creature with two pairs of arms, there's likely twice as many humeral arteries running through where the joints connect, meaning there's even more blood vessels in close proximity that a blaster bolt would likely disrupt. Having four major arteries severed or burnt away instantaneously would be the sort of thing likely to send someone into shock in short order.

Context Fridge / Solo