Will Solo: A Star Wars Story Feature the Famous Kessel Run?

The first trailer for the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story—a spinoff-slash-prequel that follows Han Solo (now being played by Alden Ehrenreich)— has arrived. While there's definitely been a mixed reaction about this movie since its conception– I mean, who can really replace Harrison Ford, right?- it's hard not to get excited by a new Star Wars trailer. Even if you fundamentally disagree with Disney and Lucasfilm's decision to make a young Han Solo spinoff. The trailer showed us brief glimpses of the film that have certainly piqued our interest. Hello, Donald Glover in a fur coat in space! One burning question on many fans' minds, though, is whether Solo: A Star Wars Story will feature the famous Kessel Run. Han did it twelve parsecs, after all. 

After the trailer dropped, fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Kessel Run being included in the film. It is, perhaps, the most famous story Han tells about the Millenium Falcon in the entire franchise. They even make a reference to it in The Force Awakens, so, why wouldn't it be in the movie specifically about Han? It seems as many people disagree on this point as they do on whether the movie should exist at all. 

One fan wrote on Twitter that he's "not against the idea of more Han Solo films, I'm against the idea of filling in bits of history we're already familiar with. Drop any reference to the Kessel Run and I'm instantly more interested."

Another expressed concern that if the film just shows the audience stuff we've already heard a lot about throughout the Star Wars franchise, it will feel flat and like a "paint -by-the-numbers" story.

Despite these - let's say...less optimistic - fans, there are others who believe the trailer actually teased the famous Kessel Run. At the end of the trailer, we see Han, Lando, and Chewie fleeing from some Imperial Starships in a treacherous space landscape. It's possible that this is the beginning of the legendary Kessel Run. 

While some fans are clearly opposed to the Kessel Run being included in Solo: A Star Wars Story, it seems highly unlikely that it won't be a part of the film. This is Han Solo's origin story, after all, and this seems to be the most famous thing about him and his ship. Remember, even Rey had heard about it all the way on Jakku and it's not like they get great cell service out there in the desert. JK, JK. But, seriously, Rey did hear about the Kessel Run by the time The Force Awakens starts. I'm putting my money on Han making the Kessel Run in twelve parsecs in this movie, but he better not dump his shipment at the first sign of an Imperial Starship.