In 1977 I was sixteen, already a print and media science-fiction fan, when, along with everyone else, my horizons were suddenly exploded outward with the release of Star Wars. That film helped launch the modern blocker buster and spawned a franchise that continues to dominate the box office to the current day. Later this year one of the spin-off movies we’ll get is Solo, the story of a young Han Solo and I expected, in fact I will be shocked if we do not, we’ll be treated to a cinematic rendering of the ‘Kessel Run.’
Back when Star Wars was first released there was no Internet, no home video, and information about the movie’s production could only be glimmered in interviews, publicity materials, and tie-in books. One of the fascinating bits I remember reading was the on stage story of how cast members repeatedly information George Lucas referring to Solos; now famous boasting that parsecs were a measure of distance and not time. In these stories Lucas always responded that he was well aware of that fact.
If you watch the scene I think it is quite clear what is going on. Solo thinks he has a couple of dirt farmer ignorant about space and he’s trying the BS them about how good his ship really is. He does not expect them to know what a parsec is. Obi-Wan’s face during the negation give it all away, he’s not buying that load of crap but he needs this passage and is not calling out Solo on his tall tales. It’s actually a wonderful bit of character as well as advancing the plot forward.
Somewhere fans decided that Solo must be telling a truth not BS and they began construct elaborate fan theories about what the ‘Kessel Run’ was and how Solo flew it in under a dozen parsecs. The delightful character moment has now been transformed into a piece of bad pseudo-science double talk and Obi Wan’s reaction ignored into insignificance.
I am certain that Disney/Lucas Film will make the ‘Kessel Run’ reality closing forever the original interpretation of that class and memorable scene. I plan to see Solo, I may even love the movie, but I will hate the Kessel Run.
