Furthering That Furry Friendship
The heart and soul of Solo is Chewie and Han’s growing bromance. However, it’s often sidelined by Han’s relationships with his supporting characters. Moreover, for a lot of the runtime, Han emulates Lando’s coolness, attempts to prove himself to Beckett and strives to win back Qu’ira’s affections. But now that Beckett’s dead and Qu’ira has had something of a job promotion, a Solo sequel has more breathing room to expand upon Han and Chewie’s central friendship.
What could have happened to them before Luke and Leia joined the Falcon’s crew? Han’s a good person, undoubtedly so, but surely Chewie must find his youthful arrogance just a bit annoying on the odd occasion? And we can’t imagine that Han would take kindly to his Wookie friend molting all over the Falcon.
What other developments would test their bond? Did they ever part ways for a short period of time? A Solo sequel could elaborate on these kinds of dilemmas, as we continue to witness the wonderful, lovable bond blossom between Han and Chewbacca.
Solo: A Star Wars Story is not the outright failure that many commentators would paint it as. Familiar and safe, the film may be, but that’s still a firm foundation for a fledgling series to build upon. As we’ve explored, there are plenty of avenues for a Solo sequel to traverse, and frontiers to explore. Who knows? It might even remind filmmakers to actually put Lando’s pansexuality onscreen this time.
All in all, a follow-up has every opportunity to live up to the adventurous and daring nature of its spirited protagonist. To directly quote Han himself: “I’ve got a really good feeling about this.”