5 minor cast changes for Solo to make a major difference
A little adjustment for a(nother) Star Wars story
A man that needs no introduction, infamous nerf-herder and reluctant aid to the rebellion, the dashing hero Han Solo, is adding his prequel to the Star Wars series — a continuity puzzle that has never stopped adding pieces, but has largely been abandoning its expanded universe for the rebirth of its cinematic success from episode 7 on.
I have yet to find a comparison of the Han Solo books from the 1980s and the film that premieres on this day, in Germany. My guess is, it’s going to be as different from the expanded universe, as Episode 7 was.
The flavour of the comics, books and roleplaying game source books was very inclusive. Or at least — as inclusive as you wanted it to be.
There was no need for a human-centric narrative, as the story of rebels and troopers, of Jedi and Sith, of force-wielders and weird aliens, continued for 40 years.
Yet, here we are, with an almost all-human cast, looking at the origin story of Han Solo.
After the release of the first official cast photo in 2017, my prediction was for Phoebe Waller Bridge to be an Imperial Commander and Emilia Clarke to don alien make-up, possibly Twi’lek, preferably blue.
I loved Waller-Bridge’s actual role — the droid with a calling. It worked so well and is at the core of what the prequels, as well as the sequels, are continuously chanting: rebellion, rebellion, rebellion!
While Clarke’s role is sympathetic at best, she is only human. For the better and the worse of it. A little blue paint might have fixed that, if only superficially.
Without further ado, here are my fixes:
1 – Cast teen actors as Han and Qi‘Ra for the introduction
Add more contrast to their divide over time by giving us the wide-eyed kids with dreams to begin with. Make those three years of separation ten years. The strength and vulnerability of a younger demographic would sell their oppressor – a light-sensitive worm – much better and give their revolt more impact. Imagine the scene with the stone, but with kid/teen Han. Huge difference.
2 – Switch Woody Harrelson and Thandie Newton
Better yet, make the partners in crime two women. Does Han really need that father figure/partner at that point? Wasn’t Thandie’s character the one who brought up mistrust and skepticism? Do we need another presentation of a burnt out cynic, a questionable role model, by Woody Harrelson?
Imagine Val coming out of that heist instead of Beckett, taking over his exact plotline. Slightly different, yes. Better? Yes. More relevant? Very much.
I’d rather see her being typecast and adding diversity and depth. (Get the sum of Woody‘s burnt-out, alcoholic characters to a vacation planet to retire in peace.)
3 – Give Donald Glover more screen time
Lando Calrissian is more than his closet of capes. He deserves to be fleshed out more, regarding humor, leadership qualities, sass… unless you’re holding that back for another prequel to the prequel. (Please don’t. The time is now.)
Not a single dancing scene? Really?
Give this man (Donald Glover) his own musical!
4 – Return Paul Bettany to his native universe
The Avengers alumnus performs admirably, yet, his character seems out of place, out of this world in a way that is too much „privileged white guy running an outfit as a hobby“. In other words: a Bond villain.
Dryden Vos could have had more impact, had he been offered a few surprises here and there, but he was pretty straightforward and predictable. Yet, the Crimson Dawn middle management representative never seemed to pose a real threat, as he never acted on his menacing innuendo.
We could’ve done pretty much without him. A shadow figure would have been sufficient. With those types of villains you either go dark, flamboyant or cruel. A combination of the three needs more screen time than I enjoyed with this character. Maybe leave him out completely and give the boss fight to the upper management cameo, color scheme and all.
5 – Replace Qi‘Ra with a non-human character
Bold move? There’s bolder.
Two white characters being oppressed by aliens in a ghetto situation – a little meh.
We get it. Emilia Clarke is cute as a button, and you want to establish petite brunettes as Han’s type, but hey, there’s an alabaster brunette in every Star Wars movie, including the prequels and every sequel. A dab of color wouldn’t hurt, even if it’s blue or green.
The arc from innocent and cute to refined by hardships is something that just doesn’t seem to translate from the “Mother of Dragons” to any other character that Emilia has been selected for.
You find that quality in the likes of Evan Rachel Wood, Sofia Boutella, even in the comedic genius of Michaela Coel, but they’re probably too tall for Ehrenreich.
I want to go as far as to suggest Sofia Boutella in alien makeup as brilliant as the one in Star Trek Beyond. Heck, just use that exact character!
However, I have an even bolder suggestion for replacing Qi‘Ra:
Are you ready for some tumblr level fandom?
Lando.
Imagine that, even if you have to replace the romance with friendship to calm your nerves. The wide-eyed kids, the being left behind, the divergence of paths, the innuendo of unrequited love (or friendship), the sheer weight of consequences set in motion – you would love that. I know.
Omitting Qi’Ra, while being problematic for opening a void of female representation, would have left more room for the leader of the cloud-riders, Vala, to take the center stage.
A long time ago, in a future past…
…Young Solo is heading straight to Tatooine, but will he make a beeline for it or galavant around the galaxy for a bit more? There might be a part two to this sequel, yet.
Who do you think he might run into, on his long way to meet the previously established timeline?
Respectfully,
Eve
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