Han Solo being frozen in carbonite was not originally planned in the first Star Wars trilogy, but the event became one of Harrison Ford’s defining moments in the franchise. Here’s why George Lucas changed the character’s arc and what Ford wanted to happen to Han Solo.
After being betrayed by Lando Calrissian in The Empire Strikes Back, the heroes were handed over to Darth Vader. Han was then selected as the test subject to be frozen alive in a slab of carbonite. As he was being dragged to the chamber by Stormtroopers, Princess Leia informed Han that she loved him – to which he replied with the iconic line, “I know.” After being frozen Han was then given to Boba Fett, who intended to deliver the man to Jabba the Hutt for a bounty.
Han was still frozen in carbonite at the start of Return of the Jedi. Luke, Leia, Lando, and Chewbacca eventually rescue their friend so that he could rejoin the Rebel Alliance’s efforts against the Empire but that wasn’t always the original plan. Han was never supposed to be captured by Darth Vader in Empire Strikes Back. Lucas intended for the rebel to fly off with Chewie on the Millenium Falcon at the end of the film with the plan to return to his full compacity in Return of the Jedi. Due to Ford’s uncertainty in reprising his role as Han, Lucas decided to stall the character’s arc by freezing him in carbonite.
Harrison Ford’s Uncertainty In Returning To Star Wars Inspired The Carbonite Scene
Unlike his costars, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, Ford was only contracted for one Star Wars sequel. The actor was unsure about reprising his role for Return of the Jedi due to his growing popularity and his involvement in the Indiana Jones franchise. At one point, Ford had hoped that Han would be killed off in the sequel through some kind of sacrificial and heroic way. Lucas and the Star Wars writers wanted to keep their options open. By freezing Han in carbonite, they left open the opportunity for the character to return but they also planted a seed in case Ford never signed on for Return of the Jedi.
Star Wars producer Howard Kazanjian ended up being the one to convince Ford to reprise his role for the third film in the original trilogy. Kazanjian worked with Ford on Indiana Jones and the men were on good terms and he clearly made the correct points to change Ford’s mind. It’s difficult to imagine Return of the Jedi without Han Solo, especially since the character’s role throughout the trilogy helped propel Star Wars into pop culture phenomenon. His absence from Return of the Jedi would have also ended any possibility of Han’s presence in the sequel trilogy, as well as his connection to Kylo Ren.
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