Solo: A Star Wars Story’s scriptwriter hints at more connections

Solo: A Star Wars Story might just impact the universe more than first thought, and with the movie now on digital platforms, we have some hints as to how.

Leave it to one of the Solo: A Star Wars Story scriptwriters to drop a bevy of notes about the behind-the-scenes process on the film while also possibly hinting at future appearances by certain characters. Jon Kasdan dropped plenty of tidbits about the movie on Twitter, and while some are just funny to read (or just absolutely true, like his note on how Donald Glover plays Lando so well), some actually seem like they could pay off in the future. We’ll focus on three specifically.

First and foremost is note 19, which notes that an “Ithorian antiquities dealer named Dok-Ondar” gets a nod in the film, and that we should make a note of it. Although he doesn’t say exactly why, a fan’s mind likely jumps to the in-production Episode IX. Relics of the past have been destroyed already in the new trilogy, right? However, as Wookieepedia points out, Dok-Ondar works on Batuu, otherwise known as the setting of the new Galaxy’s Edge parks coming to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. That doesn’t mean it can’t be both, but it’s probably the latter.

Second, even Kasdan acknowledges that Val deserved better than what happens in Solo, where she dies during the Conveyex heist. It’s in note 17, where he praises Thandie Newton specifically and says that “the death … feels a little like a cheat.” All we can say is that yes, it does, and so if it feels like a cheat, why not change it so that only one other crew member survived? Either way, there would still be a need for more people, which is how Kasdan justifies all the deaths in the first place. It seems like that thought didn’t quite cross his mind — or if it did, it was too late in production. (Pay attention to how many times he mentions the budget, and you’ll see what we mean.)

Finally, we’ll take a look at note 50, which says that Han and Qi’ra still have a “third act.” This certainly jives with note 52, which indicates that though Kasdan would like there to be a second Solo film, it’s unlikely at this time. Here’s hoping we get a Qi’ra movie instead. Maybe if films like Captain Marvel succeed, Disney will be more open to another woman leading a film in its other major “geeky” property. After all, Rogue One did do better than Solo, and Jyn Erso is the lead character there, so there’s precedent on the Lucasfilm side of things. If there’s not a movie, though, we’ll happily take a book.

Here are all of the notes:

With all that, Solo is now available to buy on digital platforms, with the Blu-Ray and DVD editions to follow on Sept. 25.

(H/T r/StarWarsLeaks on Reddit)