A Trail of Clues and Fan Service in ‘Solo’: An Easter Egg Movie

Solo

You already saw Solo. You loved it, you hated it. The Kessel Run was underwhelming and women were sacrificed in order for Han to be wild ‘meh’ for two hours, but the Easter Egg game was Deadpool-levels of self-aware! Let’s touch base on how Ron Howard ultimately dropped the ball while making some great choices (despite several scripts and directors helming this movie). Oh yeah, and Lando needs a movie asap.

Teras Kasi

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Qi’ra’s hands were pansexual – everybody was eligible for the fade. When she was rocking that M.Bison cape she borrowed from Lando’s custom collection, she could’ve rolled up in Tekken like, ‘what’s good?’. When asked how she gave homie that smoke, she simply replied, “ Teras Kasi.” Which was a terrible fighting game for the OG Playstation that could’ve been the jam, but wasn’t. It had a dope ass story though (shout out to Mara Jade Skywalker).

Han’s Blaster

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Beckett was smooth with the toast, like Emilio in Young Guns. Like Spike Spiegel on any given Wednesday with the nunchucks. Beckett had bodies on his choppas, like “21 bodies on all 21 guns”. His joints was interchangeable: we watched it transform from a sniper rifle into its core component, a DL-44H heavy blaster, and hand it to Han. Han rocks that for pretty much the rest of his life.

Intention At Corellia

We learn that Solo is from Corellia – a planet with a long history in the Star Wars Universe.

Darth Maul & Dathomir

Toward the end of Solo – after a cool three-way fight with Qi’ra, Han, and Vos – the leader of the Crimson Dawn shows himself. It was Darth freaking Maul! With the robot legs! Rocking the Inquisitor’s lightsaber staff! After the spider legs fiasco! This, of course, draws canon from both The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series. Dathomir is where Maul is from, and it’s where he summoned Qi’ra to fly to at the end (for an apprenticeship?). A lot went down on Dathomir in the extended universe.

The Pyke Syndicate

This crew is important by ripple effect. In Solo, the syndicate runs the spice mines on Kessel. They answer to Maul, who runs mad gangs at once (gang gang) as a part of his Shadow Collective. The Pyke Syndicate are also the homies who merked out Sifo-Diyas, a name of infamy. His AKA? The person responsible for ordering the Stormtrooper clone army from the Kaminoans in Episode II: The Clone Wars. Sifo-Diyas MADE the Stormtroopers. The Pykes got him clapped.

Felucia

Lando was talking about doing some work for Vos on Falucia – for the fans with sharp memories, that’s where the badass Twi’lek Jedi Aayla Secura got straight up riddled with laser fire after the infamous Order 66 got most of her order merked.

The Lando Chronicles

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While Beckett, Solo, and friends are working over the Syndicate in Kessel, we find Lando (aka A Gambino Named Slickback) recording a memoir of his exploits under ‘The Lando Chronicles’. Which was also a trilogy of novels that dropped decades ago starring Lando (aka Childish Calrissian).

Bossk

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Before badass heist veteran Val gets caught out there by probe droids (so tight about that), she drops the name Bossk as someone she wishes were on Beckett’s heist crew. Bossk is the Trandoshan body catcher, a bounty hunter hired to catch Luke, Leia and them by Vader himself in Empire Strikes Back. Prior to that, he gave Anakin, Obi-Wan, and Ahsoka a run for their money in the animated Clone Wars.

Beckett’s Disguise

I know that you know that we all know that Beckett is rocking the get up that Lando (aka Kit Clout Chaser) was wearing to ‘rescue’ Han from Jabba (said in the key of “Shabba!”) in Return of the Jedi. We all know how that turned out.

The Rebellion

Enfys Nest unmasks and is deadass an adorable tween badass with a Kathleen Kleaver affect. She mentions a ragtag group of people from disparate planets and galaxies united by one thing: the desire to fight the Empire. The swoop bike gang she ran with, the Cloud Riders, date back to one of those throwback Star Wars Legends comics.

Sabacc

If you played Knights of the Old Republic, you most definitely played a few hands of this. It ain’t spades, but it’s a well-known game in the Star Wars Universe.

“I know”

Lando hits Han with the “I hate you.” Only to have the titular nerf-herder respond with, “I know.” Right? Like when he said it to Leia and it had hella weight because context, but now it’s cheapened a little by this, but it’s whatever.

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“Mining colonies are the worst.” – Lando

Says the guy who’s about to inherit the big mining colony in the sky.

Getting kicked out of the Imperial Academy

So wait, Han Solo, Sabine Wren (Rebels), AND Wedge Antilles all Kanye’d out of the Imperial Academy? They ALL became legends in the ranks of the rebellion? Somebody had to know at the school. How is there not a headmistress matching up wanted posters to incomplete transcripts like, “Damn, should’ve given them the dorm with the windows. Oh, well.”

 

There’s probably so many more to see on a second viewing, but you can only see a movie once on MoviePass, so…. Yeah. A lot of attention to detail and the tapestry of cannon and lore. Hats off for that. Solo released on May 25th to the franchise’s weakest box office showing, but the Easter eggs were dope!

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