Summary
TheMillennium Falconis one of the most iconic ships inStar Warsand all science fiction, but there are still some things about the legendary ship that don’t make any sense. TheMillennium Falconis one of the most prolific starships inStar Wars. It’s appeared in severalStar Warsmovies, comics, books, and shows, and it should continue to be important to the future of the franchise thanks to Rey Skywalker and theupcomingNew Jedi Ordermovie. TheMillennium Falconhas long since earned a spot as an icon ofStar Wars.
While theMillennium Falconis one of the most prolific ships inStar Wars, it’s also one of the most confusing. From the various pilots who have flown it to the various modifications those pilots have made to it over the years, theMillennium Falconhas never really been the same ship in its various appearances. There are 10 things in particular that make no sense about theMillennium Falcon, but even they can’t detract from such a legendary vehicle.
All 20 Times The Millennium Falcon Has Appeared In Star Wars Canon
From a brief cameo on Coruscant to a crucial role in the Battle of Exegol, the Millennium Falcon has appeared over 20 times in Star Wars canon.
10Why Did Lando Calrissian Name It The Millennium Falcon?
ThoughSolo: A Star Warsstory served as an origin story for Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and theMillennium Falcon, it failed to explain a rather important part of the ship’s backstory.By the timeSolopicks up with Lando’s story, he had already named his ship theMillennium Falcon, and the film didn’t explain how he landed on such a unique and iconic name. The ship’s name is made even odder because before Lando owned it, it was called theStellar Envoy. TheMillennium Falconhas had quite a few names over the years, butStar Warshasn’t explained why that one stuck.
Lando Calrissian
The smooth-talking Lando Calrissian enjoyed a successful criminal career during the Dark Times of the Empire’s reign. Winning the title of Baron-Administrator of Cloud City, he settled there for a time - until Han Solo came asking for favors, pursued by the Empire. Lando initially betrayed Han, fearful of Darth Vader’s power, but became an important asset in the Rebel Alliance - and helped rescue his old friend too. Although Lando tried to settle down, his family was targeted by the First Order, and his daughter was kidnapped. Lando returned to action toward the end of the Resistance-First Order war.
Adding to the mystery of theFalcon’s name is the fact that falcons are a very rare sight inStar Wars.Falcons have only ever appeared twice in bothStar WarsLegends and canon: once inSplinter of the Mind’s Eyeand once inDark Disciple. Both of those instances only referenced falcons as being similar to real-world birds of prey, and neither of them had any connection to theMillennium Falcon. It’s not clear why Lando picked that bird as his ship’s namesake, or why he bothered to change the name at all.
9Why Does Everyone Think The Millennium Falcon Is A Piece Of Junk?
In almost everyStar Warsstory that theMillennium Falconappears in, someone calls it “trash,” “garbage,” or “junk.” TheMillennium Falconcertainly had some problems - its hyperdrive was spotty at best, for example - but it was far from junk. In fact, theMillennium Falconwas just as legendary in-universe as it is toStar Warsfans.It was commonly called the fastest ship in the galaxy, it set the Kessel Run record, and it was instrumental in both the Galactic Civil War and the First Order-Resistance War. Even with its problems, theMillennium Falconshould have been one of the most envied ships in the galaxy.
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The only reason theMillennium Falconcould have been written off as junk is because of its haphazard and slapped-together appearance. Even that isn’t a compelling reason to slander it, though, as most of the ships inStar Warshave the exact same design aesthetic. The history of theMillennium Falconmakes its comparisons to junk even worse, considering how many modifications have been made to it and how much abuse it’s endured.Lesser ships would be in a junkyard if they had to face half the things theMillennium Falconwent through. The seemingly common opinion that it’s a garbage ship seems especially confusing.
8How Does The Millennium Falcon Fool Anyone As A Smuggling Ship?
TheMillennium Falcon’s main purpose - to serve as a smuggling ship - also adds to its confusion. Based on what’s known about theMillennium Falcon, it should be a terrible smuggling ship.The main cargo hold is used, seemingly exclusively, for theStar Warsversion of chess known as Dejarik, passengers, and the occasional Jedi training session (when the need arises). An empty cargo hold should be a red flag for any official inspecting a ship under suspicion of smuggling, and its measures to get around such officials are even worse.
The interior of the Millennium Falcon makes it wild that it ever passed a routine inspection at a blockade.
In the originalStar Wars, Han Solo explained that theMillennium Falconhas hidden compartments in its floors that are meant to hide illegal goods. Unfortunately, those floor compartments are terrible hiding places. They’re covered by metal grating that can easily be seen through, and it seems like the first place someone would check when searching a ship. The slapdash appearance of theFalconcan only do so much in making it look like a normal ship. The interior of theMillennium Falconmakes it wild that it ever passed a routine inspection at a blockade.
7Why Didn’t Lando Calrissian Ever Try To Get L3-37 Out Of The Falcon?
Solo, once again, added to the confusion surrounding theMillennium Falconin a failed attempt to explain its speed.Towards the end ofSolo, after Lando’s droid companion L3-37 had been mortally wounded and the crew needed a way out of the Maw Cluster before their coaxium cargo became destabilized. To plot that course, Qi’ra integrated L3 into theMillennium Falcon’s computer system, keeping her alive but without a body.Soloalso established that Lando was incredibly close to L3, though, which raised a few questions about his inaction following that mission.
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Even though Lando had an incredibly close, and potentially even romantic, relationship with L3-37, he never tried to get her out of theMillennium Falcon. It would have been extremely difficult, but not impossible. Other droids, like C-3PO and R2-D2, have survived catastrophic damage with their memories and personalities intact. It just seems odd that Lando would never even attempt to find a way to save his beloved co-pilot and friend. There is one reason he might have failed at that attempt, but as far asStar Warscanon has revealed, he never even got that far.
6How Does The Millennium Collective Even Work?
The main reason Lando’s attempts to free L3-37, if he had made them, would have failed is because she was essentially gone. In the novelization ofSolo: A Star WarsStory, L3-37’s fate got a bit more detail, but it also created a new wealth of questions.That novel explained that when L3 integrated with theMillennium Falcon, she became part of the Millennium Collective. Evidently, two other droids had integrated with theFalconin the past, and their consciousnesses had joined together into a single entity that erased their former identities. L3-37 joined them, and her personality was also lost in the Millennium Collective.
There are dozens of other questions the Millennium Collective raises, and it’s one of the most confusing explanations in Star Wars.
Though that helps explain why Lando might not have tried to free L3, it also raises some frankly astounding questions about theMillennium FalconandStar Warsin general. The concept of the Millennium Collective never explained how a droid’s mind can be subsumed into a larger collective, or even how that works. Is the Collective a separate entity, or do each of the three droids contribute parts of their old personality in a kind of melting pot?There are dozens of other questions the Millennium Collective raises, and it’s one of the most confusing explanations inStar Wars.
5Why Did Lando Risk Losing The Falcon By Gambling?
The ending ofSoloand L3-37 managed to make theMillennium Falcon’s history even more confusing yet again. The end ofSolosaw Lando lose a game of Sabacc to Han Solo, and since he had wagered theFalcon, he also lost his ship.The confusing part is not Lando’s loss, but the mere fact that he would wager the ship at all after L3’s sacrifice. Lando, of course, thought he could win because of the device up his sleeve that fed him cards, and he only realized that Han had taken his cards too late. That helps explain why he would wager theMillennium Falcon, but not completely.
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In many ways, theMillennium Falconwas the most important thing in the world to Lando duringSolo. It was his pride and joy as a ship, and it was the last vestige of L3-37, his friend and co-pilot. Even if he did think he could win the Sabacc game, it just seems odd that he would risk it at all.TheMillennium Falconwas the only way he could connect with L3 anymore, and it’s hard to believe that Lando would ever gamble with it after all the trauma he went through inSolo.
4How Many People Have Owned The Falcon?
TheMillennium Falconhad some notable owners over the years, from Lando Calrissian to Han Solo and Chewbacca to Rey Skywalker. It also had a whole host of other owners, though.A reference book mentioned that theMillennium Falconwas built around 60 BBY (Before the Battle of Yavin), yet Lando only took possession of it sometime before 13 BBY. That means there were decades when the ship was being used by unknown pilots. Lando did make most of the modifications that turned theMillennium Falconinto the legend it is, but those early pilots still remain a curious blank spot in the ship’s history.
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Han Solo also lost theMillennium FalconbetweenReturn of the JediandStar Wars: The Force Awakens, meaning there were years afterwards where it was owned by less notable criminals.Comics have since explained how Han lost theFalcon, and Rey mentioned that it was stolen by two more criminals before ending up on Jakku.Star Warshas, rightfully so, been more interested in telling the stories of theFalcon’s most legendary pilots, but there’s no telling what those lesser-known owners used the ship for, or what they did to it.
Rey Skywalker
3Why Has No One Tried To Replicate The Millennium Falcon?
For all intents and purposes, theMillennium Falconis an icon to most of theStar Warsgalaxy. It was infamous to villains like bounty hunters, the Galactic Empire, and the First Order, and it was a symbol of hope and legend to the Rebel Alliance, the Resistance, and aspiring pilots and smugglers.Despite theMillennium Falcon’s legend, however, no one tried to replicate it. For some reason, none of those people who idolized theFalconas the pinnacle of ships ever thought that finding another model and making similar modifications to it would be a good idea.
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It’s not as if no one knew how to recreate theMillennium Falcon. The ship was constantly being repaired and changing hands, so someone could have figured out what exactly all theFalcon’s owners had done to it to make it such a fantastic ship.It’s also not like theFalconwas purpose-built and not useful to anyone but Han and Lando: its armor, maneuverability, sub-light speed, and navigational capabilities would have been useful for dozens of purposes. Despite all the potential benefits of creating anotherMillennium Falcon, no one ever tried it.
2Why Did Han Solo Never Replace Lando’s Auxiliary Ship?
Yet another questionSoloraised about theMillennium Falconcame from one of Lando’s older modifications. While trying to escape the summa-verminoth in the Maw, Han jettisoned theFalcon’s escape pod that Lando had fashioned between its mandibles.While that revealed theMillennium Falcon’s most iconic design, it also raised the question of why Han never replaced it. Han did eventually get another escape pod for theFalcon, but he fitted it on top of the ship instead of between the mandibles, and he never used the full potential of the ship’s mandibles.
Han Solo
Hailing from Corellia, Han Solo deserted the Empire to become a smuggler, and he spent years working for the Hutts as a spice runner. Han’s life changed forever when he agreed to transport Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to Alderaan from Tatooine, and he soon became an important member of the Rebel Alliance. Han’s romance with Leia Organa became the stuff of legend, and they married shortly after the Battle of Endor. Sadly, their relationship ended in tragedy when their son Ben fell to the dark side - eventually killing Han. Still, memories of Han helped bring Ben back to the light.
The escape pod Lando originally put on theMillennium Falconwas actually an entire independent ship, a YT Dart that he had modified. The fact that theMillennium Falconwas, at one point, capable of holding an entire smaller ship in its mandibles meant that Han could have replaced it with another ship, but never did.Han could have used it in much the same way the characters ofStar Wars Rebelsused theGhostand its smaller ship, thePhantom. TheGhostcrew got quite a bit of utility out of thePhantom, and it’s confusing that Han missed such a huge opportunity for theFalcon.
1Why Didn’t Anyone Use The Falcon’s Mandibles Properly?
Even though Han never put another ship between theMillennium Falcon’s mandibles, he still could have used them for their intended purpose. TheMillennium Falconbegan its existence as a YT-1300 light freighter. That type of ship was designed to transport cargo and other ships around Corellia, Han’s homeworld, yet no one who has piloted theFalconinStar Warshas ever used it for that purpose.The carrying capacity of a YT-1300 was yet another missed opportunity to make theMillennium Falconeven more useful than it already is.
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Cast
Solo: A Star Wars Story explores the early adventures of Han Solo, showcasing his beginnings and key encounters with significant characters in the Star Wars universe. Set in a backdrop of galactic turmoil, the film delves into the origins of his famed relationships and his rise as a rebellious smuggler.
There are dozens of ways any of the pilots of theMillennium Falconcould have put the ship’s mandibles to good use. Lando and Han could have used them for smuggling, either to carry legitimate cargo and ward off inspections, or to smuggle more illegal goods than the ship normally could. TheMillennium Falconalso could have become a key part of both the Rebellion’s and the Resistance’s logistics by transporting supplies between the various bases. There are many parts of theMillennium Falconthat remain a mystery, and hopefully,Star Warswill continue to solve them for years to come.
Star Wars
Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.
