Star Wars: What Planet Is Han Solo From?
Over the years, "Star Wars" fans have come to know Han Solo for his reputation as a prolific smuggler turned rebel general, being the man that stole the heart of a princess, and the pilot who made the infamous Kessel run — done with the Millenium Falcon in less than 12 parsecs. But while there isn't much mystery surrounding the ambitious scoundrel, some might wonder which planet this legendary franchise icon hails from.
Since "Star Wars: A New Hope" came out in 1977, followers of the franchise have been introduced to a galaxy's worth of planets and systems that make up the vast and ever-expanding "Star Wars" universe. That film also debuted the charismatic character of Han Solo, who has been heavily featured in several of the franchise's flicks, including his movie "Solo: A Star Wars Story." That particular spinoff is the first motion picture to showcase Han Solo's homeworld Corellia.
The planet is known throughout the galaxy for its excellence in engineering and for providing some of the best pilots available. In addition, the shipyards found on Corellia have been known for cultivating several of the galaxy's starships, starfighters, and the Empire's favorite, Star Destroyers. Besides Han Solo, Corellia also serves as the homeworld for Qi'ra, rebel pilot Wedge Antilles, and bounty hunter Dengar. But while the planet provides the origin story for Solo and several other "Star Wars" personas, Corellia itself has a rich and impactful history within the "Star Wars" lore.
Corellia contains a captivating history
While its appearance in "Solo: A Star Wars Story" makes the entire world out to be a bleak and desolate junkyard full of factories and crime, Corellia was not always a planet-sized den of scum and villainy like Mos Eisley. According to StarWars.com, the planet was a crucial part of developing the galactic civilization and helped set up several hyperspace trade routes that allowed for systems within the republic to thrive. But thanks to the efforts of the Empire, the planet became nothing more than a place for them to build their massive fleet of warships, which would assist them in becoming the most powerful authority in the galaxy far, far away.
In "Star Wars Legends," Corellia was once a beautiful planet with green forests and blue oceans like Earth. But as its industrial needs grew, the resulting pollution severely damaged the ecosystem. But that didn't stop the capital Coronet City from being labeled as one of the most technologically advanced metropolises in the entire galaxy. Corellia was one of the founding members of the Galactic Republic and later a founding member of the New Republic. The Senator from Corellia, Garm Bel Iblis, would go on to become a founder of the Rebel Alliance which began in the mountains of Corellia. The planet also once had a monarchy, and Han Solo was rumored to be a descendant of that royal line.
Whether it's Canon or Legends, Corellia has a fascinating past, making it somewhat surprising it took so long to make it onto the big screen. And what's even more intriguing is how they brought Solo's homeworld to life in the character's spinoff feature.
How the Death Star, Cloud City, and Venice crafted Corellia in Solo
When it came time to give Corellia its theatrical debut, the team behind the film knew that not only would the location help kick off the exciting feature, but it would also be packed to the brim with several big scenes, including an epic speeder chase sequence. In order to get things rolling, VFX Art Director James Clyne was tasked with creating a map, and to do so, he used some familiar "Star Wars" aesthetics. "I was trying to think what are the basic shape that I could make Corellia that would fit into our Star Wars world, so I drew a Death Star. I drew the Bespin Cloud City," Clyne revealed in the "Escape from Corellia" behind-the-scenes featurette.
But it wasn't just floating cities and moon-sized space stations that helped inspire Corellia's live-action introduction to the "Star Wars" franchise. According to Set Decorator Lee Sandales, a certain prominent Italian city must also be credited with serving as inspiration for the Solo homeworld. "Neil had come up with this whole concept with James Clyne that Corellia was almost like a Star Wars version of Venice," Sandales said in the BTS clip. "But an industrial Venice where the whole planet is made up of these archipelagos, like cities on each of them that are all connected by bridges."
While it may not be as attractive as Venice or Cloud City, the final design was a unique concept unlike other systems in the galaxy fans have seen before, and despite its flaws, Corellia is still considered by some to be one of the best "Star Wars" planets to live on.