Why the Millennium Falcon looks different in Solo: A Star Wars Story

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

With its sparkly clean interior and more streamlined silhouette, the Millennium Falcon which we'll be introduced to in the upcoming SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY is a bit of a departure from its previous look. Just how the Falcon transforms into the "piece of junk" we've all come to love will very likely be explained in SOLO, but a recent Entertainment Weekly feature does spill a few details on how, and why, the Millennium Falcon looks the way it does.

During the time-frame of SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, the Millennium Falcon belongs to Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover), at least at first, and co-writer Jon Kasdan said that "the Falcon should always reflect the personality of its captain," which in the case of Lando, means that the Falcon is as much a party ship as it is a cargo vessel. "Where Han gave it a certain shabby coolness and a dinged up quality that reflected where he was at that point in his life, this Falcon reflects its owner very clearly in its shape and aesthetic and his needs, even if those needs be a little more space to entertain," Kasdan said. Once Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) gets his hands on the Falcon and starts installing a few of those "special modifications," the ship will begin to more closely resemble the one we're introduced to in A NEW HOPE. Although it may not look quite as pristine, Alden Ehrenreich teases that the dirt and grime may serve as some sort of galactic camouflage.

It’s safer in the galaxy to fly something that looks like a piece of junk. People underestimate you — especially if you’re up to no good. Kinda like how you’re more likely to get pulled over if you’re driving a Lamborghini.

The new look of the Millennium Falcon was inspired, at least in part, by the early concept art from Ralph McQuarrie, and one of the most noticeable differences is that the ship features a tapered nose rather than the forked mandibles we've become used to. Entertainment Weekly said that it would be a spoiler to describe just how the ship winds up in that state, but Jon Kasdan adds that even when it's introduced in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, the Falcon has already been around for quite some time. "Remember, when the Falcon enters our movie, it’s already had a long life. Decades of existence. And it’s been modified even from its original design," Kasdan said. "What we tried to do with the whole movie was take things that we take for granted and love and turn them on their ear."

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY will hit theaters on May 25, 2018.