10 Saddest Deaths In Star Wars

Han Solo's death at the hands of his son is easily the best scene in The Force Awakens. For a very brief moment, it seems like Kylo Ren might accept his father's pleas and return to the light side and his family. As Rey, Finn and Chewie watch on, Ren suddenly impales Han, with Solo's body slowly tumbling into the bottomless abyss on Starkiller Base.

Han's demise came at such a shock for the audience, though really it shouldn't have. It's been no secret that Harrison Ford has been begging for the smuggler's demise for decades; something that Lucas denied him during the making of the Original Trilogy, since he wanted Return of the Jedi's ending to be as uplifting as possible.

Even so, Ford finally got his wish for The Force Awakens. During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2020, the actor justified Solo's death by saying that, "I figured that his utility had been exhausted, bled out. I was willing to die for the cause."

Although Ford was happy about Han's passing, it was still gut-wrenching to watch the first of the legacy trio bite the bullet in such a harrowing way, with his co-pilot and long-time best friend Chewbacca helplessly watching on.