20 Things You Didn't Know About Solo: A Star Wars Story

14. Han's Enlisting Scene Was Inspired By The Godfather Part II

Solo A Star Wars Story Han Chewbacca
Lucasfilm & Paramount

One of Solo's most maligned scenes occurs early on when Han enlists in the Imperial Navy as a flight cadet and earns his surname Solo... because he's on his own.

It's a forced sliver of fan-service that many fans understandably found a bit cringe-worthy, but the scene as a whole actually had a surprisingly lofty inspiration.

The scene was intended to be an homage of an iconic scene from The Godfather Part II of all movies, where 9-year-old Vito arrives at Ellis Island and has his surname changed from Andolini to Corleone.

The two scenes have a faint visual resemblance for obvious reasons, but it goes without saying that Vito's naming scene is considerably more meaningful than Han's, which feels rather tacked-on and unnecessary.

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.