Star Wars: The Force Awakens - 8 Things We've Learned Since Release
5. Why They Killed Off Han Solo
"Why J.J, why?" is a question many of us were left asking after the heartbreaking moment which saw Kylo Ren murder his father, but Abrams' justification for why the beloved and iconic Han Solo had to die in The Force Awakens does make sense. "We knew we needed to do something f**king bold. The only reason why Kylo Ren has any hope of being a worthy successor is because we lose one of the most beloved characters." The filmmaker went on to explain that because we don't meet Kylo as a fully formed villain, they knew a scene was needed which would show him making that fateful decision to turn to the Dark Side. Otherwise, The Force Awakens "wouldnt have any guts at all." While Harrison Ford has yet to weigh in on all this, it wouldn't be in the least bit surprising if he only wanted to do the one movie, so that too may have been a factor. Either way, this was a big undertaking on Abrams' part, and he got just as lost in the moment while they were shooting it as those of us who witnessed it for the first time on the big screen. "To see Harrison reach out and touch Adam. I know this sounds stupid, but literally watching it, I forgot I forgot that he wasnt his son. He did it so beautifully." It's hard to argue with that, and Han definitely went out in a meaningful way.
