Star Wars Speculation: 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Talk

Last night a new trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story was released and I immediately debated whether I should bother posting anything about it or not. On one hand, I enjoyed the trailer and I've already made it a habit to discuss new Star Wars content via this Star Wars Speculation series. However, the new footage didn't really "reveal" much in terms of plot worth analyzing so I figured calling this a "Trailer Analysis" would be a little misleading. Ultimately, I've decided to rundown my favorite things from the trailer and add some occasional context to certain scenery.

**Keep in mind that this is all my interpretation of the scenery. I could be way off mark in regards to speculation, but provided I'm correct, potential spoilers lie ahead.**

'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Trailer Talk

My favorite things (No particular order):

1. Star Destroyer under construction- I love this shot for many reasons. One, we've never seen a Star Destroyer under construction before and it looks awesome. Two, I think the positioning of the camera communicates a lot about Solo's setting. Like Rogue One, you get the sense that the Empire is a powerful force that looms over everything. With the camera looking upward from a dingy, urban setting, you also get the sense this story will be told inside the criminal underbelly of the galaxy. Something that's rarely been examined in a Star Wars movie before. On top of all that, I'm guessing this takes place on Corellia because that is Han's homeworld which is known for building Imperial starships.

2. Enfys Nest and the Cloud-Riders- In my post about the first Solo teaser, I touched on these characters still unaware of who/what they were. At the time, I wasn't even able to provide any names or information for them whatsoever. Well, since then, details have surfaced that they're a pirate gang called the Cloud-Riders who are lead by Enfys Nest. While there's still no official word on this, Enfys Nest is said to be female and she and her gang will play an important role in the story as antagonists of sorts. Although, they supposedly aren't the main villains.

I included them to update my readers with more information and because I think Enfys Nest looks awesome.

I think they may also be trying to retrieve whatever the focal point of Han's heist is as there are numerous speeders in this sequence and I spotted Nest onboard the Conveyex (the train) in the last trailer. 

3. Sabacc- I've already touched on this in a previous post as well, but I believe this will be the game of Sabacc where Han wins the Falcon from Lando. Aside from that, we get another look at the cool crustacean Therm Scissorpunch (who may just have the greatest Star Wars name of all time) and the other aliens who will be present in the scene. I'm spotlighting this because I'm excited to see this sequence play out, I'm excited to hopefully learn the mechanics of Sabacc, and I really like the creature design as they reminds me of all the aliens found in the Mos Eisley cantina. 

4. Chewie's family?- Many have pointed out this shot as possibly introducing Chewbacca's wife Malla and son Lumpy from the Star Wars Holiday Special into canon. However, it's worth mentioning that these characters have already been made canon by the recent Aftermath trilogy of Star Wars novels and this doesn't mean that the Holiday Special itself is canon. Just the existence of the characters. Anyways, this looks like it may be what Chewbacca presumes to be a final farewell as he escapes captivity thanks to Han. I presume he's promising to return one day to free the other Wookies, which we already know happens in the events of Aftermath: Life Debt after Return Of The Jedi.

5. Chewie and Han- Just seeing Han and Chewie together puts a smile on my face, and I'm getting the sense Ron Howard's captured the delightful dynamic between the two based on the banter showcased in the trailer. 

5. "You might want to buckle up, baby."- I love this line because it's classic Lando. I'd say Donald Glover seems to have captured the charming spirit of the ol' smoothie and will be a standout for sure!

6. Chewie slamming someone into the ground- Chewbacca doesn't have on his bandolier here so I presume this will be some sort of slave revolt on the spice mines of Kessel. We'll probably see how Han helps free Chewie before learning the exact circumstances behind Chewbacca's pledged Life Debt to Han. Putting all that aside, seeing Chewbacca running rampant will probably be pretty cool if this shot from the trailer is any indication.

7. Origin of Han's DL-44 blaster- Looks like the film will show us that Han's classic blaster was given to him by Beckett. I'm curious to see if there's any particular reason Han holds the blaster in high esteem. Otherwise, I hope the film doesn't go overboard in explaining the origin of all of Han's things to the point it overtakes the story. 

8. Dryden Vos- Dryden Vos is described in the trailer as big shot gangster who's putting together a crew, so it's only natural that we can assume this crew pertains to the Conveyex heist. What he's after remains to be seen, but it's worth noting that his face is visibly scarred so it may be something that could help heal his face.

This weapon he's wielding is also quite cool and I think it may be a vibroblade of some sort. 

9. Range Troopers- It's always cool to see new Stormtrooper variants introduced in every Star Wars film. I like the look of these range troopers a lot and think it's awesome that they seem to have magnetic boots as they all remained balanced on the moving Conveyex train at various angles.

10. Beckett's advice- I really like what Beckett tells Han when he says "Let me give you some advice: expect that everyone will betray you, and you will never be disappointed." I think it sets up the idea that Han will in-fact be betrayed by someone or multiple people over the course of the film and that will drastically alter his ability to trust others.

General Thoughts: Like Han said in the trailer, I've got a good feeling about this. I'm obviously excited for Solo while others still seem skeptical. I realize the production problems are troubling, but I think Ron Howard seems to have come in and course-corrected things. I'm liking the Western-gunslinger vibe because it suits Han's introduction to a life of smuggling perfectly. I've gotten good impressions from the cast so far and I think the film will be visually impressive regardless of anything else. All I'm hoping for is a fun space adventure and I remain optimistic that Solo will deliver.

-As always, May the Force be with you!