In 2018, Lucasfilm and Disney released an origin film for one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe: Han Solo. Solo: A Star Wars Story released with less-than-favorable box office numbers, causing the studios to now be hesitant to create any sort of follow-up for the movie. This is especially unfortunate since this film certainly needs that follow-up, whether it be another movie or a Disney+ TV series. 

Solo may not have been the best Star Wars movie, but it’s far from the worst. It plays out like a fun space western, and it feels unique despite also staying true to the other films in the franchise. The action was riveting whether it was in ships soaring through space or blasting foes on the ground. There’s even a suspenseful train heist. The film also knows when to be emotional, and the story has several unexpected twists throughout. 

The movie was left open-ended after some of the biggest twists it could have had. SPOILER ALERT: Darth Maul is alive and is in charge of a criminal organization known as Crimson Dawn. Plus, Qi’ra is working for him! How could they drop those bombs without revisiting that story? The world needs to see what happens next. 

Solo let us finally see into Han’s past that has only been mentioned in passing until now, like getting the Millennium Falcon from Lando, meeting Chewbacca, and making the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs. However, there are some key moments still missing. In the original trilogy, Han has a clear rivalry with both Jabba the Hutt and Boba Fett. However, we never see how that started. Hopefully that’s the main conflict of the follow-up if there ever actually is one. We also have yet to see Han Solo, the smuggler, do a whole lot of smuggling. He’s done it a little bit, but considering he’s appeared in five or six movies, one would think we would have seen a lot more of his smuggling jobs. 

Han and Lando may not be portrayed by Harrison Ford and Lando Calrissian, but Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover were masterful when it came to playing the characters and making sure they felt the same as they always have. They brought the characters to life without ever feeling like discount versions of the original actors. They deserve another shot at portraying these iconic characters in the future. 

Solo: A Star Wars Story is an absolute blast to watch, it’s left open-ended, and there’s more of Han Solo’s past worth exploring. With news of continuous Star Wars shows coming to Disney+, it’s disheartening that none of it has been regarding an actual follow-up to Solo, which is greatly needed.