HAN SOLO
Role: Scruffy-Looking Nerf-Herder, Space Scoundrel, The Cynic Gone Good
Group Affiliations: The Rebel Alliance
PL 9 (186)
STRENGTH 2
STAMINA 4
AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8
DEXTERITY 6
INTELLIGENCE 3
AWARENESS 4
PRESENCE 3
Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Deception 9 (+12)
Expertise (Intergalactic Scoundrel) 11 (+14)
Insight 4 (+8)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 4 (+8)
Perception 6 (+10)
Ranged Combat (Blasters) 5 (+13)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Technology 3 (+6)
Vehicles 10 (+16)
Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Equipment 39 (Blaster +5- Multiattack, The Millennium Falcon), Evasion, Fascinate (Deception), Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Blaster) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Jack-Of-All-Trades, Languages 2 (Several), Luck 2, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Scoundrel), Taunt, Teamwork, Ultimate Scoundrel Skill
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Laser Blaster +13 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +12
Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +6, Will +10
Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Han is a greedy S.O.B., and only does things for the money. However...
Motivation (Defeating The Empire)- Han eventually realizes how important beating The Empire is, and joins The Rebel Alliance.
Relationship (Chewbacca)- Han is cordial, though sometimes argumentative, with his Wookiee co-pilot.
Relationship (Princess Leia)- The two of them argue from the moment they meet, and are constantly at each other's throats. Naturally, they're in love.
Relationship (Luke Skywalker)- Han treats Luke as a bit of a subordinate (always calling him "kid"), but comes to think of him like a brother, rescuing him many times.
Enemy (Jabba the Hutt)- Han owes the fat bastard a great deal of credits, which sends mercenaries like Greedo, Bossk and Boba Jett his way.
Secret (Plenty)- Han, as a mercenary, has tons of secrets, and doesn't want the Empire to know any of them. Tons of stuff on the Falcon is illegal to own in the Imperial Era.
Relationship (The Millennium Falcon)- Like all good men, Han Solo loves his ship.
Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 64--32 / Advantages: 66 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 20 (186)
The Scruffy-Looking Nerf-Herder:
-Han Solo is one of the central heroes to the saga, and one of its best characters- he's really important to the overall "feel" of the thing- like Grumpy of the Seven Dwarfs, he's the "Cynical One" that snarks about the plot ("hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a blaster at your side, kid"), thus sort of taking the position of those viewers who would roll their eyes at all the esoteric "Jedi Stuff", especially as the first film really had to feature exposition about it in order to get audiences to buy into what it was. Han also represents the grungier, run-down nature of the series- this wasn't some standard Glistening Sci-Fi romp, full of towering spires and sleek starships; this was a dirty galaxy, full of scum and villainy. Technology often barely worked, everything aside from the Empire's stuff was always dirty, and anyone who wasn't a Galactic Officer was basically like Han Solo- some scruffy-looking guy just looking to make a buck and stay out of The Empire's business. He wasn't PRO-Empire, but he definitely wasn't risking his ass to FIGHT them- he's more like Rick in
Casablanca, whose trademark was "I don't stick me neck out for ANYBODY!"
-We get a "Character Defining Moment" right away, as Han casually murders the man sent to harass him for his debut to some Crimelord, TOTALLY SHOOTING FIRST. This marks an immediate contrast to the noble Obi-Wan, and the bright-eyed naive Luke, and it's made moreso when we see his gigantic fuzzy co-pilot and their "piece of junk!" ship, The Millennium Falcon. Han is The Rogue- a smirking, cynical, get-your-money-and-go type of guy, but also a risk-taker, a thief, and a dishonest man. The PERFECT makings of a popular hero- you can see this type of guy as the hero in any number of films these days, but back then was a bit more rare. Han hardly invented the Rogue Hero, though.
Han Evolves:
-Han is of course all about the money, and makes sure to tell everyone this constantly throughout the first film. He's amused by Luke's innocense, and likes him well enough, but he REALLY argues with the sanctimonious, self-righteous "Princess" broad they have to go and rescue. Naturally, at the end of the film, Han takes the money and runs... only to come flying back at the VERY LAST SECOND, saving the day (AND Luke's life), allowing the Rebel Alliance to destroy the lethal Death Star. Han, a classic "I'm staying out of it" type of character, instead has his
Casablanca moment, gains some Character Development, and decides that the Empire really DOES need to be stopped, after all! Han's unselfish decision saves the galaxy from the Empire, and he becomes an ardent Rebel. In the second film, he's on the side of the angels, but still constantly argues with Leia and sexually harrasses her... naturally, they fall in love, and Han gets the CLASSIC douchey male line ("I love you!" "... I know.") before being frozen in carbonite and sent off to Jabba the Hutt.
-Rescued in the final film, Han generally has little to do- he's saved by the other heroes, Luke faces Vader and the Emperor, the Ewoks are the strongest force against the Stormtroopers on the ground, and LANDO takes the Falcon against the Death Star. You really didn't need him at all actually, save the fact that he's important to the first part of the plot- his Character Arc was basically at its end- he Casablancas himself into the main conflict in the first film, and falls in love with Leia in the second. The EU goes on and on about his past, his future, and his children (All of whom are naturally totes Jedi-powered. One goes to The Dark Side). The Sequel Trilogy starts with him being heavily featured in the first film- a throwback to
A New Hope. He's acting a bit broken after his singular child falls to the Dark Side, and is ultimately killed trying to reason with Ben (now "Kylo Ren").
Why Han Works:
-Han is probably the most-popular of the heroes in the franchise- even moreso than the main hero Luke. Harrison Ford (who really didn't care for the character that much) played him with such a cocky, disaffected way that guys couldn't help but see him as the Ideal Man. The fact that he got to do all the "fun stuff" (snark, argue, cheat, steal, brag, etc.) AND become a hero in the end really seals the deal. His Character Arc is just as effective as Luke's (Wannabe Hero to Real Hero to Peace-Offering Hero Who Only Fights If He Has To), he gets the girl (how many movies feature only the SECONDARY protagonist doing so?), and he's got the coolest ship in the galaxy. Han Solo was the man. It's not for nothing that Harrison Ford became BY FAR the biggest star out of the original cast, and is still marketable today. It's pretty obvious watching the film that he, Frank Oz & James Earl Jones are a head and shoulders above the other cast members.
Scoundrel Skills:
-Han Solo is a great hand to have in a firefight, though represents the more "human" element of the series in his comparative-frailty- he has nowhere near the Parry score of a Jedi, and is only PL 5 when unarmed. This is pretty common in the series- he's a GOOD fighter, but he's only really shown beating up some Mooks in hand-to-hand. When faced with someone like Darth Vader, there's absolutely no question as to who's going to win. This is part of the fun with Han- he's always getting his ass kicked, being captured, being frozen and being disarmed- his injuries rack up across the Original Trilogy and are rather numerous. Yet he's still fighting- that scrappy nature is classic for the character.