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Ovan

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This article covers the Canon version of this subject.  Click here for Wookieepedia's article on the Legends version of this subject. 

"My dad worked the line at the CEC plant before he got laid off…He wanted to be a pilot."
"You, uh, close with your old man?"
"Not really."
―Han Solo, to Landonis Balthazar Calrissian[3]

Ovan[4] was a human[2] male who was the father of famed smuggler-turned-rebel Han Solo and the grandfather of Ben Solo. He lived on Corellia during Solo's early years, where he worked in the Corellian Engineering Corporation shipyards, building vessels such as YT-1300 light freighters. Han Solo's father wished he could leave Corellia on such a ship, but was never able to afford to.[3] At some point, Ovan brought his son to the freighter factory where he worked. His father pointed out that the ships being built there were his contributions to the galaxy, but that they ultimately did not matter. His father then advised him that Han was not meant to build ships, but rather to fly them.[5] According to Han, who recounted his father's story to Lando Calrissian, he was never close with his father.[3] Sometime afterwards when Han was young, his father abandoned him,[6] and eventually died in 24 BBY.[1]

In 10 BBY, Han Solo took up the life of a scoundrel, and began working for Jabba Desilijic Tiure, a prominent crime lord, on Tatooine.[source?] On one mission between 8 BBY and 2 BBY,[7] Solo returned to Corellia on a mission to retrieve an urn containing the ashes of Krestrel D'Naran for Jabba.[4] Upon arriving at a local bar, Solo encountered the criminal Corbus Tyra, who posed as Ovan in order to collect the urn. Solo originally held doubts about the authenticity of the mans claim, though was convinced after he recounted the time Ovan had spoken to Han about the ships he built during his career.[8]

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Behind the scenes[]

"Since so many SW characters are orphans or the product of some great tragedy, we wanted the story of Han's parentage to hint at something more complex and less romantic. His father led a working-class life, full of disappointment, and he had a complicated, difficult relationship with his son."
―Jon Kasdan on Han's father[9]

Ovan was first mentioned, albeit indirectly, in the 2015 reference book Ultimate Star Wars.[10] He was first identified in the first issue of the comic miniseries Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca written by Marc Guggenheim,[4] and published on March 9, 2022.[11] He later made his first appearance, via a flashback, in the second issue of the series,[2] that was published on May 18, 2022.[12] In Star Wars Legends, the character was identified as Jonash Solo.[13]

In November 1977, Star Wars creator George Lucas came up with Han Solo's backstory during story conferences he had with Leigh Brackett over the development of the story for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back. Lucas' backstory indirectly involved Han's father, being that Han had been orphaned on and raised by Wookiees at their planet before befriending Chewbacca.[14] The first prominent mention of Han Solo's father came with the 2018 Star Wars Anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story.[3] Solo's relationship with his father, as part of the film's backstory, was inspired by that of songwriter-musician Bruce Springsteen with his father Douglas, as writers Jon and Lawrence Kasdan both read Springteen's autobiography Born to Run around the time they were writing the film's script.[15]

There are inconsistencies regarding the fate of Ovan. Ultimate Star Wars and its 2019 updated edition both state that Han was orphaned at a young age, indirectly indicating that his father died.[10][16] Mur Lafferty's novelization of Solo later stated that Ovan had abandoned Han.[6] Jon Kasdan stated on Twitter that he believes that Han ran away from his father and that Han's father is still alive somewhere, drinking himself to death, however.[9] Star Wars: Timelines later confirmed his death.[1]

Appearances[]

Sources[]

Notes and references[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Star Wars: Timelines
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Han Solo & Chewbacca 2
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Solo: A Star Wars Story
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Han Solo & Chewbacca 1
  5. ↑ Most Wanted
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Solo: A Star Wars Story: Expanded Edition
  7. ↑ Star Wars: Timelines dates the events of Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca to between around 8 BBY and 2 BBY.
  8. ↑ Han Solo & Chewbacca 5
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 TwitterLogo Jon Kasdan (@JonKasdan) on Twitter: "continued" (screenshot)
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ultimate Star Wars
  11. ↑ MarvelLogo Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca (2022) #1 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  12. ↑ MarvelLogo Star Wars: Han Solo & Chewbacca (2022) #2 on Marvel Comics' official website (backup link)
  13. ↑ The Courtship of Princess Leia
  14. ↑ The Star Wars Archives: Episodes I–III, 1999–2005
  15. ↑ Bruce Springsteen Inspired 'Solo: A Star Wars Story' Plot Point by Lifton, Dave on Ultimate Classic Roc (May 25, 2018) (archived from the original on July 23, 2020)
  16. ↑ Ultimate Star Wars, New Edition
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