Solo Writer Discusses Tag & Bink Scene That Was Cut From Film

CBR

Solo Writer Was Sure These Characters Wouldn't Be Cut from Film (They Were)

By Sam Stone

Published May 29, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story co-writer Jonathan Kasdan had a cameo as part of a pair of beloved Expanded Universe/Legends characters. It was cut.

While Solo: A Star Wars Story reveals much of Han Solo's extensive backstory, not all of his origin made it to the final cut.

In director Ron Howard's film, Han enlists in the Imperial Navy to escape from his home world of Corellia and become a pilot. Immediately after, the narrative jumps to the young scoundrel fighting for his life as an Imperial infantryman on Mimdan. When asked how he wound up as a foot soldier, Han mentions he was expelled from the Imperial Academy for insubordination. According to Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan, a scene showing that rebellious act, along with a couple fan-favorite characters, were cut from the film.

"One of the things we went back and forth on a lot is that both Larry [Kasdan, co-writer] and I felt that it was important to see Han in the Imperial Academy, in the Navy, because we wanted to see him become this pilot," Kasdan told ComicBook.com. "From the first draft through the last draft, there was a chunk of the movie — Very short. Like, I'd say 80 seconds long — that showed him in the Imperial Academy doing some sort of flight things, sort of disobeying a direct order, and getting kicked out."

The cut scene Kasdan refers to also featured a cameo by himself as Tag Greenley and first assistant director Toby Hefferman as Bink Otauna, beloved Expanded Universe/Legends characters who would have been reintroduced into canon with Solo. Howard teased their live-action debut during filming in October.

"As he's getting kicked out, he's being sort of moved out of the official courtroom by Tag and Bink, played by [me] and Toby Hefferman," Kasdan continued. "We were certain that these scene was going to remain because it's a crucial moment in his life. And it was the last thing to come out. It was heartbreaking."

Tag and Bink were introduced in 2001 by Kevin Rubio and Lucas Marangon in Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars: Tag and Bink Are Dead #1 as two bumbling Rebel soldiers who avoid capture by the Empire by masquerading as Stormtroopers. They're subsequently enlisted as TIE fighter pilots to defend the Death Star from Rebel attack, and end up damaging Darth Vader's fighter in the Battle of Yavin. In later adventures, they stumble through other key events of the original trilogy and in the prequels, where they appear as children.

In theaters now, director Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story stars Alden Ehrenreich as Han Solo, Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian, Emilia Clarke as Qi’ra, and Joonas Suotamo as Chewbacca. They’re joined by Thandie Newton as Val, Phoebe Waller-Bridge L3-37, Paul Bettany as Dryden Vos, and Woody Harrelson as Tobias Beckett.