WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story, in theaters now.


While the intention for Star Wars anthology movies, such as Rogue One, was to bridge the gap between George Lucas' original trilogy and the its prequels, Solo: A Star Wars Story takes a somewhat different approach, as it also casts an eye towards building a franchise of its own.

Given the disappointing box office performance so far, it remains to be seen how this film will be expanded upon. Nonetheless, Ron Howard's movie sets up a sequel -- unsurprising given that lead actors Alden Ehrenreich (Han Solo) and Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian) are locked into multi-picture deals.

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But before proceeding to Han's next chapter, there are a few plot holes and some lingering questions we'd like answered regarding his origin story as the galaxy's most notorious smuggler.

Is Qi'ra Really A Villain?

Qi'ra (Emilia Clarke) is the woman Han embarks on this criminal life for, all so he can rescue her from Corellia after they were separated. When they're reunited, though, circumstances are drastically different, as she's the right-hand woman of Dryden Vos (Paul Bettany), and Han's working off a debt he owes them; leading to him teaming up with Tobias Beckett (Woody Harrelson) to steal coaxium.

Solo A Star Wars Story Qira Emilia Clarke Outside Falcon Phoebe Waller-Bridge Female Droid

Qi'ra joins Han's crew to oversee things, but it's obvious they're still genuinely in love with each other. However, throughout the flick, Tobias warns Han about her, emphasizing he doesn't know what she did to become Dryden's deputy. Even Qi'ra herself warns Han about her shady past, which he ignores because he's still hoping they'll fly off into the sunset together.

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Sadly, after the mission is successful and Qi'ra kills Dryden, she opts to take over Crimson Dawn. We're left somewhat confused though, because as she takes off in her ship to go meet her new boss, she shoots Han a lovestruck glance. Is she really a villain or is this all part of some longer game she's playing with Maul? It would have been nice to get some insight into the three years she was separated from Han, which would have informed how she escaped Corellia, developed criminal aspirations and why she gave up that happy ending in the finale.

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Throughout Solo, we're teased by Dryden as to the identity of Crimson Dawn's true boss, revealed to be Darth Maul. As excited as fans are, it's very surprising, especially as his resurrection after The Phantom Menace was thoroughly fleshed out in The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels; including his final death at Obi-Wan Kenobi's hands.

In those animated series, Maul led a crime syndicate from his home-world, Dathomir, but it included the Pyke Syndicate, the Hutt Clan, the Black Sun, and the Death Watch of Mandalore. In this space mafia, known as the Shadow Collective, there was no Crimson Dawn, which leaves us wondering what's Maul's end-game with his new organization and exactly where it fit into his second lease on life.

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Phantom-Menace-Darth-Maul

When the Shadow Collective fell, he fled Dathomir, only to return later on when Rebels began its conclusion, trying to corrupt Ezra Bridger. From his Solo appearance though, given his new legs and new weapon, it appears that this is Maul after the Shadow Collective failed.

All signs point to him having returned to Dathomir in between these events to start a new syndicate. It could be that Crimson Dawn was a secret arm of the Shadow Collective, or simply an evolution of the group. Either way, given that such a project failed the first time, we'd love to know why Maul tried again, especially at a location that isn't secret at all.

What's The Real Deal With Han's Golden Dice?

Han's golden dice was seen in the original trilogy as a symbol of luck, something we admittedly didn't pay attention to. This was because the item didn't factor into the plots of the movies at all. However, in The Last Jedi, it played a very sentimental role, reminding Luke and Leia of their loss, while also setting the stage for Solo to elaborate why it was so dear to him.

Well, this never happens. Instead of some endearing backstory, Solo frames the dice as a good-luck charm right off the bat when we see Han and Qi'ra escaping Lady Promixa's gang. There's no clue as to where it came from, why he considers it lucky, or why it's an emotional token in his life (as evidenced by him slipping it to Qi'ra as they get separated).

RELATED: Solo Reveals the Significance of Han’s Gold Dice

As a result, there's no real impact when she gives it back to him in the end. For an origins story, there's shockingly little detail surrounding Han's life as a kid, his family (apart from his father building spaceships), or anything of real value which played a part in his formative identity. This dice could have been that tether to his adolescence, but as it stands right now, seeing as he's an expert gambler, all we can do is assume it has something to do with him winning a big hand in a game other than sabacc.

What The Heck Is Coaxium?

Well, technically speaking, the substance (aka hyperfuel) is very expensive starship fuel which allows vessels to travel faster than the speed of light. Due to its chemical properties, only a small amount of it is needed to power an entire fleet of ships. So, why is it only now appearing in Star Wars lore?

It debuted in the tie-in children's book Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure last month, but that book was set after Solo's events, so the first chronological appearance of the fuel source would be in Howard's movie here. Seeing as so many criminal organizations are after it, and a former Sith Lord in Maul is harnessing its capabilities, one would think the intuitive Empire would have come to know about it at some point and exploited its power.

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As it stands, coaxium is thrust into play here as a MacGuffin to get Han into making his character-defining Kessel Run. The fact it also hasn't played a part in the new trilogy and that no one has any record of it means either it was merely created for this movie, or the mines that supplied it went dry. The latter would be a pretty convenient storytelling tool for nixing out later stories, but it does come off as wasted potential for something that would be considered a valuable treasure in the galaxy.

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How Does Han Suddenly Speak Shyriiwook?

Fans were excited to learn how Han and Chewbacca met in Solo, and how Han's able to speak the Wookiee language, Shyriiwook. In the 1997 novel from A.C. Crispin, The Paradise Snare, Han learnt it as a kid on the pirate ship, 'Trader's Luck,' from a Wookiee cook, Dewlanna; but with this story non-canon in Disney's lore, Howard would have to craft something new as to how Han became versed in Wookiee linguistics.

Disappointingly, this is never revealed because when Han, looking to desert the Imperial Army, is about to be killed by Chewie in their first meeting in a prison pit, he quickly pleads with the Wookiee in his native tongue. That's right, Han knows Shyriiwook already, which leads to him befriending Chewie and convincing him to join Beckett's criminal gang to make money.

Han and Chewie in the Millennium Falcon from Solo: A Star Wars Story

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One can easily chalk this down to Han's Imperial training, but this would mean other officers know the language. Yet we've never seen any of them communicating with Chewie in any Star Wars movie. This development feels like a deus ex machina to advance the plot, because at no point whatsoever did Han ever reference meeting a Wookiee. As a result, this plot twist is something that's just all too convenient.

How Does Han Actually Make The Kessel Run?

Han's always touted himself as the best pilot in space, but we just don't get why he thinks he is. In the old Star Wars stories, we witnessed the Skywalkers growing up as racers, honing their talents as pilots, but with Han, all we see is him as an adult in a street-race with a speeder. Thus, when the time comes to make the Kessel Run, it feels like he's a Marty Stu who can magically do everything.

Had we been given some background with him actually flying ships in the Imperial Army, we could understand how he makes this miraculous space run. Instead, it's all the more astonishing because he's never flown the Millennium Falcon before and isn't familiar with its flight systems; and also, Lando and Qi'ra even mention that several experienced pilots have attempted this course and failed.

RELATED: Solo: How Han Makes the Kessel Run in Less Than 12 Parsecs

Seeing as his father built ships like the Falcon, we can only assume his prowess came from flying them... theoretically. For a movie that plays up its lead as a hotshot pilot, there's not much we get to see on-screen which makes this claim believable. Well, until this deus ex machina of a space detour.

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.