Fans of Star Wars know the franchise as a space fantasy filled with epic lightsabre and spaceship battles, though it is also home to a fantastic series of love stories. The original trilogy introduced fans to rogueish smuggler Han Solo and the rebellious Princess Leia Organa as they fought beside each other and fell in love.
Of course, it wasn't a typical love story. The two characters had their ups and downs that forced Han Solo to demonstrate his love for the rebel leader in a number of different ways across the cinematic franchise, and vice versa for Leia.
10 Han Came Back To Fight In A New Hope After Already Claiming His Reward
When Han Solo first met the captured Princess Leia in Episode IV: A New Hope, he was motivated by the reward for freeing her. The reward could help him pay off the bounty on his head from his time working as a smuggler with Jabba the Hutt. After he finally managed to save Leia and return her to the rebellion, he was paid handsomely for his troubles and set off to have the bounty removed.
However, with some guilt-inducing nudging from Luke Skywalker, Han Solo arrived in the final assault against the Death Star to help Luke blow it up before it took out the rebel base on Yavin 4. It may not have been specifically done because of his developing feelings for Leia, but it was certainly a positive step forward in their developing romance.
9 He Cared For Leia's Hands After She Hurt Them Working On The Millennium Falcon
When the franchise continued with Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo had become a general in the rebellion and was working closely with Princess Leia. They had yet to admit their feelings for each other and frequently, but playfully argued with each other.
However, Han Solo was still able to show her that he was interested through simple actions like rubbing her hands after she hurt them working on the Millennium Falcon. This led to their first kiss before they once again faced a dangerous threat together, and proved that even the smallest actions can still reveal one's true feelings.
8 He Comforted Her Privately On Bespin Before They Were Ambushed By Darth Vader
The pair traveled together while Luke Skywalker was training with Yoda on Dagobah, and after a tense escape from Imperial starships, they found themselves on the planet of Bespin at the hospitality of Cloud City's founder, Lando Calrissian.
Leia felt uneasy about their presence on Bespin as well as their host's true motivations. Solo attempted to comfort her and the two shared a sweet and tender moment just before Leia's fears were realized and Lando betrayed the heroes.
7 Han Spent Nearly All Of Empire Trying To Get Leia To Admit Her Feelings For Him
Once Han Solo realized that he was falling for Princess Leia, he spent the majority of The Empire Strikes Back trying to make Leia acknowledge her own feelings for the "scruffy-looking nerf-herder." He tried to appeal to her taste for bad boys by teasing her that she needed more scoundrels in her life, and after their first kiss, they became even closer as they fought the Empire.
Leia finally admitted her true feelings for Han Solo when he was taken by Darth Vader to test the carbonite freezing process. She admitted that she loved him before he was dropped into the carbonite machine, and he cooly responded with the iconic "I know." It was very fitting both for the character and as an acknowledgment of his attempts to make Leia realize she already loved him.
6 Han Made Sure Chewbacca Extended His Life Debt To Leia Before He Was Frozen
The Millenium Falcon was piloted by both Han Solo and Chewbacca, who worked together for years after they first met in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Chewbacca owed Han Solo a Wookie life debt, and he swore to help protect Han Solo in return for the heroic smuggler having saved his life previously.
When Han Solo was facing his potential death after they were betrayed by Lando to Darth Vader, Han made sure Chewie would extend his life debt to the princess and take care of Leia while he was gone, proving that he cared more for General Organa than he did himself.
5 Han Was There For Leia On Endor Even When She Refused To Tell Him Her Secret
There was a bit of a love triangle that seemed to develop over the first two movies between Han, Leia, and Luke that caused a few problems, both with fans and the characters. Obviously, the reveal of Luke and Leia's connection caused some issues for the fans, but Han Solo also felt like he was at times competing with Luke for Leia's affections.
This led to an argument on the forest moon of Endor in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi when Leia was attempting to deal with her new discovery. Han Solo almost stormed off in anger after he chided her over her closeness with Luke, but he quickly returned after he realized he had upset her. He knew she needed his support and held her close despite their argument.
4 He Finally Said "I Love You" During A Battle Against Imperials On The Moon Of Endor
Han and Leia's romance was forged across a number of battles in the original trilogy, so it only makes sense that he would finally say "I love you" during the final pitched battle against Imperials in Return of the Jedi.
The pair was pinned down while they attempted to bring down the planetary shield that protected the second Death Star, though Leia revealed that she had secretly drawn her blaster. Han Solo said he loved her while Leia dropped his own iconic line back at him, proving they were a perfect match for each other.
3 Han Was Willing To Step Aside For Luke Before Leia Revealed They Were Siblings
After the Battle of Endor, the heroes were celebrating the victory along with the rest of the freed planets in the Star Wars universe following the destruction of the second Death Star and the apparent death of Emperor Palpatine. Han and Leia shared a moment in the forests of Endor after their victory, where they wondered about Luke Skywalker's survival.
She revealed that she could feel that he was still alive, which Han misinterpreted as feelings for Luke. He offered to step back so she could be with Luke because he only wanted her to be happy, though Leia revealed the truth and kissed the surprised Han Solo.
2 He Welcomed Her Back Into His Arms In A Force Awakens After Time Spent Apart
The Star Wars franchise returned for the sequel trilogy that began with Episode VII: The Force Awakens, which unfortunately revealed that Han Solo and Leia were separated after years of marriage due to their son turning to the dark side.
However, as soon as they two were reunited during a meeting of the Resistance, it was clear that the love remained strong between them. Han Welcomed Leia back into his arms with a big hug and an apology for staying away so long while he dealt with the trauma of losing Ben Solo to the dark side, proving their love could survive all hurdles.
1 Han Dedicated Himself To Bringing Their Son, Ben, Back To His Mother At Any Cost
The pair were eventually separated once again by their duty to fight the First Order and its new devastating weapon of destruction known as Starkiller Base. Han volunteered to lead the ground team to help shut down the base's operations alongside Finn, which resulted in another tender moment between Han and Leia that would ultimately prove to be their last.
After they reconnected and dealt with their separation, Leia asked Han to promise that he would try to bring their son back to her, and he agreed to do everything in his power to do so. He confronted Kylo Ren on Starkiller Base and tried to bring him back to the light side using their shared love for Leia, but their son was too far gone and he killed his father.