WTF Is Up with Han Solo's Beard in 'Star Wars: Battlefront II'?
It's not quite that big, but it's still a fearsome sight to behold.
Han Solo’s a bit more scruffy-looking than usual in the new Star Wars: Battlefront II video game, because he’s sporting some pretty extreme — and certified canon — facial hair.
Harrison Ford’s iconic space cowboy has almost exclusively been depicted as clean-shaven, both in the original trilogy and in the character’s short-lived appearance in The Force Awakens. But during the 30 years or so between Episode VI and VII, Han Solo apparently grew out his beard.
While most of the Battlefront II story mode focuses on Imperial Commander Iden Versio carrying out Operation: Cinder, some one-off missions explore what prominent Star Wars characters do during that long stretch of time. How did Luke find the First Jedi Temple? That’s sort of explained. We might even learn how Rey’s parents got together — emphasis on the “might.”
But in one particular Battlefront II adventure, the player assumes the role of a grizzled Han Solo who sports a beard almost as thick as Chewbacca’s.
Here it is in all its glory:
Han Solo pays a visit to Maz Kanata.
As Solo, the player is looking for an Imperial defector at Maz Kanata’s castle on Takodana. Remember in The Force Awakens when Han says that he and Maz “go way back”? This is it.
He wants information that can help him and Chewbacca squash lingering Imperial forces on Chewie’s homeworld of Kashyyk. (Maybe that’s why he grows the beard? So the native Wookies on Kashyyk would respect him more?) He wants information that can help him and Chewbacca squash lingering Imperial forces on Chewie’s homeworld of Kashyyk. (Maybe that’s why he grows the beard? So the native Wookies on Kashyyk would respect him more?)
For the most part, these one-off character stories in Battlefront II coincide with events from the canonical Aftermath novels in which Solo sports a beard. It’s also a light hat-tip to the character Thrackan Sal-Solo, Han’s first cousin in the non-canon Star Wars Extended Universe that was always depicted with a full beard.
Just as suave as ever.
Star Wars: Battlefront II is now available.
If you liked this article, check out this video on why we’ve never seen paper in Star Wars.
