Han Solo’s Killer Kicked Him in the Face First, New Star Wars Book Reveals
There are plenty of savage betrayals and tragic deaths in Star Wars, but perhaps none hurt as much as Han Solo’s death at the hands of his own son, Kylo Ren, the villain formerly known as Ben. However, a new excerpt from an upcoming official Star Wars book reveals that before Kylo impaled his father through the chest with a lightsaber, he also kicked him in the face in a moment we didn’t see in The Force Awakens.
We didn’t see it because it happened when Ben was 2 years old.
On Thursday, the main Star Wars website posted an excerpt of the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story tie-in novel Last Shot, by Daniel José Older. The book follows Han and Lando Calrissian across three different periods in the galaxy’s history, beginning when Lando owned the Millennium Falcon, moving on to Han’s acquisition, and then finally ending some years after the Battle of Endor. That’s the time period the excerpt takes place, and it’s a new look at Han Solo as a dad.
Toddlers are a lot to handle, so really it’s no surprise that Han’s sleep-deprived and a little beat up, as the excerpt reveals in a scene where Han and a sleeping Ben are woken up by an incoming hologram from Mon Mothma.
Han Solo woke with a tiny foot in his face and an irritating droid voice in his ear. “What?” The tiny foot was attached to the tiny body of Ben Solo, mercifully sleeping for what seemed like the first time in days. Han’s eyes went wide. Would the boy wake?
The boy would indeed wake, and Han would take a hit, the book reveals:
“Ben stirred, kicked Han once in the face.”
While getting roughed-up by a toddler is just part of being a dad, Last Shot also features some genuinely ominous foreshadowing about how this father and son will eventually be victim and killer:
Little Ben looked up groggily, those dark eyes settling on Han, studying him. Han had no idea how a two-year-old could have such ancient eyes. It was as if Ben had been waiting around for a millennium to show up at just this moment in history.
The short excerpt, which you can read in full here, ends with Han getting hit in the face again, this time by Lando. Truly, Lando and Han are the galaxy’s greatest frenemies.
Last Shot is due for a April 17 release.
