18 'Solo' Easter Eggs That Prove It's the Nerdiest 'Star Wars' Ever

The greatest thing about Solo: A Star Wars Story is that it’s super accessible for the casual fan. Let’s say one of your parents or your significant other doesn’t know anything about what’s going on with the more recent Star Wars movies. That’s okay! They’ll totally be able to follow everything in Solo and probably have a great time, too. However, the paradox of Solo is that it’s also somehow the nerdiest Star Wars movie ever, insofar as it is packed with super-obscure reference to stuff both from the official canon and random deep-cuts from very old games, comics and books, too.

So, if you enjoyed Solo because it was a sexy space western with charm and humor to spare, here’s a quick guide to the copious amount of geeky Star Wars deep-cut easter eggs hiding in plain sight.

Massive spoilers for Solo: A Star Wars Story follow. You’ve been warned.

Neks/Attack Dogs

Early in the movie, some gross attack dogs are unleashed on Han and Qi’ra. These look very similar to Neks, cyborg attack dogs featured in the Nineties comic series Dark Empire.

Teräs Käsi

If you didn’t recognize this line from Qi’ra, that’s okay. The martial arts she uses on Kessel reference a nearly forgotten Star Wars game for the PlayStation 1, back in 1997. Read more about it here.

“Moof Milker” and that Cold Weather Outfit From The Force Awakens

Though most of Han’s journey in this movie references stuff from the original trilogy, there are a few connections to The Force Awakens. First, Han calls Chewie a “moof milker,” an insult he used to describe someone who messed with the Falcon in Episode VII. Plus, his cold weather outfit in Solo is very similar to what he wore as a much older man on Starkiller Base.

I Hate You, I Know

At one point in the movie, Lando says “I hate you,” to which Han replies, “I know.” This clearly references the famous scene from The Empire Strikes Back where Leia says “I love you” and Han says “I know.” It also suggests Lando and Han have some sexual tension.

Lando’s Holographic Memoirs Reference a Classic Star Wars Novel From 1983

When Lando is recording is memoirs in the Falcon he mentions “Sharu,” which is an easter egg for the L. Neil Smith book, Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu. Read more about it here.

Trade Federation

Qi’ra’s cover story on Kessel makes it sound like she’s a representative for the Trade Federation, which indicates that this group of money-grubbing baddies from The Phantom Menace survived the events of The Clone Wars, and everything that happened after Revenge of the Sith.

Why Rey Thinks the Falcon Did the Kessel Run in 13 Parsecs

In The Force Awakens, Rey thinks the Falcon did the Kessel Run in 13 parsecs, but Han corrects here snarling “12! Not 13.” In Solo we learn that Han is futzing the numbers. Read more about it here.

Warwick Davis

Though perhaps most famous for his role as Wicket the Ewok in Return of the Jedi, Warwick Davis has appeared in a ton of Star Wars movies since then, including The Phantom Menace, The Force Awakens and Rogue One. In Solo, Davis appears as a member of Enfys Nest’s alliance, which is implied to be the founding of the Rebellion. Unlike Rogue One, and The Force Awakens, Davis appears in Solo sans makeup, which is appropriate. Davis is also famous for playing the titular Willow in the 1988 fantasy epic directed by none other than Ron Howard

Anthony Daniels

The actor famous for bringing C-3PO to life does not appear as C-3PO in this movie, but Anthony Daniels does provide the voice for one of the Wookiees on Kessel in Solo. Yep, that one Wookiee had a British accent and talked like Anthony Daniels!

Bossk and Aurra Sing

The reptilian bounty hunter known as Bossk is name-checked in Solo. When Val (Thandie Newton) asks Beckett (Woody Harrelson) why they are stuck with Han and Chewie as hired help, she wonders why they couldn’t have just hired Bossk. The fact they didn’t might be connected to another reference to the bounty hunter Aurra Sing later in the movie. Read more about it here.

Lando’s Disguise from Return of the Jedi is Worn by Beckett

This one is pretty obvious, but when the gang infiltrates Kessel, Beckett poses as Qi’ra’s guard and wears the same guard disguise Lando used in Return of the Jedi. Clearly, Lando has had this outfit on the Millennium Falcon for quite some time.

Allies/ Rebellion

When the deadly gang led by Enfys Nest is revealed to be the good guys, their leader mentions that she sees them as “allies.” This seems to foreshadow the Rebel Alliance itself, even though the formal Rebellion is still several years away at this point.

Scarif

When Han and Qi’ra are brainstorming about where to find a bunch of raw hyperspace fuel, one of the places they mention is Scarif. In Rogue One, we know that this is an Imperial stronghold where the Death Star plans are kept. Sounds like there’s a bunch of other valuable stuff on Scarif, too.

Pykes

At one point, Dryden Vos is deeply concerned that Han and Beckett are implying that they will be working with the Pykes. In The Clone Wars cartoon, the Pykes are a criminal clan that seems to rival the Hutts for bad guy supremacy. In Solo, we actually see one of the Pykes on Kessel.

Crystal Skull From Han Solo and the Lost Legacy

Speaking of Dryden Vos, there’s a bunch of stuff in his secret lair, including a giant blue skull. This seems to be a direct reference to the Eighties book Han Solo And The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull The Lost Legacy.

Two Tubes

Another member of Enfys Nest’s gang looks exactly like Erido Two-Tubes, who fans might recognize from Rogue One. Because Solo happens about 10 years before Rogue One it stands to reason that Two-Tubes continues to be a mercenary for the good guys. By the time of Rogue One he’s working for Saw Gerrera’s splinter Rebel group. Could Saw have had connections with Enfys Nest? Seems really likely.

Han Shoots First…With a Blaster Beckett Gave Him

In one of the defining moments of the movie, Han shoots Beckett before Beckett can get a chance to shoot him. Han feels pretty bad about this, but it seems to send a clear message to the audience: this is the moment Han learned to shoot first. Which, will come in handy when he faces Greedo years later.

Darth Maul

Yep, the biggest shock in Solo is the fact that Qi’ra gets in touch with Darth Maul at the end of the movie via hologram. This actually works pretty well with the Star Wars timeline, but only if you’ve been following the cartoons, specifcally The Clone Wars. Read more about how this works here.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is out in theaters everywhere now.