The Millennium Falcon, the iconic Corellian YT-1300f light freighter and a star of the Star Wars series, has had an intriguing journey throughout the Star Wars saga. It’s not only been through countless interstellar conflicts, but it has also changed hands multiple times. Its unexpected appearance on the desert planet of Jakku in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ raised a few eyebrows and posed the question: how did the Millennium Falcon end up on Jakku?
Han Solo Loses the Millennium Falcon
The Incident
The first part of the answer lies within a gap in the Star Wars chronology, specifically between ‘Return of the Jedi’ and ‘The Force Awakens.’ At some point during this period, the Millennium Falcon was lost by Han Solo. The details of how this occurred are vague, but it seems that the ship was stolen from Solo by the Irving Boys (as confirmed in The Force Awakens.
The Aftermath
After losing the Falcon, Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot Chewbacca searched the galaxy for their beloved ship but were unable to locate it. This left the Millennium Falcon floating through the galaxy without its famous owners, setting the stage for its appearance on Jakku.
The Millennium Falcon on Jakku
The Unkar Plutt Connection
In ‘The Force Awakens’, we find the Falcon in the possession of Unkar Plutt, a junk dealer residing in Niima Outpost on Jakku. He is the last known individual to have the Millennium Falcon before it ends up in Rey’s hands. Plutt obtained the ship from the Irving Boys, who themselves stole it from Ducain. Each of these parties is mentioned in passing by Han Solo when he reclaims the ship from Rey and Finn. However, the specifics of these exchanges, how Ducain initially stole the Falcon from Solo, and how it eventually ended up in Plutt’s hands, remain unclear.
Rey Discovers the Millennium Falcon
When Rey, a scavenger on Jakku, and Finn, a defecting stormtrooper, need a ship to escape the First Order’s onslaught on Jakku, they come across the Millennium Falcon. It’s sitting neglected amongst Plutt’s collection of starship junk, labelled as ‘garbage’. The Falcon, even in its neglected state, is instrumental in aiding their escape, showing that it still retains its robust speed and manoeuvrability despite its years of disuse.
While the Millennium Falcon’s journey from Han Solo to Jakku involves a chain of thefts and exchanges that remain somewhat shrouded in mystery, it’s clear that its iconic status and durability persist. It continues to play a pivotal role in the Star Wars saga, becoming instrumental in Rey’s journey and once again serving as a beacon of hope and resistance against the dark forces in the galaxy. It stands as a testament to the adage that ‘you can’t keep a good ship down.’
Image: Star Wars
