There is an awful lot of wild speculation going on right now. If you read what it is all based on, we don't even know if it is true or she is lying or there is something more to it than simply Han was married to someone else. No matter what, I don't see this as good news. And basically now I've decided that whatever possible thing they could do to ruin my favorite aspect of Star Wars, they are going to do. And probably even worse than I could've imagined.
Seriously, why? Just to be as different from the EU as possible? Because the world has turned out to be a far more cynical place and you're going to wreck this FANTASY story by making everything all dark and "real" so the bad guys always win and love doesn't exist? Yes I realize I sound a little dramatic right now but I am really hating this news. Especially since yesterday I had been feeling especially hopeful about this movie. I'm done now. I'm expecting to hate a lot of things about it.
Now again it is possible that it is a misunderstanding or she is lying and this is all a clever ruse designed to send us fans into a tailspin with some expert misdirection, and really everything is fine. But I've started to find it dangerous to feel hopeful about any of it now. Pretty soon I'm going to be relegated to the fact that the best love story in Star Wars is between Artoo and Threepio.
This movie was supposed to be a good thing, now I just want Bria back.
I don't believe anything at this point. Hollywood journalism is, to say the least, unreliable. This town operates on rumors and innuendo, and attempting to derive any facts is usually not worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I really hope this film isn't dark and dismal, and I hope it emphasizes the characters. That's why we loved the OT. We cared about the characters in the OT. They totally blew that in the prequels. As Irwin Kirshner said, the best kind of fairy tale is where you believe the people. I wish he was still alive. He would have been a great choice to direct this film.
For now, I'm withholding judgment.
Let's just say that if I'm disappointed, I'll continue to write fanfic like it's 1980.
Zyra asked me to repost this here, so Zyra, your wish is my command:
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm weird, but this honestly doesn't bother me. I've always thought Han had romantic relationships before he met Leia. He was too much of a stud not to. The only difference here is that technically Han married this woman. But I doubt very much this marriage was any grand romance.
I think the marriage came about one of three ways. 1. A youthful indiscretion when Han was very young. 2. The GFFA equivalent of a drunken Vegas wedding. 3. An arranged marriage purely for legal reasons (the GFFA equivalent of an illegal alien marrying a US citizen to stay in the country). Soon after, the relationship goes bad and they split, without ever technically getting divorced.
In any event, it is clear from the comic that NOW Han and this woman are on very bad terms. Sana will be out of the picture before ESB, one way or the other. And NOTHING changes the fact that Leia is the one great love of Han's life, the woman who changed him, and the mother of his children.
Ironically, I think part of the reason this story is happening is that TPTB want to drum up more fan interest in H/L leading up to Ep 7. What is one surefire way to increase fan interest in a couple? Bring in a romantic rival. But she's not going to be any kind of real threat in the end. Just an excuse to have a few scenes of Leia feeling a little jealous and possessive.
I also think this has a lot to do with Disney/LFL wanting to bring more non-white characters into the SW canon. I think Disney/LFL is really trying to expand the SW fanbase to include more women and nonwhites, and giving Han Solo a black ex-wife is just one small part of that overall strategy. I really don't think this story will have any impact on Ep 7.
JMO.
ETA: I do understand why this is upsetting for many, and I feel for you all. Maybe this is a harbinger of awful things to come, but I honestly don't feel like it is. I think StatsGrandma has the right idea that we should try to withhold judgement. And I am still convinced that Han will technically be free, either divorced or a widower, by the time ESB begins.
Thanks! Of course I think Han had other girlfriends. But why a wife? Why? I think the thing that pisses me off about it, and it is similar to how I felt about Bria, was that it just makes it like one more reason that Leia is just another woman for him. There is nothing left that is special or unique about it. With Bria I was annoyed with how deeply in love Han seemed to be (and how they kept stealing things from Han and Leia in the movies so what he did there was just copying things he'd done with Bria) and now apparently he was married before anyway. I always liked the idea that he was mostly a loner (but yes of course he hooked up with women) and Leia made him see another way would be better.
DeleteAs for the diversity, I'm like 99% sure there is already a comic that has Han having a black ex girlfriend. Maybe more than one, I was always under the impression Salla Zend might be black, it was hard to tell. But there was another one too.
I'm dramatic, I know. Oddly I am not dramatic about anything in real life. Just Star Wars!
Arrgh! The site just ate my reply when I hit preview, so I'll try this again. Sorry if there's a dupe.
Delete(Also posted something similar at io9 that isn't out of moderation, fwiw) This is just a ploy to ramp up the tension and the H/L banter. Heck, haven't we seen almost this exact scenario play out in many a fanfic before? Also, anyone ever watched Firefly? Saffron, anyone?
It'll be fine. Trust me.
(fingers crossed, hoping I'm right)
to borrow a phrase from a good friend; 'they are blowing smoke up our exhaust port....'
ReplyDeleteI think the concept of Han being married b4 Leia is ridiculous; he really was portrayed as a guy w/o attachments...so in this story between anh and esb, this will have to be just like anon. said (1 of 3 ways, if at all)
and obviously, she's out of the picture by esb and rotj because I just watched them last night with my kids lol....ummmmmm...they reaffirmed their love for each other at the end of rotj, so there's no way this comic can have any bearing on what's to come....I think anon. is correct - TPTB are stirring the pot...I keep remembering carrie fisher's autograph on a stormtrooper helmet, signed "Carrie Fisher/Mrs. Solo".....
Yeah, I flipped out for a few minutes when my friend sent me this, right as I was leaving to go pick it up. I think there is more to it, and it will be resolved somehow. They knew it was going to get people talking...obviously. So, I'm just going to chill for now...for now.
ReplyDeletehas this comic book actually been released ? I'm not going to read it but I want someone to tell me how they get rid of this chick...lol
DeleteYes, it came out today. The last thing we know I believe is what you see in the link up there, that woman shows up and says she's his wife, and then apparently Han slaps his forehead and says, "Oh, no..." or something like that, and then the end. New comic comes out in July to tell us what happens next but apparently based on comic book covers that have already been released for the next couple of issues, she is going to be around for a while.
DeleteOne thing to remember about Hollywood (in the ephemeral, not physical, sense, although it's pretty skanky, too) is that it's utterly cynical. They pride themselves on manipulating fans. And when they know that a lot of people are really excited about something, on the scale of Star Wars, they tend to talk it down.
ReplyDeleteIf I paid attention to the industry press, I'd really be jaded.
Of course I HOPE that they are just being clever and stirring us up only to have it turn out to be no big deal. I mean, remember only a little over a year ago we were worried about another comic book storyline where for what felt like the millionth time Leia was going to marry someone else. And that turned out to be ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. But this seems so much scarier and so much worse.
ReplyDeleteIs it December yet? I want to get over the anticipation period and just watch it so I can know for sure whether I can be happy with it or gut wrenchingly disappointed.
Also, when it comes to rumors, Facebook is not your friend.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't a "rumor" though. In the comic she says she's his wife. We don't know any more than that, but again, NOT a rumor.
DeleteZyra, just a quick q. Have you been reading the new comics? I subscribe, but didn't have a chance to read this issue until after the general flipping out. My impression was really not different than reading a fanfic that uses this same plot. I don't usually say this to folks, but in this particular case, I hope I'm right! Let's consider it a standard fic-chapter-ending cliff hanger.
DeleteSorry, please do not read this meanly at all, and I apologize if it comes off that way. The ones who tick me off right now are the dudebros replying to this with stuff like "Han's a stud, dude. Studs gonna stud. Get over it."
So, in other words, we've seen this twist before - fic has been doing this one since before ESB. (Yeah, I'm that old). We'll always have the trip to Bespin. AND I think this is just drumming up views for the media sites.
Hi, Trish. No, I haven't read the comics. I had intended to, but wanted to just wait until later when they were released in a large volume because I can't stand the slowness of comic book issue by issue storylines. I had been excited for these, like I had been excited for that last Dark Horse series that came out a year or so ago before their license ran out. That series showed some promise in the beginning, and then died a quick and painful death. The story lines that could've provided some nice emotion and stuff from the characters barely had any development at all. It was disappointing, and the artwork was good in the first few issues and then just tanked.
DeleteI wasn't reading that meanly at all. I hope you're right and it is just like a fic cliffhanger where they leave us flipping out only to basically go all "just kidding!" on us in the following chapter when they tell us that things were a total misunderstanding. (I've been guilty of that myself, "killing" someone at the end of a chapter and then bringing them back immediately at the beginning of the next one)
I hope you're right, but I have been so nervous about what they are going to do with our characters, and I fear they are going to try and do everything the opposite of the EU just for the sake of being different.
Has anyone read the comics? I haven't, but when I read this tidbit today, it honestly didn't bother me. I figure, like some of you, that this storyline is stirring up interest for profit. Apparently, this woman interrupts H&L during a flirty moment and says not to believe Han because all he does is lie, then she drops this bomb.
ReplyDeleteNow, if it's true and Leia knows it, and this is canon, then Leia isn't upset about it enough to change her feelings for Han.
And if it's true, then whatever the reason for the marriage, Han is over it (if he was in love with her, why isn't he with her?) and it doesn't change his feelings for Leia.
If there is a marriage, it's probably going to be one of convenience or some such nonsense. Han, as portrayed in the ANH, ESB, and ROTJ books (canon) is definitely described as a loner who is reluctant to officially join the rebels. He evolves from the self-absorbed cynic in ANH to a part of something bigger than himself, even willing to give up Leia if that's what she wants. And it's because of his love for Leia, so I don't see this marriage based on emotion.
Or there really isn't a marriage after all and the next comic will explain who the woman is and the real story behind her statement. Oh, and the publisher will have made a nice profit off of this.
In any case, don't sweat it. It doesn't change our favorite fictional couple's feelings for each other or their relationship.
New thought: maybe she's a bounty hunter???
I've been reading these, and so far, they have been awesome for H/L banter. I say you guys should check them out if you haven't. The scene before the woman shows up is pretty funny.
DeleteAnd I was thinking she was a bounty hunter because they seemed to be building her up as one (she appears before this). I was actually excited about her character...still am, but we'll see how this plays out. ;)
She does look like a bounty hunter, doesn't she? Maybe she made a deal with Han to marry her or she would haul his ass to Jabba or something, lol.
DeleteShe wouldn't be the Ord Mantell bounty hunter now would she? Just spit balling.
Perhaps...if she shows up later on? I believe this is taking place literally days after the battle of Yavin.
DeleteYeah, so we've got around 3 years for her to die a really, slow, horrible death...preferably when Leia decides to throttle her :)
DeleteShe doesn't even need to die. I would vastly prefer it if she was lying, or using the term "wife" loosely in this case. Like, maybe she pretended to be his wife for some reason. Or he accidentally married her because some planet had a weird custom where if you bought a drink for a woman you were married or something stupid like that. Just... something. Please, let them just make it go away.
DeleteOkay, when I first heard this I was like "Aw, **** no! Gaaah! I hate Marvel!!" But now that I think about it…yeah, this is obviously some sort of red herring or something. And I don't see how it would have *any* bearing on Episode VII, since this all is happening before the OT, and we *know* they get together eventually in the movies (Whether they stay that way, who knows. But I doubt this "wife" will be a factor).
ReplyDeleteThat said. This better be some "accidental/convenience/marriage-on-paper-only" kind of deals if they expect me to try to believe it. This is not stemming from jealousy on Leia's behalf (although, I'll admit, I've felt that before--*hangs head in shame*), I just don't see pre-ANH Han as the "marrying type." I mean, seriously, if you're gonna start buying into some of the more disturbing Ep VII rumors, you might argue that it appears that Han *never* becomes the "marrying type" (*whimpers quietly into pillow* Don't let that be so…)
So, yeah, it just doesn't fit with the character we're presented with in ANH. Not to say Han didn't have love interests before Leia (what is he 30 in ANH? I'd hope so!), but marriage is this whole other level of commitment that I can't imagine that Han even considering. But what do I know...
Anyway, this is sort of a meandering and unfocused reply. I apologize. I'm kinda out of practice…
JeanMarie---When did Carrie sign the stormtrooper helmet like that? Was it in the Episode VII era or years before that?
Also, along the "non-marrying type" lines…I mean, they named him Han *Solo* for a reason…just sayin'.
DeleteGood to see you, Stoned Rose. Now go back and write another chapter of your story while I still care about Han and Leia and haven't entirely given up ;)
DeleteIt's funny, some of the things I've heard about rumors and such, I haven't gotten that concerned about initially. And then I read on the internet somewhere, or someone tells me about other comments on the internet, that take things to the extreme. All of the potential bad things that may or may not be true about Han and Leia in Episode 7, all the crappy things that apparently might happen to them between movies, potential that they never ended up together in the first place, and now with this people are taking it even further and saying that they are introducing this character here because apparently Han is going to go back to her and that is going to tie into Episode 7. Did you hear my heart breaking from where you are?
I would of course love to believe that no matter what this is, it can't really have anything to do with Episode 7 and it would be silly to think it would because it has to be resolved somehow by ESB, right? But I just don't know anymore. But seriously, it doesn't fit his character to have him be married in any real sense of the word before Leia, and it totally kills his character development in the movies if he just packs up and leaves after ROTJ.
I hate how much energy and thought I put into this.
Zyra,
Delete"I hate how much energy and thought I put into this."
Isn't that the most definitive explanation of fanfic, though?
Lmao! Or fanfic is possibly the defintion of insanity. ;)
DeleteCompletely. But I at least don't really react emotionally to fanfic. When I read a fanfic where like, Leia cheats on Han or something, I am momentarily mad at her, but then I just go find another story where they are happy and I can forget about it. This feels different. And they have made such a big deal about "new canon" that I feel as though they are being far more deliberate with things in these comics.
DeleteI would rather have to sit through an all-Jar-Jar movie than deal with some of the things I'm fearing might happen.
Also,
Delete"I fear they are going to try and do everything the opposite of the EU just for the sake of being different."
I was never an EU fan, so I never really got invested while dipping in and out of the books.
Two fairly recent books you might like that are now sidelined to Legends: Razor's Edge by Martha Wells and Honor Among Thieves by James SA Corey. Both were set after ANH and before ESB. Both very good on their own, and each with some decent H/L thoughts at least. Didn't enjoy Zahn's Scoundrels as much - his writing falls flat for me, more script-like, less book. YMMV.
I read all of those. Absolutely LOVED Razor's Edge, and Honor Among Thieves I liked better than I thought I would. I actually might re-read them, they were quite enjoyable. Martha Wells used to write Han and Leia fanfic, so I knew that one was going to be in good hands :)
DeleteOMG! Wells wrote H/L fanfic? How did I not know this? Any links still existing or a nym I should have looked for? Sorry if I missed you posting about this previously.
DeleteWe talked about this at one point a while ago. She wrote under Martha Wilson and she wrote Resolutions which was on the Corellian Embassy back when that was a thing. I don't remember if she wrote anything else, that one sticks in my brain. I have a web archive link that actually works to get to it if you're interested.
DeleteStoned Rose, Carrie Fisher signed a storm trooper helmet at the Anaheim SW celebration just a little while ago with that ...lol
Deleteand I love your writing, by the way
Claire and I were at Celebration VII and a guy leaving Carrie's line was carrying the helmet. She had signed it Mrs. Solo. :) There is another story of her doing this on the web, but Claire would have the link.
DeleteAnd, lol, nice one, Rose. Very true.
DeleteJust backing up what Amara said there. We saw the signed helmet with our very eyes :)
DeleteAnd Carrie has been signing "Mrs Solo" on a ton of stuff this year. At an appearance last weekend she had a field day with it apparently with lots of people reporting she had signed in that way.
I"ll take the Wells ff link. Save me remembering to look for it.
Deletehttp://web.archive.org/web/20040102070059/http://www.rtis.com/nat/user/golledge/index3QR.htm And if you are unfamiliar with web archive links, sometimes you get error messages but if you try different dates up top usually you can find one that works. I think with this story all of the links work. There are some other links on there that sadly seem to be lost forever, but the Martha Wilson ones seem to all work, at least somewhere.
DeleteZyra, thanks for this link (most likely "again.") Now that you mention it, there are vague memories of having this discussion before. Ugh, at not quite 50, my brain is doing interesting things. Also, everything has been overwritten with database logic and queries, so the fun stuff goes by the wayside. :-p
DeleteJeanMarie--Okay, I was just wondering if this was a new development or not. It does seem weird that she would keep signing it like that if she knew it was no longer true, so that gives me some hope.
DeleteOh, and thanks for the compliment. :-)
Trish, I think we did have this conversation once before, but it was a while ago. I actually found it last night but now I lost it again so can't direct you to when we already talked about it.
DeleteThe sad thing about the embassy is I haven't been able to get into newer versions of it when it was somerescue.com and had a lot more stories. I think everything in there linked to PDF files which no longer open. There is still a large chunk of that stuff missing :(
Thanks, Zyra. Links reminds me, since I've not found y'all anywhere else and I'm all over the place and don't check here as often, I updated some Corutship of Princess Leia analysis after the new trailer came out. It is lying in wait for linking when the movie comes out. Trying to do some foundation and background writing before December, but of interest to this crowd now. https://medium.com/@AHLondonTX/the-trouble-with-the-courtship-of-princess-leia-19bf597be43d
DeleteThanks, Zyra for not making fun of my old lady brain. :-) We might have had this discussion on NerfherdersPlayground instead of here. Yeah, it does suck that places like the embassy and somerescue are gone. I think there was a fundraiser by Aquarius (guessing at the name) to keep things running somewhere. I was job searching at that point and keeping a diabetic pup up to date with her meds. Now, when I could help or contribute, all the stuff is gone. Wonder if there's a way to get something going again.
DeleteDid you have a different name at NHP? I don't think it came up there because I don't think any real conversations have happened on it since this book came out. There is a thread here somewhere that we discussed it in the comments on a post.
DeleteAs for the embassy, someone sent me a link to Carolyn Gollege's site somewhere that she said she was going to try and archive things, or have someone else archive them or something. I don't remember what that was about but it sounded promising. So many great stories on there!
AHLondon, cool article. You have a far more intelligent breakdown to that book than my review/rant here :) I hadn't even thought about the fact that it really should've been about her choosing "duty" over love except they turned it into a "hot" dude coming in and stealing Han away and barely even thought about the other stuff. There is just nothing good about that book aside from a couple of good kisses and the fact that they DO get married at the end.
I don't like it. At all. It just makes no sense. It was heavily implied that Han was a playboy and that he didn't change his ways until he fell for Leia. I think that the writers are "playing with our heads," and quite frankly, it's not providing me with an incentive to see the movie even if Han and Leia are married in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI'm not very thrilled they did this. Seriously, why? It makes NO sense other than to stir people up and confuse everyone. I didn't realize though that the comics are considered canon now? Really? Used to be relegated to below the EU in canon. Maybe with this story idea, it should be. I agree I can't see Han doing this. It really does seem out of character for him to be married before Leia. But man, I agree with Rose, I think I really hate Marvel now. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteI'm tending on the side that this is a red herring or a ruse by Han and the girl. Her name kind of reminds me of his one ex-girlfriend. I have to hold faith that Abrahams, certainly Kennedy and Kasdan, would not screw us over with a crappy story or tearing H and L apart. But that's just me.
Maybe I'll go watch ROTJ and remember how they looked ready to buy a house and pop a few kids out. They really did, at least to me. So I'm hanging some hope on that too. Hmmm, maybe they found a good deal on an Ewok hut. ;)
Thanks Zyra for giving us something interesting to talk about and clearing up any confusion. Since I'm avoiding any and all rumors about the new movie, it doesn't give me much to read until it comes out.
Thank goodness I can post a comment here about this and not be mocked like I was on the Jedi Council Forums. If you feel passionately against something over there you just get treated like you're stupid. Like I said that this is disrespectful to all the loyal fans that have followed Han and Leia for 30 plus years, and I get comments back like "How is it disrespectful? They don't owe you anything" and "They will do whatever they want to tell the best story". How the friggin' hell is this the BEST story?
ReplyDeleteI'm just nervous since everything is now this all encompassing "super canon" and they said there would be hints to Episode 7 in comics and novels leading up to it.
I didn't think they could top Bria, oh boy, if this turns out to be a real marriage, then hell, was I wrong. Why a WIFE?? A girlfriend, sure. A wife?
Amara, yeah, your're right, she is VERY similar to his old "EU" girlfriend Salla Zend from Dark Empire, similar name, and she looks pretty much identical.
I'm calling it now...I reckon she's Lando's sister, and that could be the cause of their big falling out pre-ESB.
Ladies....important update that should make us all feel better, well, it did me anyway. Jennifer Heddle, head of Lucasfilm publishing, who oversees all this stuff, and who is also a huge H/L fan and former fan fic writer has tweeted something encouraging.
ReplyDeleteSomeone asked her how they should feel following yesterdays bombshell. Her reply was simply "Don't jump to conclusions" followed by a smiley face :)
Her way of telling us not to overact ;)
Thank you! I have calmed down this morning. Especially because I think this was designed to do exactly what it's doing, although I actually wonder if even TPTB anticipated just how much fans would react to this. I mean, us, sure. We're a small niche, though. But I think there are a LOT of Star Wars fans out there who are flipping out. I do hope that when the next comic book comes out we'll find out the truth, which is WAY less bad than we think it is (I hope) and then we can just be like, "Oh." And then feel a little silly for our reactions. It's still unsettling though with their intentions on tying everything together, as opposed to before, where there were like, "levels" of canon and the comics were second-tier at best. (for example, the events of Shadows of the Empire are "real" but anything that happened in the original Marvel comics run back in the early 80s are not so much unless they don't directly contradict anything with "higher-tier" canon) Do they really need to be giving fans a heart attack?
DeleteAwesome! Thanks for catching that Claire. That is pretty funny of Jennifer to do that. And she would probably be pretty invested in H and L.
DeleteNo worries, I had to share it because I know we are all pissed about this, and reading her Tweet made it so much better. I'm sure it will all work out OK now :)
DeleteOh, and a comment on Carrie signing things as Mrs. Solo, she tweeted herself the other day that she has been doing that for YEARS, since way before they were even talking about these movies. So that could mean nothing. Or it could mean that she is choosing to continue to do it for now because she won't get to do it later when we find out it's a lie, or she's just going to keep on doing it because it is true and what difference does it really make? We could interpret that a whole bunch of ways. But the point is, she didn't just start doing that recently, she might've signed your poster like that back in 1995.
ReplyDeleteGotcha. But pretty funny she does it. Never know what you'll get with her do you?
Deletei'm still remaining hopeful...seems silly to continue to do that if they aren't together in episode 7...Carrie doesn't seem to be that complicated of a woman lol !!!! and isn't it funny how they practically have a gag order on her...claire1976...thank you!!! that info about J.Heddle made me feel better...
Deletecome on guys....this comic thing is a sham; we know Leia wouldn't be making out with a married-Han Solo in TESB and we have the two of them declaring their love for each other in ROTJ(which would contradict anything being left over from a previous hook-up/relationship/mistake...)
they will have kids and be married in episode 7; this isn't supposed to be a soap opera; even though they will probably be fighting as usual (lol)
Lol. It wouldn't be fun if they weren't snarking at each other a little. But I'm with you.
DeleteEven though Carrie HAS signed as "Mrs Solo" in the past, from what info I've come across she hasn't done it for ages, and suddenly since Celebration she's really gone crazy with it, and signing it A LOT. so whether this means anything I don't know.
DeleteClaire,
DeleteI actually now think that she definitely spoiled it. She said, "Is this ESP or a spoiler, you decide..." Well, if it's ESP, then she knew it would happen. Otherwise, it's a spoiler.
She didn't say, "You decide if they're apart..." She worded her response very carefully.
Deletehey I forgot to add something from an earlier comment of mine; I meant it as a compliment (and hopefully no one took at as an insult) to Carrie when I said she 'doesn't seem to be that complicated of a woman.."; she seems like a straight-shooter and not into mind games...which I like tremendously...:)
DeleteI need to stop reading articles about this. I think the thing that drives me the most insane is the incredible assumptions being made. Like, that this will change forever how we view the OT. If that is true, I'm going to be REALLY upset. But really, even if he IS married in this comic book, for whatever reason, it HAS to be over and done with by ESB, right? People are like, oh, well now he is just an old married man trying to woo a teenager. Ew. But seriously, they can't change it that much. It'd be like saying Leia had a pregnancy scare with him before ESB and that is why they're fighting. Don't you think that would've come up in conversation during ESB? Would someone have not commented on him being married to someone else? Seriously, I need to stop reading.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that seems to big plot point NOT for it to have come up in ESB or ROTJ (oh, btw, sweetheart, I'm married). Claire has an interesting thought she's related to Lando. That's interesting idea and I could see that happening. Maybe he just asked the girl to say they were married. Hey babe, these other chicks are getting really clingy, can you say we're married so I can get them off me? Just a thought. :)
DeleteYeah, me too. The addiction is hard to break.
DeleteOh I'm thoroughly looking forward to feeling stupid for getting so worked up over something that turns out to be nothing.... I hope. Yes, maybe it's Lando's sister and this will have something to do with their falling out. I don't know. I'd wish for it to be July Already so we could know for sure but I don't like summer to go by too fast.
ReplyDeleteI had a thought that maybe this is the "new" explanation as to why Han and Leia take so long to get together. The old EU told us that Han took 3 years to make the moves on Leia because he was so heartbroken about Bria (which was total crap btw). So maybe the new canon explanation is that they have to sort this "wife" out first, and Leia purposely keeps her distance because of this. I don't like that it's a "wife", wouldn't a girlfriend have sufficed? Him being married just makes it so much worse. But if it's over and done with before ESB I guess we can all forget about it.
ReplyDeleteI don't know. It makes more sense, in my opinion, that they just gradually got closer by working with each other and that Leia had intimacy issues to begin with.
DeleteI actually got this news yesterday when I was at the mall killing time before meeting a friend for dinner. I was so worked up about it that I wrote this blog post from my phone because I felt like it needed to be discussed ASAP! Also, while killing that time at the mall, I swear I've never come across so much Star Wars merchandise before. And I didn't even go into the Target that was attached to the mall. But it was depressing because I wasn't excited about it! I could've bought probably 25 new Star Wars t-shirts I didn't already have. Hot Topic, FYE, Spencer's, Newbury Comics, which is a more local chain, which is sad for those of you it is not local to, because they had a ridiculous amount of merchandise, including dresses and earrings and wallets and purses. It was everywhere!
ReplyDeleteJust came by to check if y'all knew.
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take you to figure out that we did? ;)
Delete'Bout 2 seconds.
DeleteAnd would y'all update the comment software so we can like comments. This is a great thread.
ReplyDeleteAnd the whole thing damn well better be a red herring.
I have no idea how to change it so you can like comments. This is a free hosted site, I don't know if we can get a lot of fancy things like that.
DeleteYou guys, remember when we all freaked out a year ago when Harrison broke his leg on set and there were all these articles saying they were going to change the script or write Han out of the movie entirely and then as far as we know nothing remotely close to that happened and we worried for nothing? I'm hoping that this is like that.
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, Zyra, it probably is nothing. First off, it would make NO sense in the OT, much less Episode VII. Like others have mentioned, it would have come up! And while maybe Han *would* chase Leia anyway (he wouldn't be the first guy to pull that), I really, really, don't see Leia knowingly going along with it. Especially without even discussing this other woman at all. Also, where has she been?
DeleteAs for it effecting Episode VII, I don't see how. First off, again, it would make NO sense. So…what? Han spends all this energy chasing Leia, getting jealous over Luke, etc. And then….goes back to his wife. Wait what? And second, regardless of "tiers of canon" etc. the simple fact is that *most* SW fans won't read the comics, and will know very little about this sudden new development. So if you open Episode VII with Han coupled up with some woman who he married years before Leia you're just gonna confuse the audience. Whether they care about Han/Leia or not, you're gonna leave them scratching their heads and thinking "Wait…who is this?! When did this happen?" It would feel more forced than Padme's sudden death.
So yeah, it has to be nothing.
I agree, too much other stuff this screws with. See, this is why I posted this in the first place, so that you guys would talk some sense into me.
DeleteI agree. It's too much "playing with the fans' heads," though, in my opinion. And for me, it's a turn off.
Deletebreathe, Zyra. :-)
ReplyDeleteI am breathing now :) I forgot to update that I am feeling tremendously better now. Did anyone see that Jennifer Heddle, former Han and Leia fanfic writer, and current story person at Lucasfilm and knows everything that will be happening with these guys, has told us that it's all going to be fine? She used to be one of us, so I trust we'll be ok.
Deletehey, gang. I went to the Star Wars Weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios last night. It reminded me of how much feeding and watering Disney has done for the Star Wars franchise. Every year they add more good stuff. The event has grown so much since the late 90's, when I worked in animation there.
ReplyDeleteI have to believe that we are in good hands for TFA as well as the comics. Disney wouldn't wreck a franchise they have put so much effort into -- they're not stupid.
As for the comic, I've been reading them and quite enjoying them. Now that i've calmed down, here's what I think: If this had been published a few years ago, we'd all be like "oh, what stupid trouble did our nerfherder get into? haha, let's see how he gets of this mess, whatever it is." but now, with all the worry over TFA, we're freaking out over everything (I plead guilty.)
Also, seeing the enthusiasm JJ and Ms Kennedy had at Celebration in Anaheim -- I can't believe they'd screw the franchise either.
That said, I don't know how i'll survive until Dec 18th!
I agree with you about their intent. They wouldn't want to screw the franchise up. My concern, and I've seen it in many franchises, is they don't know when they are screwining something up. They don't understand the source martierial, they don't understand storytelling. They believe in a blockbuster formula. I've seen it too many times. This one is a general fangirl rant, not specifically about SW, but y'all can always assume I'm thinking SW. Actually the bit about writing characters is lifted from another article of mine about Han Shot First: http://thefederalist.com/2014/09/05/rip-the-hollywood-summer-blockbuster-1970-2012/ (oh, the WSJ block quote is off. It's the quoted paragraph plus the next two.)
DeleteI can agree that screwing up franchises is bad. It's so funny, because they could do almost anything to any other fandom/franchise and I'd be like, ok, maybe that sucks but whatever. Doing bad things to Star Wars is like, life-altering, childhood-ruining stuff. I think a big part of what makes us all so into it is that for most of us, we grew up with it. It has always been a part of our lives, and for some of us it spanned so much of our lives that we were able to appreciate it at different times in our lives for different reasons. I mean, when I was 5 I didn't really care about Han and Leia kissing, but I thought lightsabers were awesome and liked playing with my Artoo and Threepio figures.
DeleteAll that said, I think the stakes are so much higher with Star Wars, and why I'd strongly like to believe that at this point, especially after the complete atrocity that was the prequels (seriously, I think George is the only one who still claims they're fine, I'd bet that most everyone else who worked on them agrees they are terrible) they just wouldn't do this kind of stuff to us. Would they?
I'm still thinking TFA will be the best birthday present I will ever have :)
ReplyDeletep.s. You can pre-order the first batch of new canon books (mostly between ANH and Jedi, or just post-Jedi) from amazon.com. Due out Sept 4th. I'm undecided if I'll read them prior to Dec 18th.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to read anything before I see the movie. First, because of potential spoilers. Second, if the movie ruins Star Wars for me I don't want to have wasted money and time on those books.
DeleteI have to confess that I haven't seen Episodes II and III, because Episode I was so upsetting. yes, I saw 4,5,6 when originally released! I was 14 when Empire Strikes Back came out -- I've been in love with Han Solo since somewhere between ANH and TESB!
DeleteGood for you. I naively thought that those movies would improve. I mean, I guess they did... sort of. II was almost entirely pointless. III I do admit has some decent moments but of course is overall very disappointing. Yet somehow again I am naively thinking these next ones might be better. At least I get to stare at Harrison Ford, even if it is really old Harrison Ford.
DeleteLol Zyra...i'll be happy to stare at Harrison Ford also; but I've got to admit....don't you wish they'd have done this movie like, even 10 yrs ago? (if I had my wish another star wars movie would have happened a couple yrs after the release of ROTJ ;) I still think there is a huge potential to have a very gratifying Han and Leia relationship showcased, but darn...it would have been so nice to see them and their fantastic chemistry like 25 yrs ago...
DeleteOh, I totally wish they had done this 10 years ago. Harrison still looked damn good 10 years ago. I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to watching him age, but he is not just starting to really look older but like, more frail. I love seeing him in that trailer as Han again, but does he look sort of frail to anyone else? Maybe it's just that one shot. Even in Indy IV he still looked like a big strong man. It's funny, probably just about 10 years ago I saw this thing that said that Harrison had been offered $40 million to do another Star Wars movie as Han Solo and he turned it down. This was like, a throwaway entertainment news item on the TV Guide channel. It was the ONLY place I had ever heard that, so I thought it had to be made up, and there was no way they were going to make another Star Wars. NO WAY! But maybe it was true, and I don't know what changed between then and now.
DeleteBut yeah, 10 years ago would've been better. All my anxiety over this would be gone! Although George probably would've been in charge, which could've been very good or very bad. And who knows if it would've focused on them or kids or what. Until some of you guys brought it up though I hadn't even really thought about whether or not their chemistry will still be there. That will be interesting to see. Another opportunity for disappointment.
I'm grateful that Lucas is not directing TFA. He did a great job on ANH, but he did a horrible job with the prequels.
DeleteAs I got really sick in MA (never fly home with a sinus and ear infection), I spent the day on the sofa and I loved Irvin Kershner's comment about The Kiss in ESB. He wanted the adult audience to see the kiss as the equivalent of intercourse. (His term. He was an old fashioned kind of guy.) This was, BTW, the first time I ever listened to the ESB commentary.
isn't it funny though..i mean, the difference even between a director's interpretation of the screen play and the creator's ideas...somewhere I heard that George Lucas had a cow and threatened lawsuits(this was before ROTJ was released, btw) because there was a story floating around that showed Han and Leia's relationship turning sexual on the way to Bespin....guess the originator didn't like that idea...lol...
DeleteReally? I hadn't heard that about George. And as for the commentary about equivalent of intercourse, what I believe he meant was as a means of a release of sexual tension. You needed to get past that point, but it is a very, very PG movie so you needed to do it in a very PG way. So their relationship arc changes based only on a kiss rather than actual sex. And it actually comes off that way.
DeleteAll kinds of regular magazines are running mentions of this Han's wife thing. I'm getting mad again. Also, if it does turn out to be nothing, I am just about positive that they will not print updates to let everyone know, haha, just kidding!
JeanMarie, re: threatened lawsuit, at that time I'd bet he was more concerned have about copyright violation, not the story itself. He was getting quite sensitive to use of the name and characters. Remember when he sued the Reagan Administration when media called the Strategic Defense Initiative "Star Wars"? It was odd that he didn't sue the papers and magazines that used the term. Anyway, my bet was any suit threat was about fan fiction, not disliking the story. And IK had a few instances where he mentioned the sex/kiss analogy.
DeleteI remember reading somewhere there was a big to do about a couple of fanfics, in the infancy of Star Wars fanfics, that went into great detail of the trip to Bespin (someone can Google, I know one of the two stories in question was called Slow Boat to Bespin, I've never read either of the stories cited in this) that a lot of people were upset about and called "porn" even though they were apparently really no different than any of your typical fanfic with mature themes, and potentially even tamer than some of what is out there now. I guess I can see being upset with that. Funny though how George totally changed his tune years later and is quite welcoming to fan parody and using the characters. Heck, you can watch the movies on youtube for free if you want which most movies wouldn't allow. I guess when your fans have all purchased and repurchased the movies probably at least three times by now (I'm at 4 I think myself - remastered VHS, Special Edition VHS, DVD and blu ray) then there isn't much worry that you are losing money by having your movies viewable on youtube.
DeleteI'd encourage everyone to listen to the commentary tracks, there is some fun stuff on there including some things from Carrie. It's all sort of a mash up of several different commentaries so she doesn't do the whole thing but it's still fun to listen to, for all of the movies.
Yeah its funny to see everybody's take on that number ;) I don't really care, as long as they are married and together in episode seven...lol
DeleteSo apparently the next comic comes out this week and we will find out what the deal is with this. I'm extremely nervous, although holding out a tiny bit of hope that I will be hugely relieved and then can laugh about all the worry.
ReplyDeleteSo, first person who figures out what the deal is, feel free to come back and comment! And if the story is resolved somewhat in one direction or the other, I'll write up a new post.
Hmm, according to the Marvel site, it looks like the one that continues the story doesn't come out until August.
DeleteDamn it, you're right. For some reason I had read something about June 29th, and I knew already that didn't make sense. But what I see says JULY 29th, Han and Leia return. And now I've looked up the comic and the July issue is a one-off about Obi Wan. This is just plain mean and clearly soooooo deliberate! August. And then she is still going to be around for at least the issue after that as well. Really I mostly just need to accelerate time and get through December 18th so I can finally know everything and stop with the speculation and worry.
DeleteYeah, I'll be back with a comment as soon as I've read it. Not sure they'll really resolve it in just one more issue, though. Having a feeling they'll jerk us around for a bit. :-(
DeleteSo, I guess we still have to wait until August to find out more about this. I was just reading through as far as I could see in future issues of this on Wookieepedia, and #11, which does not come out until October 21st, has a few brief lines about it, including: "Han Solo... with a ball and chain?!?"
ReplyDeleteSo, seriously, how long are they going to drag this out for? Are they going to tell us they are married and then after like 5 issues of dragging it out be like, oops, just kidding, it was never legal. Or something. I don't know, I'm just annoyed by the whole thing and that line didn't help.
That's really lousy! I skipped the last issue, because I don't care how Obi-Wan spent his time, which is similar to how I don't want a young Han Solo movie (especially one that can't give me a young Harrison). Leave some of the back story alone. That's why I enjoy fanfic. Everyone can color inside OR outside the lines and the readers can choose what they like or don't. A little mystery is good. For me, at least, that's part of the reason H/L have stuck in my brain since I was 10!
DeleteSorry, this is a rant about both the comic AND the Han movie, and you must have had more than your share of that by now.
Rant all you want, I get lonely when everyone disappears from here ;)
DeleteI would be willing to bet that nobody who reads here cares how Obi Wan spends his time. I certainly don't. And like you, I'm weirdly annoyed by the entire thought of a Han Solo movie. I don't want to know every detail of his back story, leave him some mystery!
I'm still concerned about how this particular story line is going to turn out. Or what they will be like in the movie. I still don't want to find out later that I'll be left wishing that only the original three movies existed before they ruined everything for us.
Now would be an excellent time for those of you with half-finished fanfics to get back to work, before it's too late!
Well, never too late for those of us who don't mind AU, as long as it doesn't go too far off the rails. H/L will always be grand in some ways, right? ;-) Pretty please.
DeleteI do hope so! For myself, I fear that if things are really bad it will sort of take the wind out of my sails, you know? But we still have to wait over 4 months to see what happens.
DeleteUnfortunately, I picture myself a month shy of my 49th birthday howling epithets at the screen. Which wouldn't be very grown up of me. At all.
DeleteHmmm... I'm not really one for yelling at the screen. I can, however, picture myself randomly bursting into tears multiple times throughout the film. And not even for specifically emotional portions of it. But, say, when I see the Lucasfilm logo. When we hear the music and the opening crawl starts, probably also when the opening crawl ends. Then every time we see another character I remember from my childhood. I basically anticipate being teary most of the time, usually for no good reason, and to be completely emotionally exhausted after watching. Also, I will probably have to go see it at least 4 or 5 times before I can fully absorb what I've seen.
DeleteYou wouldn't happen to be in Texas? I'm going at midnight with my husband, my kids' music teacher and his wife. We watch like you do.
DeleteWho, me or Trish? I'm not. Push actually is although I honestly haven't talked with her in a while. I'll be going with some family members who are all male but quite possibly will react similarly to me, though possible for different reasons.
DeleteJust dropping by to say that I found this blog last night and I spent forever reading through it. I'm equal parts excited and scared to death about Episode VII. I know rumors are rumors and things may not be what they seem, but I'm not at all interested in any relationship drama or angst with this couple that I hold above all others. Unfortunately, some people/producers/writers think the only way to tell a good story these days is to use said drama and angst because apparently nobody is allowed to have a good, strong, monogamous relationship these days because that's "boring." I've always thought Han and Leia were different. I abhor third parties, and I enjoyed the fact that their relationship evolved over the course of a few years, rather than a few hours like in most movies. Also, I am not an EU kind of person. For the most part, I disliked most of it. I thought the writers didn't do justice to what I felt Han and Leia's marriage would be like; the books were mostly passion-less (I wasn't expecting to read smut, but *some* romance would have been nice...and I won't even get started on the disastrous Courtship of Princess Leia) and I was actually overjoyed when I heard the EU was no longer considered canon. Until I heard what they were doing in the now canon comics and what it may mean for Episode VII and beyond. I will say this, I have read all the comics and they are actually very good. The dialogue between Han and Leia alone is worth the price but then they had to ruin it with the stupid wife thing. I'm hoping it turns out to be something else because despite the fact that she's obviously no longer an issue by ESB, it changes the character of Han for me. I always felt something happened in the three years between ANH and ESB because Leia seems so pissed at him in that first scene. But I always attributed it to the fact that she knew he was planning to leave, not that he had been deceiving her while simultaneously trying to woo her. There's so much time between the two movies that it unfortunately gives writers free reign to decide what could keep them apart for so long, but what doesn't make sense is that nothing was every mentioned in ESB or ROTJ about Han's past, other than his bounty debt. I don't like retroactive writing. Use what we know about Han based on the three movies to explain a backstory, not make up something stupid like a marriage that doesn't fit with what we know about the character just for the sake of riling up fans. And I will say this - if anything happens to these two in Episode VII, relationship-wise or otherwise then I will be done. I will continue living in my OT bubble where the books, comics, and prequels don't exist.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing - I'm one of the fans who got an autograph from Carrie where she signed it "Mrs. H Solo" and I honestly didn't think anything about it, other than the fact that she was assuming what probably 99% of the fans did at the end of Jedi - that Han and Leia got married. I thought it was the cutest signature and done more for the fans benefit and I was very happy with it. I don't think she intentionally gave away any spoiler regarding the status of her character in Ep VII, although I will definitely be more than pleased if they're still married. I find it strange that people even consider this a spoiler, since it seems to be a very natural progression to me, as it has been 30 years....
Anyway, sorry for the long rant. I really just wanted to say Hi.
~AP
Welcome, glad you found us and are enjoying yourself :)
DeleteI do agree with pretty much everything you've said here. I don't know why it seems impossible for anyone to have a good, solid relationship. Yes, they DO exist, and no, it doesn't ruin your story to have one! It seems almost like wasted time to focus on Han and Leia having relationship issues. I've said it before, we already watched their love story, make room for a new one and leave them alone!
As for the comic thing, isn't tomorrow the big day? It will be interesting to see where this goes as well, but I do have a bad feeling that this will not all be worked out by the end of the next issue. I agree that it changes Han's character and we don't need to make him all deceptive and it does nothing to help things. It's almost like, go ahead and write comics with crazy story lines if you want and they don't "count" but I have this fear that they are going to wreck everything. This whole opportunity for a clean slate and they're going to make things worse instead of better. That's not going to make me happy.
All right, guys, the follow-up issue comes out TODAY, finally. So, if any of you read it or hear from somebody who reads it or finds an online summary of what happens next, let the rest of us know ASAP!
ReplyDeleteOk, so, as I suspected, the issue is not entirely resolved yet, apparently. I have not read it myself, just reporting on what I've heard. That said, Han is vehemently denying it and it all does seem like it's going to turn out to be a misunderstanding. I've decided I'm not worried about it. I have a distinct feeling that it will not be 100% resolved for a few more comic issues, but at this point, I'm no longer concerned that Han is or ever was married to this woman.
ReplyDeleteI read it and it's really not bad. At least not yet. You are right that it was not resolved. It's a comic and I think this story will progress over the next several issues (months). I'm gonna say Here be Spoilers in case no one wants to know...Han repeatedly denies that Sana is his wife to Leia and seems really concerned with her reaction to all of this. Based on his denials, I can't believe this marriage is real- OR, if it is he has any knowledge of it. It still could come out that they were married for whatever reason and he thought it was dissolved, but he seems genuinely stunned this her showing up. His main concern is Leia and what she thinks and also her protection as once Sana realizes who she is, she starts trying to fill her head with all this nonsense about the kind of man Han is and then she wants to collect the price on her head. Overall, it was very interesting, and as long as this turns out to be nothing, I'm cool with the storyline. It will just take awhile to get through.
ReplyDelete~AP
Sorry for the typo-- typing in a hurry. And thanks for the welcome!
ReplyDelete~AP
Also, I meant to say that Leia doesn't believe Han and keeps sarcastically referring to Sana as his wife and also believes they'll both turn her in for a bounty. I don't think she honestly believes Han would do that, but she's obviously pissed at him and feeling duped, so I can't say that I blame her for the reservations.
ReplyDelete~AP (sorry for the triple post)
Don't worry about the triple post. Yep, I haven't read it but it is apparently still being left a little ambiguous, but it looks like ultimately we are not going to have anything to worry about. I actually think that it will maybe turn out to be a good way to keep Leia from trusting Han and help them keep their distance the necessary 3 years between movies! I've seen a few panels of it, and the art work looks awesome, too.
DeleteI just read Star Wars #8 today (twice!), and the artwork poses that Leia and Han strike in the panels are spot on Han and Leia. The backstory is not resolved, what "Mrs S" does in this issue will take at least an issue to resolve, and Han is so very screwed. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteAwesome. I have seen a few panels revealed online and it looks really great. I think eventually I'll be purchasing these, I just can't deal with the slowness of the releases of comic books!
DeleteIf anyone is still paying attention, Wookieepedia has been updated out a few more issues, and apparently "the truth about Sana Solo" will be revealed in issue #12, on November 18th: http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_12_%28Marvel%29 That said, based on information we already learned in the last issue, I've already decided I'm not worried about this and it's all going to be fine.
ReplyDelete