Millennium Falcon

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The Millennium Falcon is a fictional spacecraft in the Star Wars universe commanded by smuggler Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and his Wookiee first mate, Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew). The highly modified YT-1300 light freighter first appears in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), and subsequently in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) and, in a cameo, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005). The Falcon also appears in a variety of Star Wars expanded universe materials, including books, comics, and games; James Luceno's novel Millennium Falcon focuses on the titular ship.^[1]

[edit] Origin and design

According to Star Wars creator George Lucas, the Falcon's design is inspired by a hamburger, with the cockpit being an olive on the side.^[2] The ship originally had a more elongated appearance, but a vessel called the Eagle with a similar appearance in Space: 1999 prompted Lucas to change the Falcon's design.^[2] The original model was modified, re-scaled, and used as Princess Leia's ship, Tantive IV.^[3]

The full-scale Millennium Falcon built for The Empire Strikes Back was created in a hangar by Marcon Fabrications in Pembroke Dock, West Wales.^[4] Once completed, it weighed over 25 tons and used compressed air hover pads for movement around the set.^[5][6] A portion of the full-scale ship was used for a scene cut from Return of the Jedi; all Falcon appearances in the original theatrical release were either models or matte paintings.^[5] The full-scale Falcon was scrapped when filming for Return of the Jedi ended.^[5]

[edit] Depiction

Han Solo won the Falcon from fellow rogue Lando Calrissian in a game of sabacc.^[7] In A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi (Alec Guinness) and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) charter the ship to deliver them, C-3PO (Anthony Daniels), R2-D2 (Kenny Baker), and the stolen Death Star plans to Alderaan. Skywalker appraises the ship as "a piece of junk", but Solo counters by noting that the ship "may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts." The group conceal themselves in hidden smuggling compartments when the Falcon is captured by the Death Star. Solo seemingly abandons the Rebels before they attack the Death Star, but his return in the Falcon allows Skywalker to destroy the space station.

Solo flies the Falcon, with Chewbacca, Leia (Carrie Fisher), and C-3PO aboard, to elude the Imperial Starfleet in The Empire Strikes Back. They take refuge at Cloud City, where Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) captures Solo and freezes him in carbonite. Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams) helps the others escape and, at the film's end, he and Chewbacca set out aboard the Falcon to rescue Solo. Calrissian again flies the Falcon during the climax of Return of the Jedi, leading the Rebels' successful attack on the second Death Star.

The Falcon is often connected to the Kessel Run, a pathway from Kessel past the Maw Black Hole Cluster used by smugglers to transport precious Glitterstim spice.^[8] Solo in A New Hope brags that the Falcon made the Kessel Run in "less than twelve parsecs", referring to his ability to move the ship closer to the Maw's black holes and therefore cut the distance traveled.^[8] On the A New Hope DVD audio commentary, Lucas comments that, in the Star Wars universe, traveling through hyperspace requires careful navigation to avoid stars, planets, asteroids, and other obstacles.^[9] Since no long-distance journey can be made in a straight line, the "fastest" ship is the one that can plot the "most direct course", thereby traveling the least distance.^[9]

Solo's twelve-parsec Kessel Run, the bet that won him the ship from Calrissian (a big Sabacc game in Cloud City), and how he modified it over time, are all depicted in "Rebel Dawn" by A. C. Crispin.^[10] (However, the Falcon makes its debut in the previous book in the three-book trilogy series, "The Hutt Gambit", as Calrissian's personal ship.) In Dark Horse Comics' "The Kessel Run", the Kessel Run Solo mentions is a scam that Lando uses to win money back from Solo after losing the Falcon to him.

[edit] Cultural impact

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Joss Whedon credits the Millennium Falcon as one of his two primary inspirations for his Firefly television show.^[11] The Falcon and the Falcon's distinct shape appear in Star Trek: First Contact,^[12] Blade Runner,^[13] and Starship Troopers.^[14] The manga series Berserk includes a "Millennium Falcon" arc.^[15]

Kenner,^[16] Hasbro,^[17][18], Steel Tec,^[19] Master Replicas,^[20] and Micro Machines have all released Millennium Falcon toys and puzzles. including a Transformers version of the ship. LEGO released multiple versions of the Millennium Falcon in varying sizes. The 5,195-piece LEGO model, designed by Jens Kronvold Fredericksen and built to scale with the existing minifigs of the characters, was the largest LEGO set ever sold by the company until their 5,922-piece Taj Mahal.^[21][22]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Millennium Falcon in the Star Wars Databank
• Millennium Falcon on Wookieepedia, an external wiki
• The Last Corellian Shipyard - Lucasfilm essay on constructing the full-scale Falcon for The Empire Strikes Back