20 mysteries and revelations in the first Solo: A Star Wars Story footage

This looks like a familiar console … but not too familiar. It’s the Millennium Falcon, right? But it’s not exactly like the dashboard we’ve seen before. That’s okay. This isn’t the same Han Solo we’ve seen before. Buckle up and join EW for a deep dive into the new footage from Solo: A Star Wars Story.

It begins at the galactic tyranny’s version of … a job fair? An Imperial recruiter is sitting down with a young fellow in a hoodie. (Also, I know there are a lot of domed Astromech droids in universe, but damn if that doesn’t look like R2-D2 off to the left.)

“So you want to make a difference? Trust me, you’re gonna love it.” The Imperial officer loves his work. This is a fascinating perspective on life far, far away from anybody named Skywalker. While worlds are falling and the Force teeters in imbalance, life goes on. People have to work. Our hero (is it okay to call Han Solo a hero at this point?) needs a job.

But “love it”? Eh. The ominous silhouette of a Star Destroyer emerging from a vortex doesn’t look like a good time. It looks like a giant predator swimming toward prey.

We shift to a different location. An office. Solo has passed the first hurdle in acceptance into the Empire’s ranks. We knew he was ambivalent about the Rebels vs. the Imperials, but now we learn he was once ready to join the dark side for a steady paycheck. And training. He wants to be a pilot. “Best in the galaxy.” The officer’s smug expression tells us how often he hears that. 

We cut to what looks like either a getaway or a drag race. Two speeders, one significantly larger than the other, bashing for space on a narrow causeway. 

In the driver’s seat, we can assume it’s Alden Ehrenreich, talking over the scoundrel role from Harrison Ford, but that’s not Chewie in the passenger seat. My guess, based on the dim shape: Emilia Clarke’s as-yet-unnamed character.

(Check back to EW.com later this week for more on her.)

They’re upsetting the droids and disturbing the peace. This kid is trouble. But you already knew that. We’re looking at young Han Solo several years before Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi meet him in that cantina on Tatooine. As Ron Howard’s movie begins, Solo has a lot of laws to break before earning his rep as an outlaw.

There’s something haunting about this shot of Han looking up at the cockpit of the ride that would come to define him. It’s not the expression of someone seeing something familiar; it’s more the awe of someone seeing the ship for the first time. Definitely more impressed than Luke “What a piece of junk” Skywalker.

But then, the Falcon looks different on the exterior, too. We’re jumping ahead, and there isn’t a clear shot of the front of the Corellian freighter, but in this screengrab you can make out that the ship’s hull is closed rather than forked. But this is the Falcon. Things change over the years. Entropy takes its cut.

The inside looks, um, different, too. Who knew those rounded panels were ever white? The Millennium Falcon has clearly seen better days. We’re finally seeing them, too.

Behold Donald Glover, taking over the smooth operator role of Lando Calrissian from Billy Dee Williams. He’s lit by strobe and draped in fur, looking very stylish for a man we know operates outside the law. The pristine Falcon is another example of his taste.

We get one close-up of a droid, but there’s no indication yet who this is, or how the robot fits into the story. We know Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge plays a motion-capture character in Solo, so we may be looking at her. (I’m tipping my Sabacc hand, though…)

Woody Harrelson plays someone described as a “mentor” to young Solo, and we get just a single glimpse of him standing amid some ancient-looking cenotaphs. (Again, check back to EW.com later this week for more.)

We may actually have a second look at Harrelson’s character, although it goes by fast. He appears to be in a blaster battle with this Sauron-looking swordsman atop a speeding train.

Except, it’s not quite a train. It’s a double-sided rail vehicle that looks like the kind of amusement park ride you should not board if you’re pregnant or have a heart condition. 

The kind of watering holes Solo visits are much classier than the Tatooine cantina, or even Maz’s castle, that’s for sure. Here we see a nightclub singer performing while wealthy-looking patrons dance seductively. 

He never says. But we don’t need to put a name to the face. We already know.

In case there was any doubt, he has a Wookiee vouch in the final frame. As of now, this is a true teaser, an impressionistic glimpse of what’s to come. Tomorrow, the full trailer arrives — with much more to explore. Stay tuned. Han Solo week is just beginning …