Star Wars: Producers Reflect on Han Solo's Return in 'The Force Awakens'

Few characters have had an impact on the Star Wars saga like the smuggler with the heart of gold [...]

Few characters have had an impact on the Star Wars saga like the smuggler with the heart of gold known as Han Solo.

The pilot of the Millennium Falcon made a triumphant return with his lovable co-pilot Chewbacca in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, boarding his old ship with a beaming smile. Then he uttered one of the most memorable lines in the film:

"Chewie, we're home."

Star Wars screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan and producer Kathleen Kennedy spoke with Star Wars Insider about creating that iconic moment in the film and how it all came together.

"We were very pleased when we wrote that scene," said Kasdan. "There were so many moments in writing, and it took months and months of J.J. [Abrams] and I walking, talking, sitting, and writing. But we did it with a lot of walking around cities; Los Angeles, New York, Paris, and London. I've never written a movie that way.

"We were talking and recording, and then we'd go someplace and write it down. It was so much more fun than normal writing. We were sitting at a café in Paris, one of the famous cafés where Ernest Hemingway sat, writing Star Wars, with J.J.'s computer on the table… We were doing all the difficult work of story construction, but we did it in incredibly pleasant circumstances."

Putting the moment to paper was one challenge entirely. But making it happen on camera more than 30 years after the character's last appearance? That's challenging in a different way, according to Kathleen Kennedy.

"It was amazing for everybody," Kennedy said. "I was sitting by the monitors, near the door of the Millennium Falcon, and I turned around and there must have been 150 people from the crew who had all quietly gathered to get around the monitors and see that moment.

"It was very emotional. Everyone was feeling something slightly historic was going on. It really gave you chills."

Though the character was written out of the saga in The Force Awakens, Han Solo's impact is undeniable and will continue to be felt as Kylo Ren and Rey deal with the fallout.

We'll find out how Harrison Ford's legacy continues on when Star Wars: The Last Jedi returns to theaters on December 15.

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