Solo [Official Info] Woody Harrelson (Tobias Beckett) in Solo

The line is: "If by some miracle you make it out of here, find me on Tatooine." Han asks him what's there. And Beckett says "big shot gangster, putting together a crew."

Given that Beckett was about to deceive him, I took it as part of his ruse that he was really leaving the planet. Expert lying, basically.

It's likely a reference to Jabba, but what's the problem with it being 10 years before ANH? By the time of ANH, it's clear that Han has disappointed Jabba multiple times already, and in Solo, he doesn't even know who Jabba is. So ten years of botched jobs for Jabba fits.

 

Yeah, Jabba is too far off . Han could not even make it the Crimson Dawn for long.

Beckett serves as a type of proto-Han, except its pretty clear Beckett isnt really playing at being a cold-blooded killer and pirate, he already is one. While Han is not, he's a deserter and he even at times comes across as a selective conciseness objector much like Finn. They had problem killing the enemy, but no problem killing their own outfit kinda weirdness. Cause well they are the good guys movie stuff.

It was preferable to die than loose the cargo that the Crimson Dawn contracted him to obtain. Beckett knew that. Beckett is kinda a screw up, especially when he ignores his better half, Val. He royally messed things when he disregarded the danger of Nest. Val and Dryden make note of this folly.

Originally Han wanted was to get enough money to get back to get Qi'ra. Once he saw Qi'ra was in the Crimson Dawn, he just wanted to impress her and make himself into a hot shot in the underworld by working for the Crimson Dawn. Meanwhile they go through all this trouble to get themselves out've the mess which Han created for himself and for Beckett & Chewie - all of that goes out the window when he undercuts Beckett and he was already siding with the good-guys out of sentiment. Is Solo supposed to be Starlord now?! Beckett became a shorter lived and low rent version of Yondo Udonta.

The Hutts were no better than the Crimson Dawn. I have no idea what Han was thinking nor even if he was, how he thought things between him and the Crimson Dawn would be OK is completely stupid. Han ignored Beckett's warnings about Qi'ra, he outright dismissed them and thought he knew it all from the onset.

Maybe in his mind he thinks he can get protection with the Hutt Cartel, but this is a stretch since the Hutts arent forgiving. I don't see how he would be on Jabba's retainer for years all the way to a ANH anyhow. Jabba we know isnt a nice and kind creature and Han ultimately screws up and switches to good guy whenever the chance arises. So all I can see his Han creating a big mess and somehow making it out alive, again. Even a second movie would likely bring the same results.

Solo by this film as already built up a bad reputation for himself, from betraying and stealing from the White Worms, to being an Imperial military deserter on Mimban, to the dumping his cargo on Vandor( the dumping the cargo to escape which is a major issue for Jabba in ANH) to betraying the Crimson Dawn . Throughout the movie he's betraying his employers to outright even attempting or succeeding in killing them to escape what he owes basically. This is also a problem on TFA between the gangs, if Rey did not accidentally create the carnage with the Rathars, Han and Chewie were in deep poodoo. Han is a bad for business. There is no good reason why he's still around to be honest, he's essentially a really bad coin or worse. You only hire Han if you want to destroy yourself, unless your the Rebel Alliance then all his very good.

Qi'ra already knows he's the good-guy playing a bad-guy which reminds the audience that he's Han Solo before he's Han Solo for whatever reason- like he's like predisposed to mucking things up with criminals cause he's got a good heart kinda nonsense. Its unclear why he's even in the profession at all, he's just like playing at being a bad guy. Nobody would ever hire Han and Chewie, and you feel no sympathy towards Han. They moved him too close to the Rebel Alliance in this film years ahead, when it was clear Han's turn from a pirate type heel to good guy was very late in ANH when he came back and rescued Luke. Han tried to make good his Hutt folly, but get getting sidetracked. But the OT made Han more of a stand up guy despite having bad luck, he's still something of reputable pirate - while TFA and SOLO made him a parody. In TFA, Han does not even have to aim, he just shoots and that Stormtrooper is dead, like why's he is even in there kinda weirdness. Just strange writing and portrayals.

 

The relationship between the two could have been made better. She sacrifices herself to save him and afterwards he kind of says he didn't even trust her.

 

Beckett cared about Val. He trusted her enough to make retirement plans with her. Then she died. He was visibly hurt by it.

His comment about not trusting anyone is just bitter pessimism.

 

Everything you said in criticism seems to justify the writing choices of the Kasdans. They clearly know Han better than anyone, and it shows. He was always Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca. A good guy, under a bad guy or indifferent guy facade. He didn’t turn in ANH. He just finally committed to his true destiny.

 

We have to remember the timeline of the movie. He's just getting started, he hasn't become cynical Han yet. He doesn't start down that road until the end when he shoots Beckett. By joining up with Jabba, he's gonna go further down that road. Wait until he's surrounded by slime, with bounty hunters and mercenaries after him, with thieves trying to steal his ship, random thugs trying to jump him, fellow smugglers trying to cheat him, etc. That's when you'll see bad guy Han, when he's been in a bad environment for a few years and loses his youthful innocence.

Then, when he's around good people again in ANH, he can afford to be his best self. He can trust and care about Luke and Leia, unlike Beckett.

Who cares about Beckett? I liked him, but he exists to show us who Han could have become, who Han would have been if he hadn't come back in ANH. He's a dark mentor meant to be rejected, but Han ends up becoming sorta like Beckett by the time of ANH anyway, until he chooses to be someone else.

He didn't think it would be okay. He thought he was going to go on the run with Qi'ra.

And? So what? He was somewhat wrong about Qi'ra, but not entirely, as I'm pretty sure she's not going to rat him out to Maul. Qi'ra will keep his involvement to herself and as secret as she can.

Han shot first at the end of SOLO. Pretty sure the idea is that's how he's going to play it from now on.

The White Worms are small time nobodies. Betraying them won't get out because hardly anyone leaves Corellia.

Being an Imperial deserter doesn't harm a smuggler's reputation. It just shows that he's not a rule follower, which you expect from a criminal.

Who knows what he did on Vandor? Who knows he betrayed Crimson Dawn? Who is going to rat him out? Chewie? Qi'ra? Enfys?

Val? Dead. Rio? Dead. Beckett? Dead. Vos? Dead.

These holes are nicely tied up. I think the movie strongly suggests that Crimson Dawn won't be after Han.

He's in it because he loves ships, flying, and action, and smuggling gives him plenty of that.

I don't think he has a lot of options. I don't think he has a fancy degree or a certificate for a trade skill. He's formally uneducated and untrained. Not a lot of jobs open to him, and he wouldn't want the ones that are. Deserting the Imperial military puts heat on him and makes it harder for him to find honest work.

I get what you're saying about him being too nice. I did and still do find that somewhat disappointing. I would have liked him to be a bit rougher.

But, again, I think it's about the time in which the movie was set. He's still so young and just getting into serious crime. Of course he was going to be an okay kid, of course he wasn't going to be some sociopathic, ruthless murderer when he was just a kid. The ruthlessness was something he learned as he aged, and so it could be unlearned at some point. It was never innate.

I think if the movie was set just five years later, we'd see a much different Han, the seedier Han making more ruthless, selfish, cynical decisions while running drugs for Jabba, blasting fools like Greedo who threaten his life and profit.

But, even Han in SOLO isn't entirely clean. On Corellia, he is selling coaxium (illegal), lying, stealing, and conning his way through life. He's already a criminal. He's not taking the decent route through life by working his way up honestly, like Owen and Luke are doing on Tatooine. He's a misfit in the military, escapes by taking part in stealing an Imperial vehicle, and immediately joins a criminal gang to steal coaxium from the Empire. These are all crimes, they all make him a criminal and separate him from the standard good guys, separate him from people like Owen, like the person Luke was raised to be. He's not a good guy in SOLO. He's a thief with a good heart.

 

And the funny thing is that @Vorax accidentally got Han’s character exactly right: He’s playing at being a bad guy. Because he isn’t, and never was. The Kasdans were spot on about that.