Star Wars Bits: A Special ‘Solo’ Trailer Reaction, Lando Calrissian Fan Art, And The Secrets Of ‘Secrets Of The Empire’
In this edition ofStar WarsBits:
In a post that has since been deleted, AMC Theaters revealed thatSolo: A Star Wars Storywill visit three familiar-sounding planets: Corellia, Kessel, and Mimban. Corellia is the birthplace of Han Solo as well as theMillennium Falcon(classified as aCorellianfreighter); Kessel is known for its brutal slave trade and spice mines, and (in)famous for its space-based racing track; and Mimban is referenced in the non-canon bookSplinter of the Mind’s Eyeby Alan Dean Foster. Enticing! VisitStar Wars News Netfor more theorizing.
Star Wars Junkhas some images of Hasbro toys to be released in connection withSolo. Though we’ve seen a bunch of these characters make appearances in the recently aired trailer for the film, others – like the unnamed character next to Lando and toys that hint at a trip to Jabba’s Palace – have yet to be glimpsed on screen. Check outMovie Webfor a detailed description of the new toy line.
Step into the spotlight.pic.twitter.com/xWxOkHZgqH
— Stephen Byrne (@StephenByrne86)July 02, 2025
Helloooo, what have we here? Artist Stephen Byrne made quick work of Donald Glover’s character after theSolotrailer reveal,producinga wonderful, comic book-style illustration of Lando Calrissian in his bold yellow and blue.
Speaking of quick work: Not 12 hours after the fullSoloteaser trailer debuted, YouTubersonnybooput together a supercut of the teaser trailer and the TV spot released the night before during some random sportsgame telecast. BecauseStar Warsfans are really needy, okay? It’s fine. We’re all fine.
My reaction vid to the trailer.#HanSoloReactionspic.twitter.com/79zG0G8TiC
— Joonas Suotamo (@JoonasSuotamo)August 25, 2025
If you have any doubts about whether or not you’ll enjoySolo: A Star Wars Story, I have a quick fix for you: watch the trailer through the (blackened) eyes of Joonas Suotamo, aka the new Chewbacca, and all of your petty and cynical feelings will immediately disintegrate. Suotamo posted his trailer reaction videoon Twitter, and it basically just consists of him grinning from ear to ear and squealing “Chewie!!” whenever Chewbacca appears. Same here, bud!
A recentStar Wars Explainedvideo sheds some light on a question that has plagued the fandom since the release ofThe Force Awakens: how – and why – is Rey so powerful? Perhaps, as Snoke implies inThe Last Jedi, the Force chooses someone to embody the light side of the Force when the dark side becomes too powerful (and vice versa). Hat tip to badass warrior librarian Jocasta Nu for hammering the point home in a recent issue of theDarth Vadercomic.
In an interview withVariety, Oscar nominated sound designer Ren Klyce talked about the now famousabsenceof sound in a particular moment fromThe Last Jedi. He also addressed another scene in which thereshouldhave been an absence of sound: when Luke’s Force projection ignites his lightsaber in order to face off against Kylo Ren. Ultimately, the sound design team decided to keep the lightsaber sound in the scene, either because to forego it would have been a giveaway, or becauseStar Warsis simply notStar Warswithout that iconiczhoom.
Lucasfilm announcedthat the second season of the animatedStar Warsseries that airs on Disney XD but is notStar Wars Rebels– otherwise known asLEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures– will be released on DVD on March 13, complete with five additional mini-episodes and a Darth Vader pin (natch).The Freemaker Adventuresis not officially canon, but I strongly suggest checking it out if you want some moreStar Wars-related hilarity and surprisingly intricate lore in your life.
Thomas Brodie-Sangster, better known as That Guy from That Thing (most notably: the little kid inLove Actually, Jojen Reed onGame of Thrones, and Newt fromThe Maze Runnerfranchise), finally speaks out about his cameo fromThe Force Awakens(see video above). Brodie-Sangster talked toUSA Todayabout getting a call late at night for a vaguely defined, one-line part in aStar Warsmovie, and immediately seizing the opportunity. “I was like, ‘Um, Yeah! It’sStar Wars!,'” he said. “It’s a big childhood thing to tick off the list. Just immediately yes. Of course.” Too bad he was immediately blown up by Finn and Poe’s escaping TIE fighter. RIP, Petty Officer Thanisson. We hardly knew ya.
Two corporate / creative juggernauts working together – what could go wrong? A lot, apparently, but Marvel and Lucasfilm have found a common ground on which to work their collective magic. In an interview withIGN, Marvel Comics editor Jordan D. White discussed the dueling philosophies of Marvel and Lucasfilm, including the way each approaches the storytelling process. “The root of [Lucasfilm’s] stories and continuity are in movies,” White pointed out. “[T]hey’re grounded by the reality of moviemaking in a way that we, because we are based in comics, are not.” Check out the full interview for more fascinating insights into the world ofStar Warscomics.
Lupita Nyong’o knows as much as you do about Maz Kanata’s role inEpisode IX– that is, nothing at all. “I don’t know yet,” she toldTHRduring a promotional interview for the upcomingBlack Panthermovie. “I’ll know soon.” Nyong’o also spoke a bit about what it was like receiving the original script forThe Force Awakens: “An assistant was flown to my hotel, with a script in a locked contraption. It looked like something out ofStar Wars. And he made me sign something and gave me instructions. I had a certain number of hours to read the script, and the assistant was just waiting, waiting in Morocco for me to finish reading so that he could put it in that locked thing and take it back.” Seems like you’d need a Master Codebreaker to crack that case!
Thank goodness forBlack Pantherpress tours, eh? In an interview aboutanothervillain played by Andy Serkis, Serkis also teased a potential continuation of the late Supreme Leader Snoke’s story inEpisode IX. When asked about whether he has discussed Snoke’s past with Rian Johnson or J.J. Abrams, Serkis toldScreenCrush:“We wanted to keep it a mystery and, you know by the way, it isStar Wars, so who knows what might happen. Without giving anything away.” Without givingwhataway, Andy?!
According toa reportby theWall Street Journalthat surprises no one,Star Wars: Battlefront IIis set to fall short of sales expectations. The most likely culprit is, of course, the loot box fiasco that necessitates micro-transactions as an integral element of gameplay. As it turns out, people don’t love spending tons of money after already spending tons of money. Who’da thunk?
The Star Wars Showuncovers the secrets ofSecrets of the Empire, a hyper-reality experience from ILMxLAB and The VOID. Speaking with show host Andi Gutierrez, writer and producer David S. Goyer explained his motivation for joining the team: “Like so many people, I wanted to bein Star Wars, and this was a chance to do that.” Yep, that checks out. Hit up the video above for more, including an interview with ILMxLAB Senior Creative Producer Diana S. Williams.
Sometimes, a group of heroes arises that we never knew we needed. Those heroes are the Knights of Renesmee, who produced a deliciously terribleshot-by-shot remakeofRevenge of the Sithand have now moved on to the cringiest of theStar Warsprequels:Attack of the Clones. The group recently released a teaser trailer for their film (see above), which features abysmal special effects, line readings almost as bad as the ones from the actual movie, and a gag with Anakin removing his shirt before running into battle (sothat’swhere Kylo got it from!). It’s pure art.
