Like every Star Wars movie, Solo is shrouded in a great deal of secrecy but some new character bios have now been released which finally answer some big questions we've had about the spinoff. A handful of key heroes and villains are missing (there's no sign of Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, or Dryden Vos, for example) but we still learn lots about Han, Qi'Ra, Tobias Beckett, and Enfys Nest.
There's nothing here which could be considered an outright spoiler but we do learn more about each character's background and even what motivates them when we pick up with them in this movie.
A lot of what's revealed here confirms some of the fan theories which have been doing the rounds while also delivering some surprising new intel, so you're going to want to click on either one of the buttons below for the list in full. Once you've done that, share your thoughts in the usual place.
Han Solo
Times are tough under Imperial rule, with planets across the galaxy feeling the pressure of the Emperor’s iron grip. One such world that has seen better days is Corellia, transformed by the Galactic Empire into one of its principle starship production facilities, it’s famous shipyards now churning out TIE fighters, Star Destroyers and many other weapons of Imperial domination.
To survive the harsh reality that has befallen his homeworld, a young street thief named Han spends his days running scams while working for a notorious Corellian gang, stealing what he can and cutting deals on behalf of his ill-tempered crime boss. Han is unrefined, reckless, and continuously getting himself into scrapes – then improvising his way out of them.
Never one to plan too far ahead, Han goes where opportunity calls. Determined to become "the best pilot in the galaxy", he enlists in the Imperial navy only to find himself kicked out of the flight academy for "having a mind of his own". But he’s about to meet a charismatic rogue named Tobias Beckett, a man who will have an enormous impact on the kind of person Han is destined to become.
Qi'Ra
As a child Qi’ra was just another powerless street urchin, making her way as best she could on the grim thoroughfares of Corellia. Running with a street kid named Han, she was determined to move up in the world and gain status and reputation. As she got older, Qi’ra had grown into an independent young woman – clever and calculating, with a sophisticated edge and a knack for devious skullduggery.
Qi’ra is a secretive woman of the shadows, but who she really is is hidden away, and visible only to those she trusts. When her path crosses with Han’s once again, Qi’ra is destined to become an influential force in the life of the young smuggler.
Tobias Beckett
Tobias Beckett is someone who certainly had an influence on Han in his early years, before audiences first met the space pilot in a hoodlum-filled cantina on Tatooine. Beckett is a seasoned, no-nonsense survivor, forever working the angles to make sure he always comes out ahead of the game. Sound familiar?
Beckett has assembled a team of specialized scoundrels to carry out a series of risky but profitable heists, and when he needs some extra hands for one particular job, he allows young Han and his Wookiee partner-in-crime, Chewbacca, to tag along. If it comes down to a fight, Beckett is a happy to take on his enemies in hand-to-hand combat as he is to blast them to smithereens, using the pair of mismatched blasters that are never far from his side.
Val
A member of Tobias Beckett’s criminal crew, the occasionally prickly Val is cool and self-assured without being flashy. Measured and methodical, she is a crack shot with a blaster rifle, and the most even-headed and capable member of the ragtag gang of rogues Beckett has recruited to undertake a foolhardy escapade in search of reaches on the muddy battlefields of Mimban.
When she first meets Han, Val is far from impressed with the young Corellian, lacking faith and sceptical of his self-professed skills as a pilot.
Enfys Nest
Busy carving out a nefarious reputation as the violent and enigmatic leader of a gang of swoop-riding pirates - the Cloud-Riders - the deadly Enfys Nest is an extremely dangerous and brutal marauder. With his face always obscured beneath a fearsome helmet, Nest is deadly, athletic, and percussively vicious.
Moloch
The sadistic Moloch wallows in authority over the lesser thieves of his gang. Like all White Worms, Moloch is extremely sensitive to natural light and must wear special protective gear when operating beyond the murk of his dank lair.
L3-37
A "self-made droid", L3-37 has cobbled herself together using an assortment of components from astromechs, protocol droids and countless other robotic sources, devising her own form and function to become something quite unique – with an impressive AI to match.
L3-37 is Lando Calrissian’s enlightened navigator and co-pilot. Her programming makes for an indignant, spirited and somewhat eccentric companion, who cares deeply about droid rights. With a mind of her own (after all, she built it) L3-37 is subservient to no one.