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'Solo' Trailer Might Retcon the 'Star Wars Holiday Special'

We’ve got a brand-new trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story, and in it we get tons of new footage from the upcoming movie but also a tender moment between Chewbacca and another Wookie. We can’t possibly know exactly who that is, but it’s probably a member of Chewbacca’s family. If that’s the case, then it looks like Solo: A Star Wars Story might inadvertently retcon the widely-panned Star Wars Holiday Special from. We also learn exactly how old Chewie is at long last.

The new trailer for Solo: A Star Wars Story was released Sunday night, and in it, Han Solo looks more stylish than ever. Qi’ra notes that Han is “after something” and wonders if it’s “revenge, money, or something else.” Han points out that he’s a “driver” and a “flyer” as he finally accepts the scoundrel life after getting recruited for a big job. But the best parts of the new trailer come every time he interacts with Chewie or when he meets Lando Calrissian for the very first time.

Perhaps the most surprising moment is when Chewbacca interacts with another Wookie:

Lucasfilm

Is that Chewbacca’s wife? Or his child? Is it a sibling or some other family member? The trailer does also confirm that Chewie is 190 years old, which is consistent with all of the other Star Wars movies. But this looks like Chewie and his fellow Wookie are under some kind of Imperial blaster fire. The ship behind them could be almost anything, but it’s probably the Millennium Falcon, right? So is this on Kashyyk somehow when Han and Chewie first meet, or something else entirely?

Either way, this is the first time we’ve ever seen Chewie interact with another Wookie in any intimate way since the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978.

Thankfully, this new Wookie doesn't look like these in 'Solo'.

Lucasfilm

In that much-maligned Christmas Special, most of the Star Wars cast went to Chewbacca’s homeworld of Kashyyk to celebrate the holiday with his family. There was Chewie’s father Itchy, wife Malla, and son Lumpy. Supposedly, these weren’t their full, actual names, but still. Is this Wookie we see in Solo Malla or even Lumpy? The interaction does look like the closest thing you can possibly get to a heartfelt goodbye in Wookie culture.

So does that mean that the real canon story of how Chewbacca broke away from his family will play out very differently in Solo? It looks like it. Thankfully, we don’t have that much more time to wait.

Solo: A Star Wars Story hits theaters on May 25, 2018.

Here’s the first trailer, if you want to compare:

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