Star Wars: Where Were Han and Chewie Between Episodes VI and VII?

The complete lore of Star Wars is absolutely massive, and spans thousands of years if one were to go all the way back to the origins of the Mortis Gods. But even within the Skywalker Saga, eleven movies and a few TV shows are not nearly enough to cover everything that happened between all the major events and iconic battles that are shown on screen.

One storyline that is not at all explored on screen in the Star Wars timeline is that of Han Solo and Chewbacca after the Battle of Endor (in between Episodes VI and VII). Th story is only vaguely explained in the movies, but it is a crucial point in the storyline for understanding how all the original characters wound up in the places they did come the time of the rise of Kylo Ren and the First Order.

Star Wars: Han Solo’s Best Friends, Ranked

These Star Wars characters are some of the closest confidants and companions of Han Solo, whether he likes it or not.

While shows like The Mandalorian and Ahsoka cover bits of what happened between Episodes VI and VII, there was far more happening on a larger scale that would directly impact the rise of the First Order, and much of it involved characters from the Original Trilogy like Han, Chewie, Leia, and Luke.

When Were Han and Chewie Last Seen?

Before diving into the major events that occurred between Episodes VI and VII, it may be helpful to solidify a simple timeline of events:

4 ABY: Battle of Endor
4 ABY (sometime after): Han Solo and Leia Organa marry, Liberation of Kashyyk, Chewbacca retires.
5 ABY: Ben Solo is born.
5-15 ABY: Leia becomes more involved in politics, forcing her and Han to spend time apart.
15 ABY: Ben Solo starts Jedi training with Luke Skywalker.
28 ABY: Leia and Ben's Skywalker lineage is publicly revealed. Ben Solo turns to the dark side.
28 ABY (sometime after): Han and Leia separate. Han and Chewie become smugglers again. Leia rises in the ranks of the Resistance.
31 ABY: Han and Chewie lose the Millennium Falcon.
31 ABY (sometime after): Han and Chewie find the Falcon in the possession of Rey, Finn, and BB-8.

As far as the films are concerned, Han and Chewie are last seen in Episode VI: Return of the Jedi during the ceremony held after the Battle of Endor, celebrating the Rebel victory and the beginning of the fall of the Galactic Empire. The iconic duo don't turn up again until nearly thirty years later, when Rey, Finn, and BB-8 take the Millennium Falcon from a junkyard in Jakku and are stopped in space by Han and Chewie, who board the ship and go on to once again help Leia and the Resistance in the fight against the First Order.

What Did Han and Chewie Do After the Battle of Endor?

While many things happened in the years between the Battle of Endor and the rise of the First Order, there are two major events that involved Han and Chewie and their joint adventures. Shortly after the Battle of Endor, Han and Leia married and went on a honeymoon together. Once their normal lives resumed, it was apparent that although Emperor Sidious had fallen, the Empire was not ready to give up.

There were many Imperial outposts still stationed around the galaxy, but the first one Han and Chewie decided to focus on was the one on Chewbacca's home world, Kashyyk. The Wookies of Kashyyk were being held captive by Grand Moff Lozen Tolruck, who had an inhibitor chip (a behavioral modification biochip) implanted into all the Wookies, giving him control over their thoughts and allowing him to manipulate their actions. This is the same type of technology used by the Kaminoans on the Clone troopers.

Han and Chewie's efforts to liberate the Wookies and shut down Tolruck's control module proved successful, and Chewbacca decided to stay on Kashyyk to help rebuild their society, while enjoying a peaceful retirement with his own people. About a year later, Han and Leia welcomed their son, Ben Solo, who shared the Force-sensitivity that his mother, uncle, and grandfather had. Ben went on to train as a Jedi with Luke Skywalker.

As Leia became more and more involved in politics, she and Han began spending less and less time together, only communicating via hologram. But just before they decided to reunite for a well-earned vacation, the truth about Leia's relationship with Darth Vader was revealed to the public, and she and her husband had to try and put out the fire. Meanwhile, Ben was seduced by Supreme Leader Snoke to take on the ways of the dark side, abandoning Luke and ultimately leading to Han and Leia separating.

Soon after their separation, Han reunited with Chewie, and the two took on their old ways, embarking on smuggling adventures together. This eventually led to them losing the Millennium Falcon after they were double-crossed by Gannis Ducain, who stole the Falcon from them. However, that same year, they were able to track down the Falcon, which led to them joining the Resistance and fighting the First Order, reinstating their role in the films of the Star Wars franchise.

Why Did Han and Leia Separate?

Han and Leia's breakup can be rooted to their time spent apart after Ben was born, and she became more involved in politics, acting as part of the Galactic Senate. Han decided to pursue a racing career, and was very successful with his team that raced in the prestigious Five Sabers Race.

Even before that, though, Han had expressed his concern about not being as connected with his son as Leia was, due to the fact that he himself was not Force-sensitive. Although Leia assured him that his connection with his son was just as strong, the lingering anxiety about not being a suitable father for that reason haunted him as Ben grew up.

However, their relationship took a heavy hit when Leia's Skywalker lineage was made apparent to the Senate. The two supported each other through this tough time, but the revelation was what set Ben Solo over the edge, making him abandon the Jedi ways and join the dark side. Han harshly blamed himself for his son's dark turn, and it ultimately was the deciding factor in him and Leia breaking up.

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise originally created by George Lucas and Lucasfilm Ltd with the 1977 motion picture. The science fiction franchise follows the adventures of characters (both humanoid and alien) in outer space including those who can wield a mystical power known as the Force. Since the release of the original trilogy of movies, the franchise has expanded to include multiple films and branched out to other media like comics, video games, tv shows, theme park attractions, and more. The IP and Lucasfilm were sold to Disney in 2012.