'Star Wars' Deleted Scenes: How Cut 'Solo' Scenes Connect to 'Lego' Directors

For those who thought the Lego Movie was awesome, the fact that the funny men behind it — Chris Miller and Phil Lord — were fired from a Star Wars movie might be the biggest and most crushing disappointment of contemporary feel-good cinema. By now, most people know that Ron Howard took over directing Solo: A Star Wars Story from Lord and Miller, but what if the had they stayed on? With Solo out on digital download right now and available on physical Blu-ray on September 25, the big news is the deleted scenes. Not only are all these scenes great, but they might also represent a version of the movie before the Miller and Lord were let go.

Unlike a lot of home video releases, the deleted scenes on the Solo Blu-ray are actually all pretty great and really do give you an idea of stuff we missed out on in the final film. For continuity nerds, the deleted scene “Han Solo: Imperial Cadet” is essential. This is the one in which we learn why Han was kicked out of flight school is wonderful. It’s also pretty hilarious, and once you see it, you’ll think it was in the final film.

But, the more interesting stuff is probably found in three deleted scenes: “Proxima’s Den,” “Corellia Footchase,” and “Snowball Fight.” And that’s because not only do these scenes have a totally different vibe than the mood of the theatrical release, they also have different story elements too.

The big takeaway is this: from the very first deleted scene, it’s like watching a totally different movie than what was released in the theaters. This version of Han seems to ramble a little more and is even more desperate and of unsure of himself than what we got in the final movie. Plus, Lady Proxima’s criminal organization seems a lot scarier in this version. The thugs are meaner, and Han and Qi’ra seem really freaked out by what will happen to them if they get caught. But most interestingly, there’s no mention of Han stealing any hyperfuel called “coaxiam.”

If you’ve seen the final movie, then you know this fictional space gas literally powers the entire plot of the movie, but these deleted scenes seem to suggest a time when that wasn’t the case at all. If the powers-that-be at Lucasfilm did change the script after Ron Howard took over, then it looks like the big thing that was added was all this space gas to jumpstart the plot. So, was the Lord and Miller version of the movie free of coaxiam? Was the Han Solo in that version of the movie a bumbling fool who, at one point, gets a space eel stuck in his pants? We may never find out. All you can do now is watch the deleted scenes and decide for yourself.

Solo: A Star Wars Story is out for digital download now and on Blu-ray and DVD on Tuesday, September 25.