There are many different ways in which the Star Wars franchise engages with its fans, but certainly some of the best examples are the little Easter Eggs left in movies by filmmakers. They are typically hard to notice, and you may not even see them until you are told to look for them, but when they are pointed out they are immensely fun to discover, and regularly smile-inducing. As it turns out, Solo: A Star Wars Story is no exception to this, as Production Designer Neil Lamont recently revealed to me a special bit that he and his team worked to include in the feature:
One of the Easter eggs that we first had, I'm not sure if it... I've only actually seen the film once myself... I remember in the White Worm chamber when Han throws the rock through the window to allow the light, the UV, to come through and burn Lady Proxima, initially the way in which the glass shattered was a crude cut out of the Millennium Falcon. I'll have to check. I'm not sure if it's still in there because I know they reshot it, and I'll be interested to see that.
With Solo: A Star Wars Story set to hit the home video market next month, I had the pleasure of hopping on the phone with Neil Lamont earlier this week to talk about his work on the movie -- and one subject that came up during our interview was the inclusion of Easter Eggs. I specifically asked if he and his on-set colleagues included any specials nods for which fans should be on the lookout, and he excitedly confirmed. He explained that when the movie is available that everyone should try and freeze-frame the moment where Han Solo smashes the window in the White Worm chamber, as there might be a super quick reference to the most iconic vehicle in the franchise.
Sadly the studio didn't provide access to the film, which means that we can't confirm if this Easter Egg actually made the cut -- but we do know the exact moment in the movie where you should be able to find it. The scene is in the first act of the story, as the titular hero finds himself in serious trouble on his home planet, Corellia. Following a botched job, Han Solo is brought in front of the leader of the White Worms crime syndicate, Lady Proxima, but he makes his escape knowing that she is sensitive to sunlight. He throws a rock through a window allowing UV to pour in and burn the villainess, and apparently the shape of the hole the rock leaves is not totally random.
It seems this was an idea that was first employed during the early half of production of Solo: A Star Wars Story when Phil Lord and Chris Miller were still at the helm -- and it's unclear right now if the Easter Egg survived the reshoots that were done by Ron Howard when he came aboard. Even if it isn't still there, however, fans can take pleasure in the bit of trivia recognizing what almost was.
Of course, the Millennium Falcon-shaped hole in a random window isn't the only Easter Egg to be found in Solo: A Star Wars Story. Neil Lamont also confirmed that eagle-eyed fans should pay close attention to the office of antagonist Dryden Vos, as there are apparently a few items in his personal office that should be a bit familiar. Said Lamont,
Then there's all of the other Easter eggs are put in by our set decoration department, little bits and pieces, especially in Dryden's study - you'll see a few pieces within his artifacts, and his collection of bounty from around the galaxy. In his study, you'll see a few things there.
Fans everywhere will be able to find all of these little hints and clues themselves very soon, fortunately. Following its theatrical release back in late May, Solo: A Star Wars Story is scheduled to be available for digital download on September 14th. And if you're looking for the feature in disc form, you will be able to pick up the 4K, Blu-ray or DVD on September 25th.
