Solo: A Star Wars Story lackluster name reveal gives internet something to joke about

The untitled Han Solo movie may now have an official name, but what’s more important are the jokes it has spun off.

Director Ron Howard confirmed via Twitter today that the second spinoff anthology movie about a young Han Solo has been titled Solo: A Star Wars Story. It’s not so much the latter part of the title that people have been poking fun at; Lucasfilm CEO Kathleen Kennedy has said before that “A Star Wars Story” would be assigned to spinoff anthology movies to ensure they were branded as non-main franchise projects. It’s the first part — the lonely, solo word, if you will — that has people scratching their heads and asking if that’s the best Lucasfilm could come up with.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the title is that it could have been swapped out with the name of the first anthology Star Wars spinoff, Rogue One, and worked just as well. Solo will tell the origin story of Han Solo, the rogue smuggler whose claim to fame was making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs and, of course, helping to defeat the Empire during the Galactic Civil War. Solo will explore some of the character’s most character affirming events of Han’s past, including how Han met his best friend, Chewbacca, and when he won the Millennium Falcon from Lando Calrissian.

He is, as people have suggested, the “rogue one.”

Some fans have jokingly suggested that perhaps, just maybe, the term solo doesn’t refer to Han Solo at all! As one person wrote on Reddit, “you think ‘Solo’ is referring to Han? Or perhaps a brand of cup? Possibly even the act of doing something alone. So many questions.’

There are so, so many questions that we have about the name Solo. Was this a name that Lucasfilm came up with as a team? Did former directors Chris Miller and Phil Lord know that this was going to be the name of the movie? Will all future Star Wars spinoff films refer to the lead character by their surname, such as “Fett”, “Hut”, or “Kenobi”?

Solo makes sense for a Han Solo spinoff movie, but there are a number of joke suggestions that work just as well, all things considered. Here are some of our favorites that we’ve come across.

So there it is: Solo: A Star Wars Story. You may not like the name, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, we all know that we’re buying tickets for an opening night screening.

Solo: A Star Wars Story will be released on May 25, 2018.