Harrison Ford Clueless on Star Wars Mystery – What’s the Secret?

Warning, spoilers ahead! This article contains major revelations about “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019). If you haven’t seen it yet, you might want to stop here to keep the final surprise intact.

Tales of ghosts, resurrections, and visions are not uncommon in the Star Wars galaxy. Yet, one appearance in The Rise of Skywalker continues to raise questions: that of Han Solo, played by Harrison Ford.

Having vanished in a previous episode, the famed smuggler returns for a particularly poignant exchange with his son Kylo Ren, portrayed by Adam Driver. But what exactly is the nature of this scene?

Is Han Solo now a Force ghost?

The universe created by George Lucas has often allowed certain deceased characters to manifest to the living. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, and Luke Skywalker have returned in the form of Force ghosts, usually recognizable by their glowing aura.

Since Han Solo lacks both the training and powers of a Jedi, this explanation seems unlikely for his return. Should it instead be seen as a vision, a memory, or a projection born of Kylo Ren’s troubled mind? Another theory suggests that Leia, having just died after using her last strength to contact her son, could be responsible for this apparition meant to bring Ben Solo back to the light. Nonetheless, the film does not definitively answer this question.

Asked by USA Today in 2020 to provide his own interpretation, Harrison Ford did not attempt to maintain any suspense. True to his straightforward style, the actor replied:

“A Force ghost? I don’t know what a Force ghost is. I don’t have a f****** clue what a Force ghost is. And I don’t care.“

This statement doesn’t solve anything, but it perfectly sums up the actor’s long-standing distant relationship with the Star Wars mythology.

Revisit this mysterious scene in the video below:

Harrison Ford thought he was done with Han Solo

The actor portraying the smuggler has never been as attached to the character as the saga’s fans are. As early as Return of the Jedi in 1983, he wanted Han Solo to be sacrificed, believing his death would add more dramatic weight to the story.

The hero survived until The Force Awakens in 2015, where he is killed by his own son. Thus, Harrison Ford could rightfully think his adventure in this galaxy had definitively ended.

When J.J. Abrams approached him for the ninth episode, his initial reaction was perfectly logical: “When [director J.J. Abrams] asked me to do it, I said, ‘Are you kidding? I’m dead!’“

Abrams had the right arguments

Han Solo’s death clearly didn’t deter the filmmaker, who hadn’t yet written the sequence at the time of contacting the actor. Just a few words were enough to convince him to return one last time.

“He said, ‘More or less dead. You can do it.’ He hadn’t written anything at the time. But he said, ‘It’s going to be great.’ So I agreed. If J.J. asks you to do something, you’d probably do it too. He’s a very persuasive guy.“

This appearance ultimately allowed Han Solo and Kylo Ren to say their goodbyes, without the precise rules of their meeting being explained. An ambiguity that continues to fuel discussions among fans, even though Harrison Ford, for his part, seems to have definitively chosen to leave this mystery to others.

All the Star Wars saga films are available for streaming on Disney+.

Check out below Harrison Ford humorously recounting how Han Solo made his return on Jimmy Kimmel Live this time:

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