How J.J. Abrams Brought Harrison Ford Back To ‘Star Wars’

It’s no secret that Harrison Ford carries some ill-will towards his “Star Wars” character Han Solo, despite having an extremely avid fanbase and a multi-billion dollar franchise behind him. A younger version of Ford’s character was even featured in his own origin film, 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” though it seemingly failed fans and bombed at the box office.

After years of enduring the spotlight of “Star Wars,” Han was finally killed off in J.J. Abrams’s “The Force Awakens.” To Ford it may have been a blessing, but to fans it meant nearly the end of the world, yet destiny conceited by bringing Han Solo back into the fold with “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” and, according to Vanity Fair, it didn’t take much for Abrams to convince Ford to return.

“Well, I called him and I said, ‘We want to have a scene in the film between Kylo Ren and his father, would you do it?’ And he said, ‘Okay,’” Abrams explained. “It’s not more interesting!”

The initial phase, getting Han back into the “Star Wars” universe, was seemingly a breeze, yet making the scene itself feel plausible, necessary and fluid, on the other hand, proved a little more challenging. To Abrams and screenwriter Chris Terrio, “The Rise of Skywalker” needed that redeeming push for Kylo Ren’s arc to work, and a mirror to Darth Vader's light-side turn via Luke Skywalker in "Return of the Jedi." Yet, how exactly would Han Solo reappear to his son without having any Force abilities was the daunting dilemma.

“At least for J.J. and I, we thought that this finally was Ren, after the death of his mother, being able to really ask for forgiveness, to ask his father for forgiveness, and make some kind of peace,” Terrio said. “He cannot go back and take back what he has done to his father, but as Han says, ‘Your mother’s gone but what she stood for and what she fought for, that’s not gone,’ so he still can make amends in the future.”

Ford became among the most fundamental "Rise of Skywalker" cameos. Despite it only being a pseudo-recreation of the Han Solo death in “The Force Awakens,” Ford’s resurgence as Solo in “Episode IX” not only remains a touching moment between both characters, but also adds weight to Solo’s existence in the “Star Wars” universe. No longer can he be written off as a mere scoundrel and space pirate but a lasting reminder of goodness in the face of evil.

Abrams admits, "To see two characters that are these traditionally pretty tough guys be so vulnerable to me speaks to the beauty of what 'Star Wars' has always been."