But Solo deserves a place among the best movies in the Star Wars saga rather than as a filler. Han Solo is as iconic to the mythology as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. 

Solo explains and enhances many of the references to Han’s background story, such as his infamous 12 parsec Kessel Run and the reason the Millennium Falcon is an unreliable bucket of bolts. 

The quality of the film is testament to Ron Howard’s direction, scriptwriters Jasper and Lawrence Kasdan’s storytelling skills and ability to capture the nuances and rhythms of the central characters, Han Solo (with Alden Ehrenreich in Harrison Ford’s iconic role), Qi’ra (Emilia Clarke) and Lando Calrissian (Donald Glover).

We trace Han’s origin story to his home planet Corellia, a lawless planet ruled by the brutal Lady Proxima and home to the spacecraft industry that builds hyperspace-jumping ships.

Han escapes Corellia while Qi’ra is trapped. They meet years later when Qi’ra works for the merciless and cruel gangster Dryden Voss.

In the intervening time, Han has connected with the shady Tobias Beckett from whom he learns the tricks of the smuggling trade.

Then there’s how Han meets Chewbacca, the Cloud Riders and the pursuit of coaxiam, a super fuel that promises to fulfil the richest dreams of every creature in known and unknown universes. It’s easiest to say there are lots of tendrils to this story, including those belonging to a number of alien beasts.

Howard and his production team bring more than adrenaline fuelled action sequences. They underpin the actions with solid characterisation in keeping with previous, or should that be future, outings by Solo and Calrissian as well as storytelling that is well-paced and timed to deliver thrills while new characters add spice and deception.

One of the strongest indicators of the substantial characterisation is the convincing nature of Lando Calrissian’s L3-37 android companion. That is a robot with sass. The feelings between Lando and L3 are palpable. L3 is more than a connection of circuitboards and mechanical parts. 

Solo abounds with twists, turns and betrayals. They connect the dots while managing to provide a self-contained rollicking adventure of its own.

Solo is an intersection for characters, background stories and precursors to events in the original Star Wars trilogy.    

If the Star Wars extended galaxy has somehow passed you by, then you must exist in a galaxy far far away.

For those of us who have followed Star Wars across the decades since the release of Episode IV: A New Hope, Solo reaches for the stars. Strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.