As we’ve come to witness over the past couple of years, there’s a lot to hate about Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But regardless of your opinion, one thing is absolutely clear: Rian Johnson crammed countless subtleties into the middle act of the Sequel Trilogy.
Even after more than two years, Episode VIII remains a topic of debate, more often than not controversial and heated. Luke’s grey characterization, the Canto Bight subplot and generally, Johnson’s insistence to “let the past die” and take the franchise into a new path by subverting expectations and giving birth to novel interpretations of the mythical aspects of Star Wars lore all contributed to The Last Jedi essentially dividing the fandom in half. But one of the more overlooked criticisms of the movie involves the aftermath of Han Solo’s death, which Johnson almost completely disregards.
In fact, there’s only one scene dedicated to honoring the legacy of the legendary smuggler-turned-hero, but even that didn’t make it to the theatrical cut. Apparently, though, Rian included a subtle nod to the former general of the Rebellion and the Resistance after all. As a user on Reddit points out, in the opening sequence when Rose’s sister is trying to destroy the First Order dreadnought, one of the bombs has an Aurebesh description that translates to: “Han says hi.”
As you can see above, the tribute is easy to miss since the shot lasts only a couple of seconds. As for Aurebesh, this is a writing system used to transcribe Galactic Basic, one of the most utilized languages in the galaxy. Say what you will about Rian Johnson, but the man did know his Star Wars lore.
Of course, we would’ve preferred to see a longer tribute to Han in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but the director felt that it stole away from the movie’s momentum and pacing. It’s safe to say that fans don’t necessarily share Rian’s sentiments, though.