One of my favorite characters is Han Solo (who shot first, by the way!), the charismatic captain of the Millennium Falcon and Kylo Ren’s father.
The smuggler with a heart of gold and a tongue dripping with sarcasm has many iconic scenes and famous quotes. His lines are brimming with humor and wit, but they also often have heart behind them.
Here are some of the best Star Wars Han Solo quotes to impress your friends at your next nerdy gathering.
1. “Laugh it up, Fuzzball.”
Han Solo (Harrison Ford) says this line in Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back (1980) to Chewbacca (played by Peter Mayhew).
Han and Chewbacca have a great friendship built on years of smuggling together and having each other’s backs, but that doesn’t mean they won’t laugh at each other.
When Han attempts to goad Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) into admitting that she has feelings for him, Chewbacca has a good laugh at his expense when the Princess dresses him down, prompting this reaction.
2. “Never tell me the odds!”
Han says this line to C-3PO (voiced by Anthony Daniels) in Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back. The group tries to flee from the Empire’s forces when Han decides to lose their pursuers by flying into an asteroid field.
C-3PO points out their survival odds are very low, and Han replies with this iconic line. This line encompasses everything about Han—he’s a risk-taker who’s spent his whole life doing the opposite of what people think is logical or safe.
3. “I know.”
Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back ends in tragedy. Jabba’s bounty hunter, Boba Fett (Jeremy Bulloch), captures Han and is about to freeze him in carbonite. After two movies of increasingly flirty banter, Princess Leia finally admits she loves him, and Han replies with this line.
In the script, Han was supposed to say, “I’ll be back,” but Ford improvised this line because he thought it was simple, fit the character’s tough-guy image, and added a touch of humor to a sad scene.
4. “It’s the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs.”
Han says this line in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (1977) when Obi-Wan Kenobi – aka Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness) – and Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) come to him looking for a way to sneak Luke to Alderaan.
At first, Ben is skeptical of the Millennium Falcon’s speed, but Han delivers a rousing defense of his ship. This is one of the first iconic Star Wars Han Solo quotes and introduces us to an important aspect of his character—never insult his ship in front of him.
5. “Look, Your Worshipfulness, let’s get one thing straight. I take orders from just one person: me.”
Han delivers this line to Princess Leia in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope when the gang is just getting together. Royal Leia is used to people following her orders but quickly learns that independent, stubborn Han will not treat her that way.
This line shows Han’s character (the man never got used to following orders) and sets up the love-hate dynamic between Leia and Han, which fans adore.
6. “And I thought they smelled bad on the outside.”
You can trust Han to bring a moment of humor even in the tensest situations. In Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back, Luke almost dies when stranded in a snowstorm. Han cuts open a Tauntaun carcass to warm Luke up after hypothermia and delivers this line.
The scene is very serious because Luke’s life is in danger (and a bit gross), but this joke helps lighten it up.
See Rare Behind-The-Scenes footage from The Empire Strikes Back.
7. “You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.”
Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back is a theatrical movie partly because of the romantic tension between Han and Princess Leia. Although Princess Leia claims to hate Han and his criminal ways, her behavior often says otherwise.
Han points this out with this line, claiming that the sheltered Princess wants a bad guy after all. Leia’s next line, “I happen to like nice men,” isn’t wrong because Han has a heart of gold.
In the end, Han was right because, despite her protests, they kissed right after this line.
8. “3PO, you tell that slimy piece of worm ridden filth, he’ll get no such pleasure from us! [Chewie roars, and Han continues a bit uncertain] Right?”
This quote is from Star Wars: Episode VI—Return of the Jedi. It is a classic sassy quote from Han about Jabba the Hutt.
9. “Hey, kid.”
This quote comes from Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). It’s a touching moment between Kylo Ren and the ghost or memory of Han Solo.
10. “Boring conversation anyway. Luke, we’re going to have company!”
In Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, we find out that Han’s improvisation skills are not always the best.
Along with Luke and Chewbacca, Han is trying to save Princess Leia from the Empire’s forces when the ship’s staff discovers them via the radio.
At first, Han tries to improvise as if he’s a Stormtrooper and fake that everything is okay; it is just a slight weapons malfunction. But, of course, this quickly gets discovered. Although this means that their initial plan to get out undiscovered has to change, Han still finds the time to crack a quick joke.
11. “You know, sometimes I amaze myself.”
Besides his humor, one of Han’s other well-known traits is his arrogance. He delivers this line in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, right after the gang successfully rescues Princess Leia from Darth Vader (even though they had unexpected company, as shown in the quote above).
Han quickly marvels at his handiwork in rescuing the Princess (although Luke and Chewbacca also helped). Of course, Han’s ego isn’t going to go unchecked anymore. Princess Leia quickly puts him into place from her first interaction with him and reminds Han that he’s just a person like everyone else.
12. “Traveling through space ain’t like dusting crops, Farm Boy.”
Han Solo delivers this line in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. Luke starts panicking after Imperial cruisers chase them and make the cardinal mistake of lecturing Han about the Millennium Falcon.
Han quickly puts Luke in his place and explains that there is a reason why he is holding off on jumping into Lightspeed. He also reminds Luke that he doesn’t know that much about the world.
This quote is iconic because it sets up Han’s character. Although he is funny and arrogant, his arrogance is justified because of his amazing skills as a pilot, which get them out of this scrape and many more.
It also shows Luke and the audience that although our main character is special for the future of this world, he doesn’t know much about it.
13. “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.”
In Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, Han agrees to help Luke, but not because he believes the stories about him being chosen by the Force.
Han doesn’t believe in the Force because it contradicts his practical nature. In his mind, the Force and all that talk about the dark side belong in the same category as hokey religions.
Instead, Han would rather fight his way out of a scrape relying on his wits and his trusty blaster than on Legends of the Jedi. Although Han eventually believes in the Force, he never loses his practical side.
Also, check out the best Star Wars quotes about the Force.
14. “Women always figure out the truth. Always.”
Han doesn’t lose his iconic lines in later films, including Star Wars: Episode VII—The Force Awakens (2015). In this line, he calls out Finn (John Boyega) for lying about his background to impress Rey (Daisy Ridley).
Before Leia, Han was a bit of a womanizer. With Leia, he had to learn to navigate one of the most perceptive women in the universe. When he tells Finn that lying won’t do him any good, he’s probably speaking from experience.
15. “Don’t everybody thank me at once.”
Han says this in Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope after he outruns the Empire. The line is sarcastic because nobody thanks him (Han immediately interprets this as everyone being ungrateful, but maybe they were still recovering from their close brushes with death).
Throughout the series, Han is quick to point out his achievements and his skill as a pilot. Some of this is because he is very arrogant, but he gets overlooked by everyone else as a smuggler who has to toot his own horn.
16. “I’m in it for the money.”
In Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope, Han quickly explains why he is helping Luke and Leia. He doesn’t care about the revolution or the princess. He is looking for number one, following the same principles that kept him safe during his smuggling career.
However, this changes even before the movie ends as he begins to care about the principles and his friends, particularly Leia.
17. “Get in there, you big furry oaf! I don’t care what you smell. Get in there, and don’t worry about it!”
This quote also comes from Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope. Chewie, Han, Leia, and Luke have to slide into a garbage chute to escape the detention area where Leia has been held prisoner and interrogated by Darth Vader.
When Chewie roars that he smells something in there, Han orders him to get there and not worry about it. It’s typical Han, diving heads first into trouble.
When Han gets into the trash compactor, he has to agree with Chewie, though. He gives Leia a hard time about their escape route since it was her idea to begin with. Or, as Han puts it, “what an incredible smell you’ve discovered.”
18. “A Jedi knight? I’m out of it for a little while, and everybody gets delusions of grandeur”.
In Star Wars VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), Han is saved by Leia and defrosted from his carbonite sleep. However, it’s a trap, as it happens in Jabba the Hut’s palace.
Leia is taken prisoner instead, and Han is thrown into the Bantha pit where his old friend Chewie is also held captive. When Chewbacca tells Han that Luke has become a Jedi Knight, he can’t believe it.
In closing
So that was my take on the best Han Solo quotes. As you can see, most of these come from the original trilogy, when Han was in his prime.
Han Solo is a great character!
Sure, he doesn’t give much about the Force, which he mostly views as a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.
But his friends and the rebel alliance can always count on him and Chewie when it matters, whether it’s taking on hordes of Stormtroopers in a straight fight with laser guns or a massive battle station in space.
Did I miss any? Which iconic Han Solo is your favorite?
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