Millennium Falcon

The YT-1300 light freighter bearing the designation YT 492727ZED was constructed in 60 BBY by the Corellian Engineering Corporation at Orbital Assembly Facility 7. While still on the assembly line, an incident involving a fuel droid caused the freighter to spin out of control, nearly destroying the entire assembly line before workers managed to regain control. The ship remained in its factory configuration for several years before being acquired by the Corell Industries Limited shipping company. For twelve years, they used it as a shipping vessel within the Corellian system. Gaining a reputation for being both stubbornly unreliable and remarkably fast, the YT flew under a series of names—including Corell's Pride, Fickle Flyer, and Meetyl's Misery—before CI Limited declared bankruptcy in 48 BBY. Over those twelve years, numerous pilots flew the YT-1300 with varying degrees of success. One pilot made a record-breaking run to Tralus, while another was stranded over five hundred kilometers from Selonia with a cargo hold full of defrosting plar fish. One pilot managed to win a race around the planet Drall against a vessel named the Fusion Flame. Each pilot made their own retrofits and repairs, with one being forced to install a poorly-built pulse generator, and another nearly destroying the ship's Fabritech transceiver relay with a hydrospanner when it malfunctioned.

As the Jackpot, the ship was sold to Kal and Dova Brigger, who renamed it Hardwired. The siblings used it for increasingly illegal cargo runs between Corellia and other planets in the Core Worlds. They also upgraded the hyperdrive, but their relationship with the Smugglers' Confederation of the Cularin system soured, leading to Dova's death. Kal survived and renamed the ship Wayward Son, changing the ship's registry to Fondor, before joining Iaco Stark's Commercial Combine, only to be eaten by challat eaters on Troiken in 44 BBY.

In 29 BBY, the Republic Group, a clandestine organization and corporate conglomerate operated by members of the Jedi Order and the Galactic Senate, purchased the vessel. The Human Tobb Jadak and his friend Reeze Duurmun became the ship's primary crew, now named the Stellar Envoy, for the next decade. They made frequent trips to distant planets like Yinchorr and Ansion and upgraded the Envoy's communications systems and hyperdrive.

During the Clone Wars, the Stellar Envoy was on Ongary IX, which the Confederacy of Independent Systems had invaded in search of hfredium. After the battle, Jadak and Duurmun left the planet for the Core Worlds, taking Jorn Kulish as a passenger. Kulish, a disgruntled member of the Ividal Sector Forces, had resigned after a harrowing experience conducting bombing runs with an opaque blast shield fitted to his helmet to protect his eyes from the explosions of burrowing plasma charges. He demonstrated the helmet and shield to Jadak and Duurmun to explain his resignation, but accidentally left the helmet behind when he disembarked at Denon. The helmet and blast shield remained in the freighter's hold for decades, through many owners, until Obi-Wan Kenobi used it to train Luke Skywalker in the ways of the Force in 0 BBY.

In 19 BBY, the ship was present during the Battle of Coruscant, landing at the Republic Executive Building docking bay on Coruscant shortly after the shuttle carrying Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Supreme Chancellor Palpatine landed after their crash landing in the nose of the Invisible Hand.

Shortly after this event, the Stellar Envoy was struck by the bulk freighter Jendirian Valley III over Nar Shaddaa, resulting in extensive damage to the entire frame. Duurmun died in the collision, while Jadak fell into a coma that lasted nearly sixty years. The remains of the ship were placed in an orbital junkyard near the Smuggler's Moon. After about a month, an enterprising technician named Bammy Decree, with the help of crime lord Rej Taunt, purchased the ship as scrap. Under Decree's co-ownership, the Envoy was rebuilt from the ground up, with many systems replaced with updated versions. Despite the time and effort required, the technician was committed to finishing the job as a test of skill and perhaps as a labor of love. During this time, several sections of the ship were refitted with modular components from an old YT-1300p light freighter that had previously been used for diplomatic missions before suffering a similar fate. Lira Wessex, the Imperial Navy's Chief Naval Engineer, was also involved in the retrofitting/repair of the Envoy.

Renamed the Second Chance, it served its new owners only briefly, performing a single botched smuggling attempt before being impounded by the Empire at Nilash III for several years. It was then stolen by Zenn Bien, an opportunistic ship thief working with Rebel agents Quip Fargil and Luufkin. During this operation, the Second Chance was briefly renamed the Gone to Pieces. When Fargil began flying the ship for the Alliance, he renamed it the Millennium Falcon, after the bat-falcon — the name it would carry through the Galactic Civil War, the Second Galactic Civil War, and beyond.

The Falcon was intended for use in a Rebel strike at Bilbringi in 9 BBY, but Fargil had second thoughts and withdrew from the operation, taking the Falcon with him. Overcome with guilt, he donated it to Doctor Parlay Thorp. After spending several years on Hijado with Thorp, the Falcon was sold to Molpol's Traveling Circus and was used as collateral in several wagers before ending up in the hands of a young Lando Calrissian. The ship's identiplate was removed during this time to facilitate its new career in smuggling by one such owner, and each owner added their own "special modifications," so that by the time Lando acquired it, it could outfly almost any vessel of its size.

Lando Calrissian won the Falcon in a game of sabacc on Bespin around 5 BBY from Cix Trouvee, a professional gambler who couldn't cover his debt. After learning the basics of its controls from his new friend Han Solo, he collaborated with his droid Vuffi Raa and worked as a freelance transporter. Calrissian piloted the ship during smuggling missions in the Rafa system, the Oseon belt, and the Starcave of ThonBoka. He continued to modify the ship to better protect himself during these runs. During this time, the Falcon sustained a large tear near its entry ramp when a Renatasian Confederation starfighter rammed it.

During the final round of the Cloud City Sabacc Tournament, Calrissian bet a marker for "any ship on his lot" (at the time, he owned a used spaceship lot on Nar Shaddaa, where the Falcon was parked). Solo, the other contestant in the tournament, accepted the marker, knowing that Calrissian had taken a cruise ship to the tournament and left the Falcon behind. When Solo won the game, he claimed the Falcon as his own due to this technicality, which his unlucky opponent had overlooked.

After winning the Millennium Falcon from Calrissian, Solo continued to add to the prior owners' modifications. His personal enhancements included upgrading the armor plating, weapons, engines, sensors, and sensor jammers. The jammer that Solo installed was so powerful that during its first test, it disrupted the information relays inside the Falcon itself, just as an Imperial corvette was launching. Luckily for Solo, the system was so powerful that it jammed itself and shut down, allowing him to escape unnoticed.

Solo's first mission with the Millennium Falcon was a trip to Kashyyyk for his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca. From there, the Falcon left Imperial Space for the Corporate Sector, smuggling goods for crime bosses like Big Bunji and Ploovo Two-For-One. These less-than-legal activities resulted in frequent run-ins with the Corporate Sector Authority. Solo destroyed the secret Authority prison installation, Stars' End, helped expose a slave trade ring involving prominent Authority executives, and participated in the ill-fated search for the lost treasure of Xim the Despot. After returning from the 'Sector, the Falcon continued smuggling goods (mainly spice) for Jabba Desilijic Tiure. Just months before the Battle of Yavin, Solo was forced to jettison his cargo of glitterstim when boarded by Imperials.

Around this time, Urai Fen of the Zann Consortium hired the crew of the Millennium Falcon to pick up crime lord Tyber Zann from the spice mines of Kessel under the guise of a spice run. After retrieving Zann from Kessel, the crew continued their attempts to repay Jabba for the spaced load. The Falcon was later caught in the tractor beam of a Star Destroyer while visiting Corellia, but the Sundered Heart helped free the ship. In return, Solo agreed to take the Falcon to the Vergesso Asteroids for a vital mission where he dueled with Boba Fett and the Slave I.

On one occasion, the crew of the Millennium Falcon was contracted to deliver supplies to Firebase Alpha, an illegal energy-mining station in the Rishi Maze. Solo and Chewbacca successfully evaded a Star Destroyer and entered the Rishi Maze. Inside, they were attacked by drones launched from a derelict Sith warship. The Falcon's computer interacted with the warship's engines, firing them into the drone fleet and disabling them. After receiving landing clearance from Firebase Alpha, Chewbacca discovered an energy signature coming from the cargo bay. Solo opened the container and found an Imperial baradium bomb. The inside locks to the cargo bay had been damaged during the fight with the drones, preventing them from jettisoning the bomb. Solo donned a spacesuit to open the bay from the outside. His suit was damaged during the attempt, but he managed to open the door. Chewbacca flew the Falcon into a spiral to jettison the cargo and returned to pick Solo up just as his suit ran out of air. They planned to drop off the cargo and return to Mos Eisley to confront the man who had given them the cargo.

The Millennium Falcon's destiny as a tool for small-time smuggling was forever altered when Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker chartered it in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina just months later for passage to Alderaan.

When Obi-Wan questioned the ship's speed, Solo claimed that the Falcon could attain 0.5 past lightspeed and that it "made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs".

The journey to Alderaan became far more than a simple passenger flight. The Falcon fought its way out of Mos Eisley when stormtroopers attacked to recover its cargo. It also narrowly avoided capture by Star Destroyers before jumping to lightspeed.

The Falcon emerged from hyperspace into the remains of Alderaan. After chasing a single TIE Fighter stranded in what appeared to be empty space, the Falcon was captured by a tractor beam from the first Death Star and secured aboard the massive space station. Thanks to quick thinking, the ship was made to appear as if the crew had escaped shortly after taking off from Tatooine. Stormtroopers searched it and reported that there were no passengers on board, missing the crew hidden in secret smuggling holds. The crew then killed a scanning crew before they could be detected by the scanner.

In a matter of hours, the Millennium Falcon escaped the Imperial Navy again, this time with the rescued Princess Leia Organa onboard. After fleeing from Imperial fighters and jumping through hyperspace, the ship arrived at the secret Alliance base on Yavin 4. The Empire had planted a homing device onboard the Falcon to track the Princess to this location. As the Rebels prepared a preemptive attack on the Death Star, Solo loaded his reward onto the Falcon and departed. However, Chewbacca convinced his smuggler captain to change his mind. Solo and his ship returned just in time to cover Luke Skywalker during his last-ditch effort to destroy the station and ensure the Rebel Alliance's safety. The ship's surprise attack destroyed Darth Vader's wingmen and sent Vader spinning into space, allowing Luke to complete his attack and destroy the Death Star.

During the time between Yavin and Hoth, Han (along with Renegade Squadron) used the Falcon to locate the Holocron in the asteroid field that was once Alderaan. During the search, the Falcon's power converter and energy cell were damaged by TIE interceptors and a nearby Star Destroyer. After the encounter in the Alderaan system, the Falcon and the Mon Calamari Cruiser of Renegade Squadron went to the junkyard planet of Ord Mantell. With repairs completed, Han and Renegade Squadron escaped the planet before a local Star Destroyer squadron arrived. Finally, the Falcon served as an escape transport from Boz Pity. The Empire also tracked the Falcon for its role in the Battle of Yavin.

In the year 3 ABY, as the Galactic Empire initiated its attack on Hoth, the Millennium Falcon was in the process of being repaired inside the main hangar of the Rebel Alliance's Echo Base. Amidst the Alliance's urgent efforts to evacuate, Han Solo and Chewbacca hastened to prepare the Falcon for flight. Princess Leia, separated from her designated transport due to a tunnel collapse, was compelled to flee Hoth aboard the Falcon, accompanied by Han, Chewbacca, and C-3PO. Solo, utilizing the ship's exceptional agility and his own piloting expertise, skillfully evaded an Imperial Star Destroyer that was pursuing them, along with two more that materialized from hyperspace. Solo's expert maneuvering of the Falcon almost caused the pursuing Star Destroyer and the two approaching ones to collide. To create an escape opportunity after their initial route was blocked, the Falcon also disabled a Star Destroyer that was already damaged. The Falcon then made an attempt to jump to lightspeed, but was thwarted by a mechanical issue. To avoid capture, Solo made the crucial decision to navigate the Falcon into a nearby asteroid field, hoping to lose their Imperial pursuers. However, a perilous encounter with a space slug forced the Falcon's crew to exit the asteroid field directly into the firing range of the Star Destroyer Avenger. Han then employed the Falcon's landing claw to latch onto a blind spot on the Star Destroyer's conning tower. Following standard Imperial protocols, the Star Destroyer jettisoned all refuse and scrap before entering hyperspace. Han then instructed Chewbacca to release the claw, allowing the Falcon to drift away with the discarded materials. Boba Fett, however, recognized this deception and, piloting the Slave I, remained behind to track the Falcon as it departed the system.

Following its harrowing encounter with the Empire, the Falcon proceeded to Cloud City on Bespin, where Lando Calrissian, an old associate of Han, served as Baron Administrator. However, the Empire had arrived ahead of them, thanks to Boba Fett's pursuit of the Falcon to Bespin. The crew of the Falcon were subsequently captured, subjected to torture, and imprisoned. Han was frozen in carbonite and handed over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett. The remaining crew members, along with Lando, managed to escape aboard the Falcon. After rescuing Luke, who was precariously hanging from a weather vane beneath Cloud City, the ship departed the planet and attempted a jump to lightspeed. The crew was unaware that the recently repaired hyperdrive had been sabotaged by Darth Vader's forces, and only a last-minute repair by R2-D2 prevented the Falcon from falling into Imperial hands. Thanks to R2's intervention, the hyperdrive was successfully activated, and the Falcon managed to escape at the last possible moment.

In the ensuing months, the Falcon became the mobile headquarters for Leia, Luke, and Lando as they pursued Boba Fett in an effort to rescue Han Solo. The Falcon navigated through treacherous canyons on the spaceport moon of Gall and, despite being one of the most sought-after Rebel ships in the galaxy, successfully infiltrated Imperial Center. It then took part in the space battle above Prince Xizor's personal skyhook. Following the battle, the Falcon returned to the Alliance's secret base. After successfully rescuing Han, the Falcon linked up with the Rebel Fleet to prepare for an assault on the second Death Star. By this point, the Millennium Falcon had been awarded the Superior Service Award, the Legion of Merit, the Valor Under Fire Citation, the Combat Victory Accreditation, and the Meritorious Service Award, and had been upgraded with parts from Sienar Fleet Systems, Cygnus Spaceworks, and Taim & Bak.

During the Battle of Endor, Lando and Sullustan co-pilot Nien Nunb piloted the Falcon as Gold Leader. Once the planetary shield protecting the second Death Star was destroyed, the Falcon and a number of Alliance fighters entered the battle station through a conduit port, heading towards the reactor core. The limited space within the conduit tunnels leading to the core caused the relatively large Falcon to lose its sensor dish when it collided with a bulkhead. Lando successfully navigated the craft into the energy core housing the main reactor, launched a volley of concussion missiles, and then made for the exhaust port. The Falcon narrowly escaped the massive explosion that destroyed the powerful battle station. Shortly thereafter, the Imperial fleet retreated, and the galaxy celebrated the Emperor's demise.

Han, however, would never let Lando forget that he had knocked off the ship's sensor dish while inside the second Death Star, especially after promising "she won't get a scratch!" before they left.

Following the Battle of Endor, the Millennium Falcon was one of the few remaining operational ships that could repel the Ssi-ruuk invasion during the Invasion of Bakura. Shortly after, it participated in the Battle for the Eclipse, ironically against the forces of Tyber Zann. During this battle, it sustained significant damage and was forced to escape into hyperspace. In the years after the Battle of Endor, the ship fought in the Liberation of Kashyyyk and the Liberation of Kessel.

The ship's makeshift construction caused frequent issues during its days as a smuggling vessel and during the Rebellion. The systems were barely functional and had numerous incompatibilities, leading to frequent malfunctions. Years after the Battle of Endor, Han Solo and Chewbacca addressed these issues, much to Leia Organa Solo's relief.

In 8 ABY, Han used the Falcon to abduct Leia Organa. Having won ownership of the planet Dathomir in a sabacc game, his plan was to win her affection by presenting her with the planet as a gift. He also intended to separate Leia from Prince Isolder of the Hapes Cluster, who was courting her. The Falcon was captured by the Imperial garrison stationed on Dathomir after a rough landing inside a poorly maintained EF76 Nebulon-B escort frigate and then a "happy" landing on the planet, but Han later stole it back. It played a crucial role in disabling the Super Star Destroyer Iron Fist, resulting in the death of Warlord Zsinj.

Shortly after the events on Dathomir, Han and Leia married and used the Falcon on a mission to Tatooine to retrieve the Shadowcast intelligence code hidden on the Alderaanian moss painting Killik Twilight. They hid the ship in an old smuggler's hideout, where it remained until the mission was completed.

In 11 ABY, Han and Chewbacca flew the Falcon to Kessel on a diplomatic mission for the New Republic. However, upon their arrival in the system, they were attacked by the Kessel mercenary fleet, and the ship crash-landed on Kessel. Han and Chewbacca were enslaved and forced to work in the spice mines, while the ship was repaired and pressed into service with the fleet. Lando later liberated the ship, although Han, Kyp Durron, and Chewbacca nearly destroyed it with the Sun Crusher before discovering that Lando had taken control of it. Soon after, Lando disputed the legitimacy of the sabacc game in which Han had originally won the Falcon from him, leading to a series of rematches. In the first rematch, Lando won the ship back from Han and began an attempt to upgrade and streamline the Falcon's computer systems. The upgrades were not quite finished when, in a second game, Han won the ship back. In a final game—which both men agreed would be their last rematch over the Falcon—Lando won the ship back again, but, in a public gesture to impress Mara Jade, he returned the Falcon to Han.

In 14 ABY, the Falcon was observed in Mos Eisley during Jaden Korr's mission to Mos Eisley. The ship did not sustain any damage during the conflict.

Prior to the Black Fleet Crisis in 16 ABY, a New Republic team rebuilt the ship over several months. The ship was stripped down to its basic spaceframe, with any deformed parts replaced. It was then rebuilt from the ground up. New technology was added to improve efficiency; the electronics were properly grounded and pulse-shielded, mechanical parts were shock-mounted, cables were bundled and tagged, and other parts were documented and labeled. Approximately 15% of its structural components were replaced, reducing its weight by 300 kilograms. The ship's tractor beam, sensors, shield lenses, lower deflector emitters, and hyperdrive motivator were all upgraded and recalibrated. The crew quarters and holds were recarpeted, the sanitizer was recharged, and a YT-1300 battery regulator was duplicated from Corellian specifications. A Sienar Systems augmentor was also installed, and the missing escape pods were replaced.

To Chewbacca's dismay, Han was appalled by how perfectly his ship performed and how smoothly it operated, stating that he would need to go and 're-loosen' some of the nuts and bolts again so he could tell when the ship was straining. Han was known for "flying by feel" and dialing down the inertial compensators to 95% instead of the usual 99-100% that most pilots used. This technique, he said, helped him to better sense the ship's condition, even though it sometimes caught newer passengers off guard with the unexpected G-forces exerted during flight.

Following the death of Chewbacca at the onset of the Yuuzhan Vong War, Han Solo had the Falcon coated with a matte-black finish. He claimed it was to disguise the ship, but Leia suspected it was also a sign of mourning for his co-pilot and close friend. During this period, Han Solo rescued a Ryn named Droma on Ord Mantell, and Droma briefly became the Millennium Falcon's first co-pilot after Chewbacca's passing. Eventually, Leia Organa Solo assumed the role of co-pilot, which she fully embraced. Han Solo replaced Chewbacca's large co-pilot's chair to make Leia more comfortable. Han and Leia used it to escape Coruscant during the Fall of Coruscant.

Throughout the war, the Falcon performed admirably, aiding the New Republic and, later, the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances in developing effective methods for destroying Yuuzhan Vong Coralskippers. Anakin Solo realized that by adjusting the angles of the quad lasers to create slightly intersecting paths, at least one laser would penetrate the dovin basal defensive field of a coralskipper upon impact.

Han and Leia later piloted it from Mon Calamari to Bastion in the Imperial Remnant to negotiate a deal with the Empire for old Imperial maps of the Deep Core. They anticipated having some private time together during the long journey and asked Leia's Noghri bodyguards to remain behind. However, their plans were disrupted when they were forced to take Commander Vana Dorja with them. During the journey, they were pulled out of hyperspace by Yuuzhan Vong mines on the Hydian Way. They were attacked by coralskippers and managed to fend off most of them before Jagged Fel and his squadron arrived to assist them.

Approximately three months later, the Falcon participated in the Battle of Ebaq. Han was given command of a Smuggler's Alliance squadron and used the Falcon as his flagship, despite Booster Terrik offering him the use of the Errant Venture.

Han Solo and Leia Organa Solo utilized the Falcon as their base of operations as they re-established communication checkpoints across the galaxy.

The Millennium Falcon later participated in the Second Battle for Coruscant. Near the end of the war, Thorsh was rescued by the crew of the Millennium Falcon.

By the time of the Second Galactic Civil War, the Falcon (now a century old) was in need of engine repairs. While attempting to land on Coruscant, the engine vibrations began to tear the ship apart. Even with Han and Leia piloting, the ship was on the verge of crashing. Leia used the Force to try to slow their descent but lacked the precise control needed. However, with Jacen remotely enhancing her abilities with his own, Leia managed to keep the ship together for a safe but rough landing. The ship remained out of service for several weeks while R2-D2 slowly repaired it.

During the battle in the skies above Hapes, the Millennium Falcon, piloted by Leia Solo, attempted to avoid combat. Jacen Solo, believing that his parents were terrorists and had set him up, ordered the Anakin Solo to fire on the Falcon (using the transponder codes for a ship known as the Longshot). A single long-range turbolaser blast was fired, destroying the central core and gun turrets of the Falcon. Sadly, the two Noghri Cakhmaim and Meewalh were inside the turrets when they were destroyed. The Falcon managed to escape, but with significant damage.

The Falcon was repaired in the Gyndine system at the Tendrando Refueling and Repair Station with new turrets and a central core. The Falcon later participated in and survived the Battle of Kashyyyk, the Battle of Centerpoint Station, and the Battle of Shedu Maad.

In the aftermath of the Second Galactic Civil War, Han Solo, Leia Organa Solo, and their granddaughter Allana embarked on a mission to investigate the Falcon's origins after Allana discovered a mysterious object on board. The three uncovered an old, failed plot to overthrow Palpatine. The mission began when Allana, exploring the ship, found an old mechanical device with mimetic properties. Further investigation revealed that a former owner, a member of a group dedicated to restoring Republic honor, had placed it there. Although in a coma, the man, Tobb Jadak, awoke and joined the crew to seek the original symbol of the Republic, which had been mounted in the Galactic Senate. The device hidden on board was the key to finding it. When they stopped at Taris, they encountered the Jedi Seff Hellin, the first Jedi to fall victim to Abeloth's summonings. They eventually located a planet in the Unknown Regions where the Republic symbol was stored. The temple began to collapse after they learned the symbol was a fake. The former owner, along with Jadak and his partner, Flitcher Poste, then parted ways with the Solos to pursue the real symbol.

The Solos would continue to use the Millennium Falcon as a mobile home when they assisted Luke Skywalker during his exile from Coruscant, responding to a distress call from him on Dathomir.

Under the ownership of both Lando and Han, the Falcon was subjected to countless modifications and rebuilds. Lando had concealed cargo compartments installed beneath the Falcon's deck plates, which proved to be crucial. These compartments provided both Lando and Han with easy storage for their smuggled goods and concealed the crew when the ship was captured by the first Death Star. Lando also enhanced the ship's shields and installed a pair of smaller blasters on the bow mandibles.

The Falcon featured duralloy plating covering most of its vital hull areas, as well as a sheet of armor plating from the Liquidator aft of the starboard docking arm. Furthermore, the ship was equipped with a set of advanced Kuat Drive Yards, Novaldex, and Nordoxicon shield generators that Solo had "liberated" from the Myomar shipyards. These shield generators provided the Falcon with warship-grade shielding, enabling it to withstand laser hits that would destroy a standard YT-1300. A set of high-grade sensor suites were linked to the Falcon's oversized rectenna sensor dish. Powerful sensor jammers also protected the ship in combat.

To minimize expenses and maintain his privacy, Solo modified the Falcon so that most of its major systems could be accessed from the cockpit or the engineering station in the main cargo hold. The numerous ship-control functions were routed through what had been a Hanx-Wargel SuperFlow IV computer. It had since been modified with three droid brains, which caused the Falcon to engage in schizophrenic arguments with itself, although the brains did cooperate during emergencies. The droid brains were salvaged from a military-issue R3-series astromech droid, a V-5 transport droid, and a corporate espionage slicer droid.

The Falcon's disheveled interior mirrored its dilapidated exterior. The interior corridors were cluttered with various mechanical components. The main hold featured a lounge area with a holographic game table, installed at Chewbacca's request. In addition to the hidden cargo holds beneath its deck plates, it had a cargo-jettison feature. The Falcon lacked a bacta tank, but it was equipped with a cryogenic hibernation capsule to compensate. This capsule could be used to transport live cargo or to stabilize critically injured individuals until suitable medical facilities could be reached.

The ship was frequently required to make swift escapes and had an exceptionally quick start-up time of approximately three minutes.

The ship's cobbled-together nature caused numerous problems throughout its smuggling career and during the Rebellion. The systems were barely functional and exhibited numerous incompatibilities, resulting in frequent malfunctions (C-3PO commented that he was unsure how the ship had learned to communicate, although he may have been referring to the ship's computer using slang and/or vulgar language, which offended his sensibilities). Years after the Battle of Endor, Han Solo and Chewbacca resolved these issues, which may have involved a virtual rebuild of its internal operating systems, although this was never discussed in detail.

The Falcon's customized Class 0.5 hyperdrive was twice as fast as those of Imperial warships, largely due to Solo's innovative modifications to "streamline" the ship for hyperspace jumps. A Quadex power core and jury-rigged components ensured a three-standard-minute start-up sequence for the hyperdrive.

The engine block on the Falcon was designated 229811-B.

The Falcon boasted a pair of Corellian Engineering Corporation AG-2G quad laser cannons situated on both its dorsal and ventral surfaces. These cannons obtained their energy directly from the ship's Quadex power core. Originally, Lando had installed them to take the place of blasters mounted on the mandibles. After Han acquired the Falcon, he significantly upgraded the cannons with enhanced powercyclers, high-volume gas feeds, and specialized laser actuators. This boosted the cannons' power, enabling them to obliterate a TIE Fighter with just one blast. Although typically operated manually, these cannons could be remotely accessed and operated from the cockpit. Solo needed this ability during the Blockade of Kashyyyk in 0 ABY. Furthermore, the pilots had access to the hidden, ventrally-mounted, anti-personnel repeating blaster cannon located near the loading ramp.

Positioned between the forward mandibles were two Arakyd ST2 concussion missile launchers, the possession of which was illegal for civilians. These launchers played a crucial role in the Battle of Endor, where they destroyed the reactor core of the second Death Star. The launchers were modified to hold four concussion missiles from different manufacturers, including Arakyd and Dymek.

Once the Falcon became the diplomatic courier vessel for the Skywalker-Organa-Solo family, it underwent a refit, receiving military-grade power generators, propulsion systems, and weaponry. The quad blaster cannons were removed and replaced with light turbolasers. During the Battle of Hapes in 40 ABY, the Star Destroyer Anakin Solo destroyed the turbolaser turrets with a single shot from its long-range turbolaser while operating under the false transponder code Longshot. Subsequently, newer light turbolasers eventually replaced the destroyed turrets.

During the crisis involving the resurrected Emperor Palpatine, a massive Ganathan lightning gun temporarily replaced the missile launchers. This gun was mounted where the portside bow mandible had been and was destroyed in a shootout with Boba Fett's Slave I. Han disliked this modification to his ship and promptly restored the Falcon to its original configuration once the problems with the reborn Emperor were resolved.

Similar to other vessels of its type, the Millennium Falcon sometimes utilized the freight-loading external rover (F-LER), typically positioned at the ship's front.

The most celebrated characteristic of the Millennium Falcon was its hyperdrive. It was twice the size of the standard YT-1300 freighter's hyperdrive. This system provided the ship with a hyperdrive class of 0.5, making it twice as fast as most Imperial warships. The key to its speed lay in modifications by the master starship tech "Doc" Vandangante, who "streamlined" the ship in hyperspace by manipulating the warp of the space-time continuum surrounding it. Several other ships attempting to replicate the Falcon's speed without these "streamlining" modifications have ended up destroyed.

Another vital component of the Millennium Falcon's velocity was its navicomputer, capable of identifying the fastest route between two points while avoiding hazards like star systems and asteroid fields.

Due to the covert nature of its missions over the years, the Falcon's owners assigned it a multitude of false designations. By 8 ABY, Han Solo alone had given it more than a dozen aliases. Some of the known ones include:

• Argos
• Belle of Byblos [50]
• Close Shave [48]
• Corell's Pride [78]
• Fickle Flyer [78]
• Gone to Pieces [78]
• Hardwired [78]
• High Hopes [78]
• Longshot [51]
• Meetyl's Misery [78]
• Naboo Duckling
• Princess of Blood
• Regina Galas [51]
• Second Chance [78]
• Shadow Bird
• Sunfighter Franchise [5]
• Sunlight Franchise [51]
• Star Princess [53]
• Star Tripper
• Stellar Envoy [78]
• Sweet Surprise [51]
• Thrall's Tale [79]
• Victory Ring
• Wayward Son [78]
• YT-1300 492727ZED [78]

• Lando Calrissian (captain)
• Vuffi Raa (co-pilot)
• Nien Nunb (co-pilot, Battle of Endor)
• Chewbacca (co-pilot)
• Airen Cracken (gunner, Battle of Endor)
• Blount (crewman, Battle of Endor)
• Ace Azzameen (Battle of Endor) [80]
• MK-09 (gunner, Battle of Endor) [80]

• Han Solo (captain)
• Chewbacca (co-pilot)
• Droma (co-pilot)
• Leia Organa Solo (co-pilot)
• Allana Solo (co-pilot)
• Noghri Bodyguards (gunners)
• Dordi (gunner) ( Barabel )
• Zal (gunner) (Barabel)
• Wilyem (gunner) (Barabel Jedi )
• Jarik Solo (gunner)
• R2-D2 ( astromech droid )
• C-3PO ( protocol droid )
• Luke Skywalker ( co-pilot , gunner)

The Millennium Falcon frequently appeared throughout the Star Wars saga. Its design took inspiration from various aircraft of World War II, notably the Boeing B-29 Superfortress.

The original design of the Millennium Falcon was altered at the last minute because it bore too much resemblance to the Eagle Transporter ships in the Space: 1999 television series, used by Moonbase Alpha. The replacement design is rumored to have come from George Lucas observing a half-eaten hamburger with an olive on a toothpick, leading ILM staff to nickname the Falcon "the Porkburger." Ralph McQuarrie's original design was then modified to become the Blockade Runner seen at the beginning of Episode IV, and was also used for the diplomatic transport carrying Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi to Naboo at the start of Episode I.

The Millennium Falcon's cockpit design is largely based on the B-29 Superfortress, and its flight sounds originated from a slowed-down recording of a P-51 Mustang fighter during a race in the Mojave Desert. World War II model kits are also visible on certain sections of its shooting model.

For A New Hope, the exterior set of the Falcon constructed for the Docking Bay 94 and Death Star scenes only included the starboard half of the ship, likely due to space and budget constraints. The absence of the sensor dish in the Docking Bay 94 scene, where it should have been visible, confirms this. This version of the Falcon lacked the forward starboard- and port-side landing pads, which were added for The Empire Strikes Back to better support the weight of the full Falcon exterior set built for that movie. In the spot where the forward starboard landing pad would later be, a weight-bearing support (disguised as a fuel hose) is seen extending from the Falcon's underside to the ground in both A New Hope docking bay scenes.

Han Solo's famous line about the vessel completing the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs seems odd, as a parsec measures distance, not time. (In the original novelization, Solo says "standard timeparts" instead of "parsecs.") In the 4-DVD Special Edition of the original trilogy, George Lucas explains that the Falcon's advanced computer allowed it to chart a shorter hyperspace route than any other ship, resulting in faster travel. Another theory suggests that Solo was trying to impress his audience with seemingly knowledgeable but ultimately meaningless boasting (note Obi-Wan's skeptical look in response, which is supported by the original script). The Expanded Universe explains that faster hyperdrives can safely navigate closer to gravity wells without disengaging, allowing the Falcon to take a much shorter route than other ships.

There was speculation that the Falcon would appear in Revenge of the Sith to further connect the prequel trilogy to the original trilogy, and the ship did indeed make a cameo. A YT-1300 freighter is seen docking at a docking bay on Coruscant at the start of a shot. Lucas confirmed that this was indeed the Millennium Falcon and not just another YT-1300 freighter.

Like many science fiction spacecraft, the Falcon's interior sets could not realistically fit within the exterior sets. Consequently, subsequent Expanded Universe plans attempt to reconcile this by compromising on interior space (often at the expense of headroom). These compromises often result in the Falcon having relatively small engines for a ship renowned for its speed.

This discrepancy has led to inconsistent reports of the vessel's length in various Star Wars publications. The New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels (2003) lists the Falcon as 26.7 meters long. In August 2008, Star Wars Blueprints: The Ultimate Collection gave the length as 35.37 meters, while the Millennium Falcon novel, released in October, stated it was 35 meters. The StarWars.com Encyclopedia, updated in September 2011, reported a length of 34.75 meters, matching that of standard YT-1300 freighters. The most recent publication to specify the ship's length, the Millennium Falcon Owner's Workshop Manual, published in the UK in November 2011 and in the US in February 2012, gives a measurement of 34.37 meters. Given this lack of consensus, this article uses the length from the most recent source, the Owner's Workshop Manual.

In The Essential Guide to Warfare, the Millennium Falcon's power core was described as being the same as that of the B-wing starfighter used by the Rebel Alliance. Paul Urquhart clarified this in part 12 of Jason Fry's Endnotes for the book, stating that they were made by the same manufacturer and thus had similar components, but were not identical drives. He cited the USS Zumwalt and its shared engine with Typhoon fighter jets in the British Air Force as an example.

In Tyrant's Test, Chewbacca refers to the Falcon's quad-lasers as "large-bore Dennia quads," originally designed as crew-served weapons on Dreadnaughts. This seems to contradict the presence of the Corellian-manufactured AG-2G cannons; however, Dennia may have been the subcontractor responsible for building the AG-2Gs.

The Courtship of Princess Leia depicts the Falcon using weapons not typically associated with it, such as ion cannons and proton torpedoes, in addition to the standard quad laser cannons and concussion missile launchers. Champions of the Force in The Jedi Academy Trilogy also shows the Falcon using proton torpedoes against the Death Star prototype near Kessel.

Star Wars (1977) 50, published in 1981, claims that Lando Calrissian was the "Millennium Falcon's original owner." The 1983 novel Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu contradicts this, stating that Lando won the "rather elderly" ship shortly before the novel's events.

The Millennium Falcon also features prominently in the 2001 video game Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds. It can be destroyed in the Battle of Endor alternate-historical simulation in the Darth Vader campaign.

The Falcon was re-imagined in LEGO form for the 2006 video game LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy (based on the LEGO model released in 2004), as well as in its 2007 compilation re-release.

In the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, the Millennium Falcon makes a non-canon cameo. When the main character, Galen Marek, finds the fourth of a series of holocrons on "Imperial Raxus Prime," returning to the main platform on that game level reveals a ship resembling the Falcon. It can also be seen on the first visit to Raxus Prime in the game, near a hyperdrive core.

Although the Millennium Falcon is technically classified as a freighter-class capital ship, various video games, including the Star Wars: Rogue Squadron series, allow players to control the Millennium Falcon as if it were a starfighter.

Some novels have retconned Han Solo's "parsec" boast to imply that the ship's speed allowed him to navigate closer to the black hole cluster known as The Maw without being pulled in, thus reducing the distance (and therefore the time) of the journey.

In addition to its appearances in the Expanded Universe, the Millennium Falcon has also appeared in several non-canonical works, including the LEGO Star Wars game series and the Tag & Bink comics.

It was also the focus of the non-canon Dark Horse Comics serial "Into the Great Unknown," where, sometime after the Battle of Endor, it warped into an unfamiliar star system and crash-landed on a planet with forests similar to those of Endor. Solo was killed by the natives, while Chewbacca became the legendary Sasquatch, guarding the Falcon. 126 years later, the archaeologist Dr. Indiana Jones discovered the wreck, noting that it surpassed everything he had seen in previous expeditions, including [Atlantis](/article/atlantis], but decided to leave it undisturbed alongside Sasquatch.

A CG model of the Falcon was inserted into the battle in the film Star Trek: First Contact, where it engaged the Borg cube alongside Starfleet, the military branch of the United Federation of Planets. John Knoll of Industrial Light & Magic, who had recently completed work on the Special Edition of A New Hope, added the Falcon to the battle, although it is difficult to spot. It appears as the USS Defiant begins its initial attack on the cube and just before an Akira-class starship is destroyed.

In The Dig, a point-and-click adventure game released by LucasArts in 1995, several light bridge control panels feature "alien designs" carved into them, including some that seem to be Star Wars Easter eggs. One such panel displays simplified line drawings of the Millennium Falcon and a Star Destroyer of unknown classification.

A YT-1300 freighter, resembling the Millennium Falcon, can briefly be seen on the landing platform of the Space Diner in the Mel Brooks space parody, Spaceballs.

In the Star Wars spoof Blue Harvest, when Peter, playing Solo, claims that the Falcon made the Kessel Run in under twelve parsecs, Chris, playing Luke, questions him, pointing out that "a parsec is a unit of distance, not time." Solo dismisses his comment.

In February 2007, LEGO Corporation announced the release of the Ultimate Collector's Millennium Falcon, scheduled for October 1 2007. This model is scaled to LEGO Minifigures, measuring 33" long by 22" wide. With 5,195 pieces, it is the second-largest LEGO Set ever made and the most expensive.

Hasbro released what fans call the "Big Millennium Falcon" toy on July 26th, 2008. After the original Kenner mold for the toy broke down after 30 years, Hasbro enlisted the original designer, Mark Boudreaux, to redesign the iconic ship. The final product is approximately 30% larger than the Kenner version and can accommodate up to 18 figures.

In the Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination traveling exhibit, a replica of the Millennium Falcon's cockpit is displayed within a miniature planetarium.