The Big Picture
The Millennium Falcon’s unique and weathered design sets it apart from other sleek and polished spacecraft in the Star Wars franchise. The ship’s redesign was a last-minute decision to avoid similarities with a spaceship from the popular science fiction television series Space: 1999. The Millennium Falcon’s distinctive appearance and its association with beloved characters like Han Solo have made it the most beloved ship in the Star Wars franchise.
It’s not just characters that evoke nostalgia for Star Wars fans; some of the vehicles can bring back warm feelings too. None of the ships in the franchise are quite as beloved as the Millennium Falcon. The greasy, broken-down transporter has served as Solo’s (Harrison Ford) vehicle of choice ever since the first film was released in 1977. The Millennium Falcon may look like a hunk of junk, but it’s the fastest one in the galaxy and always comes in when the heroes need it most. The Millennium Falcon is without a doubt the most famous Star Wars vehicle because of how unusual it looks; the ship lacks the sleek, polished edge that some of the militarized vehicles have. Although the appeal of the Millennium Falcon is synonymous with the franchise, the ship’s unique design came from a last-minute change to avoid comparisons with another science fiction franchise.
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire’s world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.
Release Date May 25, 1977
Director George Lucas
Cast Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Anthony Daniels
Rating PG
Runtime 121
Genres Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
‘Star Wars’ Had To Avoid Comparisons With Another Sci-Fi Show
Like many aspects of the Star Wars franchise, the original version of the Millennium Falcon was based on some of the earliest visual developments of the artist, Ralph McQuarrie. McQuarrie’s designs continue to inspire new Star Wars projects, including some of the ice spiders from the second season of The Mandalorian. During the initial stages of production on the original film, McQuarrie designed a sleek, narrow spaceship that could serve as Solo’s vehicle of choice. Unfortunately, Star Wars wasn’t the only space opera adventure seeking attention at the time. The popular science fiction television series Space: 1999 debuted in 1975, and featured a spaceship known as the “Eagle Transport.” Unfortunately, for Lucasfilm’s production artists, the Eagle looked almost identical to the original design for the Millennium Falcon.
Space: 1999 was an adventure series set two decades in the future, where humanity has begun storing nuclear waste on the dark side of the Moon to prevent the pollution of Earth. While this solution is temporarily successful, the situation spirals out of control when the waste facilities explode, knocking the moon out of orbit. The series follows the motley group of moonbase researchers (who somewhat resemble the Star Wars heroes) as they fight for survival on the lunar surface. The series featured performances by Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Nick Tate, and even guest-starred future Star Wars actor Sir Christopher Lee.
While Space: 1999 would eventually be canceled at the end of its second season in November 1977, there weren’t enough science fiction projects at the time to compare Star Wars to. If Lucasfilm launched a new science fiction epic with a ship that looked similar to the one from Space: 1999, the studio could be accused of replicating a proven success. This inspired the team at Lucasfilm’s Industrial Lights & Magic to get creative. The Millennium Falcon was redesigned to prevent any comparisons. The angular design for the ship was abandoned in favor of a deteriorating, rounded design that somewhat resembled a flying saucer.
The ‘Millennium Falcon’ Was a Last Minute Redesign
Image via 20th Century Studios
The new design for the Millennium Falcon came from Lucasfilm’s young special effects designer and illustrator Joe Johnston, who would go on to direct such blockbuster films as The Rocketeer, Jumanji, Jurassic Park III, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Wolfman. According to Johnston, the new design for the Millennium Falcon was inspired by a glimpse of stacked plates at home. Johnston theorized that a rogue smuggler like Solo would have a ship that was just as battered and damaged as he was, and the most iconic Star Wars ship of all-time was born. Little did he know that he had just created a design that would inspire countless pieces of merchandise and remain in the franchise for almost four decades.
Thankfully, Lucasfilm’s artists didn’t have to completely abandon the design that they had initially created for the Millennium Falcon. The ship that resembled Space: 1999’s Eagle Transport became a Rebel Blockade Runner, or the Tantive IV, which is Princess Leia’s (Carrie Fisher) flagship. The small, narrow Tantive IV ship is hunted down by Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer at the beginning of the original film; it’s one of the most iconic opening scenes of all time. Star Wars fans got to see the moments that led up to this iconic showdown in the 2016 prequel film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
The ‘Millennium Falcon’ Is the Most Beloved ‘Star Wars’ Ship
Although the pressure of creating a new ship may have been stressful for the artists at ILM, the Millennium Falcon’s unusual design is part of the reason that it is so beloved. Unlike other science fiction projects at the time (including Space: 1999), Star Wars felt like it took place in a weathered, existing universe. Star Wars didn’t take place in the future, so it wouldn’t have made sense for Solo to have the most advanced ship out there. The broken, hastily designed quality of the Millennium Falcon allows the ship (and its pilot) to take people by surprise.
The Millennium Falcon’s world-weariness became a fun recurring joke throughout the franchise. In The Empire Strikes Back, the ship weathers so much damage that Solo has to seek out its original owner, Lando Calrissian (Billy Dee Williams). Lando later gets to fly the ship again during the final battle in Return of the Jedi. Even though the Rebel Alliance has an entire fleet of ships at its disposal, it made sense that the Millennium Falcon would be leading the assault on the Death Star II. A featurette in the 2018 prequel film Solo: A Star Wars Story reflected on the ship’s history by showing how Solo won it from Lando in the first place.
Even though it was the result of a last-minute change, the Millennium Falcon would make appearances in additional Star Wars films, shows, and extended universe projects; it even inspired Smuggler’s Run at Walt Disney World’s Galaxy’s Edge resort. Comparatively, Space: 1999’s Eagle Transport is now remembered as nothing more than a piece of trivia.
Space: 1999 is streaming in the United States on Tubi.
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