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Star Trek: Book Is Discovery’s Han Solo
Star Trek: Discovery's Cleveland "Book" Booker has become an immediate fan-favorite, perhaps in part because he bears a striking resemblance to Han Solo from the Star Wars franchise. Han was first introduced in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1977, played by the charismatic Harrison Ford. A smuggler with a price on his head, he is hired by Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi to take them to Alderaan in his ship, The Millennium Falcon. From there, Han and his co-pilot Chewbacca are unwittingly swept up in the Rebel Alliance and become instrumental in taking down the First Galactic Empire. Han remains one of the most popular sci-fi heroes of all time and has appeared in a number of subsequent films and other Star Wars media.
Book, played by the equally charismatic David Ajala, is by no means as well-established or well-loved (yet), but he has certainly made an impression so far in Discovery season 3. Book is the first person Michael Burnham meets in the 32nd century after she crashes into his ship. He is a courier working to save the Trance Worms, an endangered species, from extinction, and is being pursued by those who want to use the worms for their own gain. He and Michael end up helping each other accomplish their goals, and when Michael becomes a currier in order to survive while searching for Discovery, she and Book become friends and begin something of a business partnership. Book later meets the crew of Discovery when they finally make it to the future and assists them on their mission to Earth to locate the Federation.
While there are differences between their stories, the basic premise of how Book and Han are introduced into their respective franchises is strikingly similar. Both men start out as "bad boys" who reject authority but come to reveal their hearts of gold as things progress. Both have questionable morals at times but are clearly inclined towards good deeds. Both also start out as relative loners with a trusted furry companion (Book's cat Grudge and Chewie respectively) and both are eventually drawn into relationships with other main characters. Both resist getting involved in an organized movement (Starfleet and the Rebel Alliance), but neither can stay away when their friends need them.
Book and Han also overlap when it comes to some key character traits. Like Han, Book is very charming, even while being a little rough around the edges. He is also quite easy on the eyes, and his looks coupled with his bad-boy persona are enough to turn heads among Discovery's crew (specifically Kayla Detmer's and Joann Owosekun's in episode 3). Also like Han however, Book seems to have eyes for only one person: Michael. Book and Michael have yet to make anything official, but they are similarly set up to become a couple to how Han and Leia Organa were set up during the original Star Wars trilogy. Both couples start out as wary, antagonistic allies, but develop a better understanding and appreciation for the other person the more they work together.
Star Trek and Star Wars have something of a playful rivalry, but both franchises have demonstrated their ability to tell compelling stories and create captivating characters. It is no wonder then that there might be some overlap in the traits the two franchises choose when creating a new character. Han Solo's popularity is extremely long-lasting, and if he is any indication, Book is set up nicely to become a classic character, not only for Star Trek: Discovery but in the whole Star Trek universe.
