Han Solo Describes What It Was Like To Be Frozen in Carbonite in RETURN OF THE JEDI Deleted Scene
Here’s a fascinating and insightful deleted scene from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi that I wanted to share with you today. I know a lot of you have probably already seen this, but I also know a lot of people haven’t. It’s also always fun to be reminded that these things exist from time to time and rewatch them!
This deleted scene was the first that was shot for the film, which was originally titled Revenge of the Jedi. It is set in the middle of a Tatooine sandstorm, and it’s at this moment that we learn a dark detail about Han Solo (Harrison Ford) being trapped in Carbonite.
The scene was shared by Jamie Benning and it takes place shortly after the Return of the Jedi’s opening scene in Jabba the Hutt’s palace and it’s set near the Sarlacc pit. As Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), Han Solo, and Princess Leia are trying to get off the desert planet, a sandstorm rages. You can barely hear them speak as the characters reconnect but this is the dialogue:
Han: “Hey, kid! Thanks for coming after me.”
Luke responds: “Think nothing of it.”
Han: “I’m thinking… I owe you one.”
Han then reveals and describes what it was like for him being frozen in carbonite and it’s a startling and nightmarish detail. He said:
“That carbon freeze was the closest thing to dead there is. And it wasn’t just sleepin’. It was a big wide awake nothing!”
Good grief that sounds horrific and it makes me have a newfound sympathy for anyone that is frozen in carbonite, especially if they don’t really deserve it! I mean, Han was conscious the entire time! It’s not like he was knocked out or anything. That’s complete madness!
You can see a cleaner version of the scene played out through images at the 48-minute mark in the video below:
