SPOILERS THAT PERTAIN TO AND SET UP STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS BELOW:

Ever since the Star Wars Expanded Universe became Star Wars Legends, nothing is certain about what was thrown out or remained. What we once believed to be true about our character’s histories was no longer a given. Things could be thrown out, expanded upon, and so forth. I got confirmation last night that a certain smuggler and his buddy have not lost all of their backstory:

Chewbacca is captured and put into slavery in the aftermath of Revenge of the Sith and the invasion of Kashyyyk. Han Solo frees the Wookiee and therefore Chewbacca owes Han Solo a life debt.

So there you have it. As we saw in Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion, Wookiees are captured by the Empire and put in horrible places like the spice mines of Kessel. Han Solo frees Chewbacca and their friendship begins. Perhaps we will see something about this in the newly announced Star Wars Anthology: Han Solo? Or maybe not. For what it is worth, Han Solo is still a Corellian but we have no word on if he still has an Imperial military past in the canon.

People talk about the Falcon to Han Solo just before Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In fact, thugs want the Falcon. Han Solo disagrees and refuses, but it isn’t clear exactly what happens to the ship and if Han has to give it up in the days before The Force Awakens. It appears if Han and Chewie do not have the Falcon in The Force Awakens, they have only just lost the ship shortly before the film begins.

Just before the events of The Force Awakens Han and Chewie are very down and out. Han is older, sadder, bitter, and hangs out in bars all the time. The years haven’t been kind to the smuggler. Although Jabba is out of his life, Solo found new men willing to kill him and his life is as complicated as it ever was.

Ducain and the Irving Boys want Han Solo dead. That is a fact. However, it is by no means confirmed, but certainly possible that the people Han Solo fights on the gigantic freighter in The Force Awakens are gangs connected to or consisting of Ducain and the Irving Boys.

In relation to that story, I think these guys are the official response from the freighter after Han Solo’s antics cause a huge fight to break out there:

So to reiterate, Han Solo

is owed a life debt by his Wookiee friend.

is still Corellian.

pissed off a bunch of different dudes somehow and they want the Falcon.

probably lost the Falcon days–if not moments–before The Force Awakens begins.

So we might have some answers as to why the kids in The Force Awakens are able to find the ship at a center of commerce on the backwater planet of Jakku.