Corellian Bloodstripe

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Han Solo's pants, displaying his second-class Bloodstripes.
"They don't give out the Corellian Bloodstripe for perfect attendance."
― Alexsandr Badure[1]

The Corellian Bloodstripe was an award for conspicuous gallantry given by the Corellian military forces.

Overview

It was awarded most typically for courage demonstrated after deliberation; it was said that Corellians believed that anyone can be brave in the heat of the moment, but true heroism came when one knew that doing the right thing would hurt but did it anyway. Though they could be awarded for many reasons, the majority of the prestigious awards were awarded for courage under fire.

In everyday dress, the stripe was a bit of colored piping worn down the side of the trousers. There were two classes of Bloodstripes. The second class was represented by yellow piping; the first class was represented by red piping, and were almost always awarded posthumously. Though not formally recognized by the Empire, the Imperial Navy allowed its servicemen recipients to don the award on their uniforms.

Han Solo won both classes of bloodstripes. His second class stripes were rumored to have been earned for the events surrounding his rescue of Chewbacca; his first class stripes were earned during events that have never been disclosed, though apparently the circumstances through which he won them took place over several days. When Solo was cashiered from Imperial service, all the awards and decorations he'd earned were literally and systematically ripped off him. He expected to lose his bloodstripes as well, but was allowed to keep them, apparently because they were awarded by the Corellian military and not the Empire. Some sources say that a Corellian was entitled to kill—without repercussion—any other Corellian or non-Corellian caught wearing them that hadn't earned them.

Wraith Squadron and Rogue Squadron pilot Myn Donos also won them during his time as a sniper with the Corellian armed forces.

Notable recipients

Behind the scenes

"The wardrobe is a big part, I remember doing my audition on the Falcon, putting on the jeans with the Corellian bloodstripe and thinking, Oh, yeah. This is Star Wars'"
―Alden Ehrenreich, describing an audition for Han Solo[2]

The Corellian Bloodstripe first appeared as part of Han Solo's wardrobe in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope.[3] While preparing to portray a younger version of the character for the 2018 anthology film Solo: A Star Wars Story, actor Alden Ehrenreich used the fan website Wookieepedia to explore the Star Wars universe, encountering the article for the Corellian Bloodstripe. He described an audition taking place aboard the Millennium Falcon set, with the Bloodstripe as part of his costume, as a surreal moment of realizing his role in the Star Wars universe.[2]

Appearances

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ Han Solo and the Lost Legacy
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Pappademas, Alex: Alden Ehrenreich Is Ready to Prove He's Worthy of Han Solo (2018-04-24). Esquire published by Hearst Communications: "He delved into Wookieepedia, a fan-curated online reference source that's exactly what it sounds like. He likes the idea that everything the characters do in this film, every place they visit, will become part of the lexicon. They're writing directly into the canon. "The wardrobe is a big part," he says. "I remember doing my audition on the Falcon, putting on the jeans with the Corellian bloodstripe"—per Wookieepedia, "an award for conspicuous gallantry given by the Corellian military forces"—"and thinking, Oh, yeah. This is Star Wars. Like, this really is Star Wars now."" (archived from the original on February 20, 2022)
  3. ↑ Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
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