Kessel Run

"This is the ship that made the Kessel Run in fourteen parsecs?''" "''Twelve!"

- Rey and Han Solo on the Millennium Falcon

The Kessel Run was a hyperspace route used by smugglers and unscrupulous freighter captains to move spice from the spice mines of Kessel at the behest of the Pyke Syndicate, who relied on the foolhardy Kessel Runs to deliver the illicit substance to their customers. Han Solo, captain of the Millennium Falcon, claimed to have made the infamous run in less than 12 parsecs, boasting about his ship's ability to endure shorter but more hazardous routes through hyperspace. By doing so, Solo broke a long-held record.

Behind the scenes
In a commentary track on the Star Wars Blu-ray release, George Lucas stated that ships in the Star Wars universe can't travel in straight lines while in hyperspace due to collisions with celestial objects. Thus, distance is an important factor in how quickly a ship can get from point A to point B. The Millennium Falcon's superior navigation computer allowed it to travel shorter distances between points and arrive faster.

Canon sources conflict on the veracity of Solo's claim of the Millennium Falcon making the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy describes the claim as a "lie" that the inexperienced Luke Skywalker is impressed with, but which the seasoned Obi-Wan Kenobi recognizes as nothing more than a boast. Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!, however, states in its narration that "Not every ship is created equal and the rebels have the ship that did the Kessel run in less than twelve parsecs." Solo: A Star Wars Story describes Han's Kessel Run as being slightly longer than twelve parsecs, while other ships tend to take at least twenty.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Battlefront II
 * Adventures in Wild Space: The Steal
 * Solo: A Star Wars Story
 * Choose Your Destiny: A Han & Chewie Adventure
 * Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope
 * A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy
 * Star Wars: A New Hope junior novelization
 * Star Wars 10: Showdown on the Smuggler's Moon, Part III
 * Star Wars 17: Rebel Jail, Part II
 * Doctor Aphra 8: The Screaming Citadel, Part V
 * Star Wars 45: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part II
 * Star Wars 46: Mutiny at Mon Cala, Part III
 * Han Solo, Part I
 * Return of the Jedi: Beware the Power of the Dark Side!
 * Star Wars: Uprising
 * Aftermath: Empire's End
 * Last Shot
 * The Legends of Luke Skywalker
 * Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens novelization
 * Star Wars: The Force Awakens: A Junior Novel