A bakery in California has a Star Wars sculpture of Han Solo frozen in carbonite made entirely of bread. The humorous project is inspired by The Empire Strikes Back, when Darth Vader freezes Solo in carbonite to test if he can use the same process to capture Luke Skywalker. Solo’s frozen body is given to Boba Fett, a bounty hunter who flies the pilot to Tatooine, intending to collect his bounty from Jabba the Hut. Despite Solo’s fate being left in the air during The Empire Strikes Backthe sequel, Return of the Jedisees Luke, his sister Princess Leia and the rest of their spacefaring crew arrive at Jabba’s palace to rescue Solo.
Since the first use of carbonite, the unique confinement process has been implemented several times in other Star Wars media. Carbonite is featured in the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where it is revealed that the process can cause those who are frozen to go blind. Carbonite is also available in several Star Wars comics, including a case where Princess Leia is frozen between the events of Empire and Yield. Recently, however, carbonite has appeared in another Star Wars series, Andororevealing the process can also be used as a general way of transporting goods.
Inspired by the first appearance of carbonite in Star Wars, NYT reports that the One House Bakery in Benicia, California, has recreated Han Solo, frozen in carbonite, from bread. The six-foot sculpture took Hannalee Pervan and her mother, Catherine Pervan, a month to create, working at night to realize their vision. The duo are familiar with the process of making nerdy, food-based decorations, such as a Game of Thrones White Walker and an Alligator Loki (nicknamed “Dough-ki”), since opening their store in 2018. The latter Star Wars-inspired creation dubbed “Pan Solo” is now on display outside their bakery, poised for the Downtown Scarecrow Contest later this month.
Homages to Han Solo and Carbonite Go Beyond Star Wars
While there is nothing quite like the sculpture the Pervan family has baked, the dedications to Han Solo and his experience with carbonite permeate Star Wars fan culture since The Empire Strikes Back. Artists have devoted fan art to the concept of carbonite, such as PhaseRunner’s The Mandalorian and Star Wars Unleash the Power crossover work, with The Unleashed Power‘s Starkiller frozen by bounty hunters. Carbonite was also featured in the Battle Royale game Fortnitein 2020, where the banana character Peely could be found frozen on one of the game’s maps.
If the sheer size and effort of One House Bakery’s latest fanwork is anything to go by, it looks like Han Solo’s popularity isn’t going to wane anytime soon. Working at night to ensure the quality of the project shows how committed fans can be when something inspires them. Same dedication to classic Star Wars is reflected in the purchase of fans memorabilia, with Han Solo’s original prop blaster auctioning for over $1 million in August. while new Star Wars show like Andoro and the coming Skeleton Crew will explore other parts of the galaxy far, far away, classic characters like Solo will always have a place in the hearts of audiences.
Source: The New York Times
