Editing Star Wars 4000 Years After Yavin (section)

===Kessel Run===
The '''Kessel Run''' is a pathway from planet [[List of Star Wars planets (K-L)#Kessel|Kessel]] used frequently by smugglers in the transport of precious [[Glitterstim spice]]. 

A well-known but confusing description of the Kessel Run is made by [[Han Solo]] in ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope|A New Hope]]'' when he boasts to have made the run with the [[Millennium Falcon]] in "less than twelve [[parsec]]s." A parsec is a unit of distance, not a measure of time or speed. Some have explained this apparent error by postulating the presence of a [[black hole]] cluster ([[The Maw]]) close to Kessel, which is used by pilots to shorten the distance of the run. Indeed, Lucas reveals in the DVD commentary of ''A New Hope'' that Solo ''was'' referring to distance. Lucas points out that a shorter distance traveled results in a shorter time. In the ''Star Wars'' galaxy, he explains, racers of the Kessel Run had the goal of plotting the shortest distance through space in order to reach this shorter time.

According to [[Expanded Universe (Star Wars)|Expanded Universe]] literature, navigating the Maw black hole cluster is extremely hazardous. Ships making runs must take long complex courses to avoid the dangerous [[singularities]] and gravity distortions of the cluster. However, it is speculated that Solo brazenly shaved by the gravity wells, thus achieving a run under a distance of 12 parsecs where a safer route would be much longer. This shorter run, by necessity, would require a faster ship than more circuitious routes, since a slower ship would not be able to resist the gravitational pull of the closer black-holes.

The question of whether Solo was boasting about the speed of his ship, or his skillful abilities at piloting is still debated amongst fans. One could also look at the wording of the quote and consider Solo may have been mentioning another aspect of the Falcon's fame that is unrelated to its speed - that she earned prestige for surviving a dangerous short-distanced Kessel Run, as well as being "fast".

A more straightforward explanation is that [[George Lucas]], in writing the script, did not remember or realize that parsecs are not time measurements. According to some sources, Lucas did realize this, but wished to portray Han Solo as an absent-minded braggart who simply did not know what he was talking about.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The bemused reactions of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] and [[Luke Skywalker]] to Han's quip suggest that this could be the case.