Kessel Run
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The Kessel Run is a pathway from planet Kessel in the Star Wars galaxy 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 A New Hope when he boasts to have made the run with the Millennium Falcon in "less than twelve parsecs." 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.
According to 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, simply 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. The bemused reactions of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker to Han's quip suggest that this could be the case.
On his audio commentary of A New Hope George Lucas finally commented on the oft discussed misinterpretation and put the issue to rest (as far as his original intentions were concerned). In the Star Wars universe, traveling any distance through hyperspace requires careful navigation to avoid stars, planets, asteroids or any such obstacles. Since no long-distance journey can be made in a straight line, the "fastest" ship is the ship that can plot the most direct course through space, thereby traveling the least distance. This depends on the skill of the navigator and the sophistication of the ship's navigational computer. With this premise in mind we can infer that the Kessel Run is a hazardous and convoluted transport route which had only been navigated at a distance of 12 parsecs until Han Solo had beaten this record. This would make the Expanded Universe's Maw black hole cluster idea is closest the the film's original intentions regarding the infamous Kessel Run.
Lucas's explanation makes enough sense if all ships travelled at a maximum speed of "lightspeed", though the issue is confused a bit when Han states that the Millennium Falcon can travel "point five past lightspeed" suggesting that faster-than-light travel is a factor as well.
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