The The Falcon had a number of owners before it fell into the hands of rogue gambler Lando Calrissian, who then lost it in a sabacc game to Solo. The dilapidated exterior of the ship helps Solo avoid at least some Imperials and Customs entanglements. Beneath the skin of the 27-meter long, Corellian Engineering YT-1300 transport is a hyperdrive nearly twice as fast as any Imperial warship.

The The well-armored Falcon has a top-of-the-line sensor array to detect distant Imperial ships before they ever notice the Falcon. There are shielded smuggling compartments throughout the interior. In combat, the Falcon sports a military-grade Imperial deflector-shield system, two quad laser cannons and two concussion missile launchers, along with a retractable light laser cannon.