An iconic manuscript page from ROTJ - not only the original writing of Han's awakening from Carbonite, but the beginning of the evolution of the passage of time, in canon. It was unclear to me, when I began writing the novelization, how long had passed since the end of The Empire Strikes Back – and how long Han had been frozen in Carbonite. I thought it must have been at least a number of months. I decided on 6 – though I intentionally left some wiggle room as Han was waking up: "He was, understandably, disoriented, after having been in suspended animation for six of this desert planet’s months—a period that was, to him, timeless." I left it explicitly unclear how long "six of this desert planet's months" were. This planet of Tatooine.

At the conclusion of this scene, Han demands of the bounty hunter, Boushh: “Who are you, anyway?” And the bounty hunter, revealing herself to be Princess Leia, whispers, “One who loves you.” And they kiss.

The manuscript is accompanied by a letter of provenance, signed by me, dated, verified by my college ID as well as minted, and with a few sentences about my writing process in creating the scene.