# What was the medal Han and Luke were awarded, in the first Star Wars? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661 "2005-08-11T23:31:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/1 "2005-08-11T23:31:19Z")
I was just wondering…what was the medal that Han and Luke (but not Chewie) were awarded at the end of the first _Star Wars_ movie? I figured that, if nowhere else, this would be the place to ask—I’m sure SOMEONE’S come up with a name for it, over the years. Can…anyone help me out? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/2 "2005-08-11T23:40:17Z")
As far as I can tell, it is jsut refered to as “a medal of honor.” It’s not like a Rebellion has a long-standing tradition of medals and awards for valor. They probably just spray-painted a couple of coffee can lids gold and hung them from a few pieces of colored plastic that were wrapped around the last shipment of soy-burgers. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/3 "2005-08-11T23:41:05Z")
What I want to know is why Chewie didn’t get one. That’s pretty fucked up right there. He should have mauled everyone. ---
**Author:** ![parthenokinesis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/cc9497/32.png) [@parthenokinesis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/parthenokinesis)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/4 "2005-08-11T23:43:27Z")
They weren’t medals, they were the barettes Leia used to make the double side bun hairdo that she never wore again. Chewie didn’t get one because Leia wasn’t interested in doing him. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/5 "2005-08-11T23:47:10Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > What I want to know is why Chewie didn’t get one. That’s pretty fucked up right there. He should have mauled everyone. The “official” reason is that Chewie owed Han a “life-debt” and therefore anything he did, he did for Han, not for reward. The real reason is that Carrie Fisher was too short to reach over Peter Mayhew’s head with the ribbon! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/6 "2005-08-11T23:51:37Z")
… I see little reason Chewbacca, a crewmen on a ship, should get a medal for the actions of his captain. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/7 "2005-08-11T23:56:18Z")
It’s called the [Medal of Yavin](http://www.starwars-tw.com/replica/saber/mr/yavinmedal/medal05.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/8 "2005-08-12T00:09:52Z")
^^^ Geek. 😉 And Chewie deserved a medal as much as anyone. Who was flying the _Falcon_ during their escape from the Death Star? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/9 "2005-08-12T00:39:09Z")
Well, given Lucas’ cinematic influences, especially in reference to _that_ scene, it might have been the Iron Cross. And that ain’t no stage joke, neither! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/10 "2005-08-12T02:14:31Z")
In the novelization Chewie DID get one. But Leia didn’t put it on (let’s see if I can quote this from memory… “few space princesses were that tall.” No foolin’. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/11 "2005-08-12T02:34:57Z")
HA! I was [right](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6465261&postcount=5)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gerome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Gerome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gerome)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/12 "2005-08-12T02:42:27Z")
That was the “Blew up the Death Star” medal. Understandably, not many have been handed out. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/13 "2005-08-12T02:49:34Z")
Given where Lucus borrowed the [iconography of the scene](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025913/), I’m guessing it is the [Golden Nazi Party Badge](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Nazi_Party_Badge). Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-medal-han-and-luke-were-awarded-in-the-first-star-wars/316661/14 "2005-08-12T02:50:52Z")
Actually, one year the MTV Movie Awards had Carrie Fischer present “Chewie” (Peter Mayhew) with his own medal, for the “Lifetime Achievement Award.”