The Millennium Falcon May Get Another New Look In 'Star Wars: Episode 9', See A Mock-Up

Here's a rumor that will appeal to hardcore Star Wars fans who love to obsess over every minute detail. Word on the galactic street is that the Millennium Falcon is about to get yet another upgrade for Star Wars: Episode IX.

If you're someone who fears change, though, don't fret: it's not a huge change. Eagle-eyed fans may have noticed that at the end of The Last Jedi, the new sensor array dish on the Falcon was destroyed. That means the old hunk of junk is due for a tune-up.

According to Fantha Tracks, a "trusted source" claims that in Episode IX, "the Millennium Falcon will sport a new style sensor array dish, different to any we have seen before." They even have some fan art to give you a better idea of what to expect:

In the display image at the top of the story, you can see the sensory array dish that came before, a rectangular object that curves like a snow shovel blade. That dish was new as well, at least in terms of the franchise. The original dish looked like...well, more of a dish:

That previous dish was knocked-off in The Return of the Jedi, when Lando was escaping from the second Death Star. Then there's the dish seen in Solo: A Star Wars Story, which lays flat against the ship, instead of sticking up.

Here's the part of the story where I admit that I've personally never noticed any of this, because I just don't focus on this stuff. Not that I'm judging you if you do! Attention to detail makes fandom a fun thing. Thankfully, the wonderful world of the internet has info on this doohickey in the form of a Wiki. So if you, like me, have no idea what any of this means, here are the details:

The Fabritech ANq-51 sensor array computer was the system that provided the powerful sensor capabilities of the notorious Millennium Falcon. While only 4.5 meters high, it had an effective of range of half a million kilometers. This computer took all the data provided from passive mode and scan mode sensors, electrophoto receptors, subspace comm detector, and processed into information usable by the pilot or sensor operator. Also, the computer controlled the jamming devices, short-range targeting systems, and the IFF transponder. Components of the ANq-51 included a rectenna dish, electrophoto receptor booster, attitude adjust, active sensor array, passive sensor array, and subspace comm detector.

Whether or not this new dish will be focused on in Episode IX, or go completely unremarked upon, remains to be seen. It could simply be a new background details for obsessive fans to point out, or it could somehow play a major part in the story. Who knows!

Star Wars: Episode IX opens on December 20, 2019.