In the sequel trilogy, The Force Awakens had an alarming scene where Kylo Ren killed his father Han Solo. Then, Chewbacca shot Kylo, almost in a desperate effort to prevent him from killing Han Solo.
This scene has been criticized for eliminating a main character that has been a staple of the Star Wars storyline. But I can see a main reason why: to make Kylo Ren really evil in the eyes of the audience.
However, I think this same effect could have been made while keeping Han alive. Instead of killing his father immediately, Kylo could have used force choke and elevated him above the floor, screaming at him that he was a vile war criminal and enemy of his grandfather Darth Vader. At this point, unbeknownst to him, Chewbacca then shoots Kylo from his distant balcony, landing his shot just like in the movie. This shot would have forced Kylo to release Han Solo, who would have ran away back to safety, perhaps while dodging blaster fire from stormtroopers. After returning to his companion Chewbacca, they could have shared humorous remarks concerning if he really saved his life or not, or if they were even now.
Then during the last movie, when Leia reached out to Kylo and interrupted his duel with Rey, she could have still projected the image of Han Solo making the same plea. Then the two could have hugged. When Kylo threw his lightsaber into the lake and turned around to see him, Han would vanish and Kylo (now Ben Solo) would realize it was a projection from his mother.
So, there's my solution! Saving Han Solo would also mean we would have seen him with Luke Skywalker in exile. That would have been very special.
