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This question and its answers all take as truth a statement by Han Solo, that hyperspace "ain't like dusting crops".

Other scenes in A New Hope show that Solo is a bit of a blowhard, inventing impressive-sounding statistics about his ship, and that the Millennium Falcon isn't well regarded by other characters. It also occasionally needs "percussive maintenance" to behave properly.

Is there any evidence in-universe to corroborate Solo's statement that hyperspace navigation is hard, or any source (including out-of-universe like an actor interview or script direction) to indicate that Solo was lying to sound like an expert or to cover up for the hyperdrive failing to start?

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    Blowhard, yes. Experienced pilot and an actual expert at what he does, also yes.
    – Misha R
    Commented Apr 1, 2018 at 20:39
  • In SW hyperspace travel existed for millennia - I suppose some take it as granted and forget it takes actual skill.
    – bdecaf
    Commented Apr 2, 2018 at 7:01

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  It is very difficult if you do not use established hyperspace routes.

In SW universe, people travel trough hyperspace, and to do that they use hyperspace routes. These are well established tracks trough hyperspace that could be used without fear of collision with mass shadow of large objects like stars or planets. Ships traveling on major hyperspace routes were relatively safe from such collisions, but on the other hand they could be relatively easily intercepted by authorities (i.e. Empire), searched, captured or even destroyed.

Smugglers like Solo of course did not want that, so they tried to plot some alternative, not so safe routes, unknown to majority of travelers. Using their computers and navigational droids they would have to calculate routes which often shifted and changed around objects that moved or otherwise interfered with hyperspace travel, potentially destroying their ships. This could be compared with off-road driving trough rough terrain to avoid police checkpoints.

Since Solo and his crew had to flee from Tatooine with Imperial SD in pursuit, navigational computer on Millennium Falcon certainly had to calculate some alternative route to Alderaan. Otherwise they would be interdicted or simply ambushed. Therefore, flying like Solo did certainly is not like dusting crops.

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