Da novela Devolução do Jedi : ( crédito à Valorum )
Madine called out: “General Solo, is your strike team assembled?”
Leia looked up at Han, shock quickly melting to joyous admiration. She knew there was a reason she loved him—in spite of his usual crass insensitivity and oafish bravado. Beneath it all, he had heart.
Moreover, a change had come over him since he emerged from carbonization. He wasn’t just a loner anymore, only in this for the money. He had lost his selfish edge and had somehow, subtly, become part of the whole. He was actually doing something for someone else, now, and that fact moved Leia greatly. Madine had called him General; that meant Han had let himself officially become a member of the army. A part of the whole.
Isso diz que ele não era oficialmente parte do exército rebelde antes Return of the Jedi , e portanto, ele deve ter sido apenas o capitão do Falcon . Como as novelizações cinematográficas fazem parte do cânone atual, a menos que seja dito o contrário, essa é a resposta mais atual que temos até agora.