Harrison Ford gave the audience at the Star Wars Comic Con panel a good excuse to break the convention’s no standing rule on Friday when he made a very special surprise appearance. It was Ford’s first public outing since his plane crash back in March, in which he sustained multiple injuries including a broken pelvis and ankle.

Harrison Ford as Han SoloHarrison Ford reprises his role as Han Solo in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The panel to discuss the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens drew a 7,000 strong crowd of diehards, many of who had queued for days to secure a place. Towards the end of the panel moderator Chris Hardwick asked the crowd, “Is Harrison OK? Well, why don’t we see for ourselves?” before bringing out the Han Solo actor.

When asked how he was feeling Ford simply replied, “Yeah, I’m fine. Thank you very much.” An audience member then asked about his foot to which he jokingly responded, “My foot? I just walked here.” Moving on to The Force Awakens Ford said he had never thought about what had happened to Han after Return of the Jedi.

More: Han Solo's Origin Story To Be Told In New 'Star Wars' Spin Off Movie

“I never thought that it would come back to bless me rather than haunt me,” Ford said. “I was very gratified when I read the [new] script. I read something that I thought was really remarkable, really well-written, with some very intriguing developments and I was very happy to be a part of the story.”

Discussing his return to the franchise Ford even got a little emotional telling fans, “It should have felt ridiculous. That was 30-(something) years ago and I sort of grew up. And yet, there I was doing something I did so long ago. I will tell you that it felt great. I wasn’t so sure it would.”

More: Watch The Old Meet The New As 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Teaser Excites Fans [Trailer & Pictures]

“The company was the right company. The director (J.J. Abrams) was the right director. Larry (Kasdan) wrote us a wonderful story and I was proud and grateful to once again be involved. The original Star Wars … was part of the beginning of my work life. I’m very grateful for the opportunity I had in that film and for the success of that film,” he added.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits cinemas on December 18th and features Ford, Carrie Fischer and Mark Hamlil all revisiting their famous roles. Joining the cast as the new generation of characters is ‘Girls’ star Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Oscar Isaac and Domhnall Gleeson.