Lando Calrissian is Han Solo's best friend, and a gambler, businessman, and scoundrel, who was the Baron Administrator of Cloud City on the planet of Bespin after he took over the city from the city's former Baron Administrator. He is one of the secondary protagonists in the Original Trilogy of the Star Wars universe, the tritagonist in Solo, and one of the secondary protagonists in Star Wars Episode IX.
Background
Personality
Lando is both a gambler and businessman, crook, and hero. Han referred to him as a card player, gambler, and scoundrel, this is in part reflected by his adventurous, risk-taking, and (seemingly) shallow nature. He is known for being a classy, dapper gentleman, with a sense of humor, fine fashion taste and more culture than the typical smugglers and pirates seen in some of his haunts. Despite his proficiency with weapons, Lando much preferred to use a con or trick to deceive an adversary rather than fight them.
Lando purposefully disguised his past, leaving it a mystery. He enjoyed being in charge almost as much as he liked creating profit in areas that others shunned. Lando could be talkative, though according to Han Solo, he is one of the biggest liars in the galaxy.
For all his love of adventure, Lando disliked complications and is fond of the "easy life". However, his adventurous, debonair exterior was augmented by his deep sense of loyalty. Lando does not like weapons in general and during his gambling career, usually eschewed all but a small stingbeam. Although he often dealt with criminals and others of questionable legality, Lando had no tolerance for bounty hunters and despised them in general, when possible. He cared greatly about his fashion sense.
Despite his status as a gambler and smuggler at the time, Lando is also selfless.
In his youth, Lando enjoyed playing sabacc and Han described him as having been a scoundrel. However, after losing the Millennium Falcon, Lando sought to turn into a respectable businessman and he turned Cloud City into a mostly-legitimate enterprise. He is protective of his people to the point that he (reluctantly) betrayed Han and the Rebels to save Cloud City from the wrath of the Galactic Empire, for whom Lando had no love for. However, he turned against the Empire, in order to give his citizens a chance to escape and to save Han. Although Han had felt betrayed by Lando's actions, the two reconciled after Han was rescued from Tatooine, and shared a warm embrace during the victory celebration on Endor.
Film Appearances
The Empire Strikes Back
Lando first appears in as the administrator of Cloud City, concerned primarily with keeping the Galactic Civil War and the Empire out of his affairs. One day, Darth Vader arrives and blackmails Lando to betray his old friend Han Solo over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett by threatening to take over the city with leaving a garrison of his elite 501st Legion there if Lando refused; under the orders of Palpatine. Unwilling to leave the city in the hands of the Empire, Lando reluctantly does so, but his conscience gets the better of him when Vader seemingly goes back on his word and takes Leia Organa and Chewbacca as prisoners (however, it is actually Palpatine who goes back on his word, and Vader is reluctantly following orders). In the ensuing evacuation of Cloud City, he helps Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO escape. He then assists Leia in rescuing the maimed Luke Skywalker from the underside of Cloud City. Afterwards, he joins the Rebel Alliance and promises Leia he will find Han before he and Chewie take off from the Alliance Navy in the Millennium Falcon to begin their search for Boba Fett.
Return of the Jedi
Lando later goes undercover as one of Jabba's skiff guards to help Luke rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. He is able to remain undiscovered during his tenure as one of Jabba's men, only lowering his mouth guard quietly as he watches Chewie being taken away to be placed in the dungeon by Jabba's Gamorrean Guards. When Leia is discovered later that night by Jabba after freeing Han from his carbonite slab, Lando is one of the guards who bring her before Jabba before she is stripped of her Boushh disguise and placed in her slave girl outfit as Jabba's new personal slave girl. When Luke is dropped into the Rancor pit, Lando is one of the guards who pull Jabba's throne forward for him to watch the carnage, assuring a worried Leia that Luke would be fine, then slips off to grab Luke when Jabba demands they be brought before him after Luke killed the Rancor. During a heated battle with Jabba's henchmen, Lando unmasks himself and participates in the action. Near the end of the fighting, Han saves Lando from being devoured by a Sarlaac as, despite Han still recovering from hibernation sickness, he is able to shoot and wound the Sarlaac in the tentacle it had grabbed Lando with, forcing it to let go as it bellows in pain, allowing Han and Chewbacca to pull him back onto the skiff; in return, Lando helps Han and his friends destroy Jabba's barge. For his heroics, along with his success later on in the Battle of Tanaab, he is made a general in the Rebel Alliance. He then takes the pilot chair in the Millennium Falcon, which was originally his, and leads the attack on the second Death Star within the famed cruiser with his co-pilot Nien Nunb and several Rebels handling the other functions on the ship, such as the quad laser cannons on the top and bottom of the ship. He leads the Rebels to victory by destroying the gigantic battle station, and with it, the Empire.
Solo
Lando is a major character in this movie.
Star Wars Episode IX
Lando is set to appear in the final installment of the Star Wars saga.
Television Appearances
Star Wars Rebels
Lando appears in Star Wars Rebels, as a con artist who the Ghost Cell likes and trusts the least.
Attractions
Lando is used as a promotional character for Star Wars Weekends in Walt Disney World. He is also seen during the Star Wars Weekends Parade.
Video Games
Star Wars: Force Arena
Lando Calrissian is a playable character in Star Wars: Force Arena as a Legendary squad leader card.
Gallery
Trivia
- Billy Dee Williams, Lando's actor, expressed interest in reprising his role of Lando in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but he did not appear in the film. He does reprise his role of Lando in Star Wars Episode IX, the last installment of the Sequel Trilogy.
External links