Today hasn’t gone as I expected it. I’m slopping down the sidewalk on my way to pick up my youngest daughter from school. I shouldn’t be the one doing this, normally it’s my wife or my mother who picks her up from school but today has been different. Today has been abnormal.
It snowed last night, but it’s January in Iowa so weather that follows a pattern isn’t a thing. Snow accumulated a little over and inch, but the temperature hovers around the freezing point making the walk not terrible. The temperature plus a little added warmth from the sun is turning everything to slush and each footprint turns the pristine white of the freshly fallen snow into a foot shaped puddle of dirty slush.
Normally I’d be at work right about now hammering away at my keyboard writing code to give local businesses a new website, but not today. Today I’m home because my teenage daughter woke up this morning with a high fever and unable to move around without fear of passing out. She’s now taking a nap, so I’m making the two block walk to pick up my other daughter while she rests.
I could have driven to avoiding walking through the mess of the sidewalks, but I prefer the walk. It gives me time to think, ponder, and pray. Today my mind is stuck on one subject, one which returns to my thoughts often. I’d like to take this space in my blog to unburden these thoughts on you. I’d like to share with you how Lando Calrissian might be my favorite Star Wars character, and really doesn’t get enough recognition.
When you ask people who their favorite Star Wars character is, you’ll probably get a lot of Baby Yodas now, but you almost never get an enthusiastic “Lando!”. Why isn’t there more love for Lando? I mean, if you really look at it, he's a huge unsung hero of the Star Wars saga. In reality it was a small group of undercredited characters who took out the second Death Star. Did Han, Leia, and the rest of the team do their part on Endor? Sure, but it was really Nien Nunb, Wedge Antillies, and Lando who actually took it out. Luke did almost nothing at all to help the greater purpose of the mission, when he went off on a personal mission and put everyone else in jeopardy (typical selfish male Skywalker behavior).
I bet if we got to see another medal ceremony Leia would give Han and Luke medals again with a pretty smile while Chewie was stiffed a second time and Nien, Wedge, and Lando wouldn’t even get a place on the podium. After the ceremony was complete, the three of them would find a quiet room and share a toast of a stiff drink to everything and everyone else they lost. Later they’d be joined by Chewie as the night’s celebration wore on and he was finally able to sneak away when Han went off with Leia somewhere.
I’m sorry, I’m digressing into what could probably be a whole other series of blog posts on the topic of apparent inequality in the Star Wars universe, so let’s get back to Lando.
If you look past the charm and capes, you’ll find someone who has sacrificed it all for his friends and the Rebellion. I do admit Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story is not very likeable if you look beyond his only redeemable trait in caring for L3-37. He leaves Han and Chewie to fend for themselves once they finish his portion of their caper, a time when they need the most help.
When we see him next he’s the mature responsible Baron Administrator of Cloud City responsible for the lives of everyone who works and lives there. When he believes that the Empire won’t hurt Han and will leave Leia and Chewie with him he cuts a deal with them in what he hopes is for the greater good for everyone in Cloud City, but seeing what they’re doing and they can’t be trusted to keep their word he revolts and by doing so loses everything he had for the people of Bespin and his friends. Lando has apparently developed a moral center since Solo and now fights for what he believes in. He gives it all up to help the Rebellion fight the good fight.
Lando’s redemption story, even if it’s more subtle than Darth Vader or Kylo Ren contains a powerful lesson for us all. Lando goes from self absorbed gambler to an altruistic fighter for what is right. He shows us how we don’t have to fall as completely as say a Jedi going to the Sith to show an example to work on turning our lives around. We don’t see what causes the change in the movies, but somewhere Lando decided to make a change. Between Solo and Empire this change happens and Han isn’t even aware he’s changed.
Han assumes Lando is still holding a grudge against him but when they meet on the landing pad on Cloud City, and after initially screwing with Han’s head, Lando welcomes him with literal open arms. Lando is unfortunately in a hard position at this point, where if he betrays the Empire he’s worried that will happen to the people of Cloud City but if he goes along with the plan to betray Han he’s hurting a friend. He’s not really given an option that doesn’t hurt someone, so he chooses to sacrifice one person for the safety of everyone. We do see Lando attempt to redeem his actions against Han after the Empire’s betrayal.
I know I’m taking a lot of liberties with what might be going on in Lando’s head, and I’m sure Star Wars fanboys far and wide would have a lot to say on my interpretation, but I find this idea of Lando’s motivations to fit his further stories in the saga. That, and what are Star Wars stories about if not redemption.
WARNING: POTENTIAL RISE OF SKYWALKER SPOILERS AHEAD
Now we come to what I think is a bit of Lando’s story I really would want to see expanded on other than maybe seeing what caused him to redeem himself earlier. In The Rise of Skywalker, Lando tells us the fact that he and Luke adventured together. Let me repeat that, Luke and Lando adventured together! Who does Luke go to whom he trusts with the secrecy of his mission but Lando Calrissian. Why? Because it’s Lando, that’s why! And really, Luke can use all the help he can get. Luke has shown us countless times about how selfish he really can be, and looks to the now selfless Lando to be his moral compass or maybe just someone to keep him accountable. After the Rebellion Lando didn’t return to his old ways of lying and cheating to better his own means. He appears to keep working to help others. Choosing Lando does make Luke look like he has gained some wisdom over all these years.
In my research looking into this idea of seeing a Luke and Lando adventure, I went looking through ESB and RTJ for screenshots and discovered a surprising fact. Luke and Lando are only on screen together about three times. Now maybe they’re on the screen at the same time during wide shots of the fight on Jabba’s barge skiff or in Jabba's palace, but otherwise they are NEVER together on screen. Even times when it should be obvious like Lando getting Luke down from the antenna after Luke loses the duel with Vader at the end of ESB. We see Lando coming up the tube to the hatch and then we cut to Luke just falling off the antenna, never seen together. They only appear together for a brief scene when Lando hands Luke off to Leia and goes to pilot the Millenium Falcon.
Here are the few scenes that they do share, if I missed any, please let me know:
I want to see a lot more screen time for Luke and Lando together, with Lando instructing Luke on looking outside his own selfish wants and looking to the bigger world. Lando opening up the farmboy Luke to the wonders of the universe as a whole, taking him under his wing the way that Obi Wan or Yoda couldn’t do because he apparently never spent more than a couple days of training with either one. Also, the alliteration for a title for this movie or series is already there, but only works if Lando gets top billing in my opinion.
Lando sets an example for all of us in turning his life around, even to the point of giving up great power and influence to do what is right. We could all do with being a little bit more Lando, in both our personal growth and fashions involving capes. This is why Lando might be my favorite Star Wars character. This is why Lando is my new hope.
