LANDO CALRISSIAN

'Lando Calrissian' is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, portrayed by Billy Dee Williams.
Calrissian is introduced in '' as a former smuggler and friend of Han Solo, who had lost the ''Millennium Falcon'' to Han in a game of sabacc. Upon his first chronological appearance, he is Baron Administrator of the floating Cloud City and Tibanna gas mine on the gas giant planet of Bespin.

Contents

Early Years

''The Empire Strikes Back''

''Return of the Jedi''

New Republic Era

The Yuuzhan Vong War (25 ABY - 30 ABY)

Notes

Cultural references

External links

Early Years

Lando's life prior to ''The Empire Strikes Back'' is chronicled in ''The Adventures of Lando Calrissian'' series of novels. Early in his career, Lando has a bad habit of gambling and wins the ''Millennium Falcon'' in a game of Sabacc. At the time, he hires Han Solo to teach him. He also wins a strange star-shaped droid named Vuffi Raa, who would be his friend and ally on many occasions.
In ''Lando Calrissian and the Mindharp of Sharu'', he is conned by the Sorcerer of Tund, Rokur Gepta, into hunting down the titular object in the Rafa system. When he arrives, he finds it totally covered in sand and plastic pyramids, and inhabited by a dull and slow-witted society, the Toka. Lando eventually finds the mindharp, but the human governor of Rafa IV activates it. Majestically, the pyramids crumble and the Toka are revealed as the Sharu, an ancient civilization that had drained their intelligence away for safety. Once the Sharu are resurrected, they drive out all the humans. Lando is forced to return to Rokur empty-handed.
In ''Lando Calrissian and the Starcave of ThonBoka'', Lando tries to save a space-borne species called the Oswaft. During the mission, strange spherical droids appear and take Vuffi Raa away, for he is actually a scout for this strange culture. Then, he enters the sabacc championships, and loses to Han Solo. Han makes off with the ''Millennium Falcon''.
In ''Rebel Dawn'', Lando helps Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Solo's old flame Bria Tharen (then a Commander in the Rebel Alliance) in a raid against the Hutt-controlled slave world of Ylesia. During the raid which promises generous rewards to Han and his compatriots, Tharen's Red Hand Squadron double crosses Lando and the rest of Han's friends. In the ensuing chaos, Han is branded an accomplice and a traitor. Back on Nar Shaddaa (then Solo's home) word soon spreads, Lando punches him out and that's the last they see of one another.
Later, Lando wins the mining facility of Cloud City from its current ruler, Baron Raynor. He becomes a responsible leader, keeping his operations out of the eyes of the Galactic Empire.

''The Empire Strikes Back''

In ''The Empire Strikes Back'', Darth Vader coerces Lando into giving Han over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett. In the ensuing evacuation of Cloud City, the penitent Lando helps Chewbacca, Leia Organa, R2-D2 and C-3PO escape and rescue Luke Skywalker. He then joins the Rebel Alliance.

''Return of the Jedi''

In '' he helps rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt. He is named a General for his efforts at The Battle of Tanaab, and then leads the Rebel starfighter fleet (in the ''Millennium Falcon'') into the Death Star to destroy the massive space station. The Sullustan Nien Nunb copilots the ''Falcon'' during the Battle of Endor.

New Republic Era

===4 ABY - 24 ABY===
Following the war, Lando builds a mining complex on the Nkllon - the hot inner planet in orbit of the star Athega - called Nomad City. The city consists of an old Dreadnaught carried across the landscape on the night side of the planet. The city always stays on the night side - as close as the planet is to the sun most materials would not last very long in direct sunlight. Custom builds shield ships with special cooling equipment so that ordinary ships could be protected from the Athega's intense heat on the trip inward. Calrissian's startup costs are high, but he makes a large profit from the materials he mined from the planet.
Nomad City is destroyed during Grand Admiral Thrawn's campaign against the New Republic, portrayed in ''The Thrawn Trilogy''. When Emperor Palpatine reappears in ''Dark Empire'' and begins his own campaign against the New Republic, Calrissian rejoins the Republic's military at his previous rank. After Palpatine is finally destroyed in ''Empire's End'', Calrissian leaves the military. When Kessel is abandoned following Grand Admiral Daala's attack on the planet, Calrissian takes over the planet, converts its prison into a mining complex, and mines spice from the planet for a number of years.
During ''The Corellian Trilogy'', Calrissian goes on a galaxy-wide hunt for a rich wife. The businessman, reasoning that marriage is partly a financial relationship, meets Tendra Risant from Sacorria, whom he marries. With Tendra's family's money and his entrepreneurial abilities, he opens a mining facility on the planet of Dubrillion on the Outer Rim. On the side, Lando unofficially runs an asteroid training facility for smuggler pilots, in order to improve their skills.

The Yuuzhan Vong War (25 ABY - 30 ABY)

In ''Vector Prime'', Lando asks Han and Chewie to help him with a business transaction on the planet of Sernpidal. During this trip Chewie meets his demise, saving Han's son Anakin from the moon the Yuuzhan Vong sent crashing onto the planet. Han, Anakin, and the thousands of people they saved head to Dubrillion, where the first major clash between the biological Vong and the mechanical New Republic occurs.
Lando's ground defenses, as well as his newly-created shielding technologies, save Dubrillion from the initial assault. (The Solo family is also a major factor, especially Anakin's connection in the Force with his siblings.) When the Vong retreat, the Skywalker family launch a desperate attack with the Star Destroyer ''Rejuvenator'' and its task force. Lando serves as gunner for Han on the ''Falcon'', but the ''Rejuvenator'' and most of her complement of ships are destroyed.
Following their retreat, Luke, Anakin, and the newly-rescued Danni Quee formulate a plan to attack the Vong again. Using Lando's energy-resistant shieldships, they freeze the Vong's battle-coordinating yammosk, routing the enemy.
Later in the war, Lando helps Han and Leia organize an escape route for Luke's Jedi Academy. He poses as a citizen of the besieged world Talfaglia in order to deliver 17 Jedi "hostages" to the Yuzzhan Vong; this is actually the strike team, which attempts to destroy the voyxn cloning facilities on the worldship orbiting Myrkr. He also creates Yuuzhan Vong Hunter Droids. Two of these droids prove crucial in the assault on Myrkr to destroy the voxyn queen, and dozens more are used in assaults on Vong strongholds throughout the war.
When the time comes to defend Coruscant, Lando's efforts are crucial in delaying the Vong victory. Instead of using mines to attack the Vong piecemeal, Lando lets them into the minefield, then turns them on the approaching enemy. Over one thousand of the Vong's are destroyed or damaged. Lando also rescues the kidnapped Ben Skywalker from the clutches of the treacherous Senator Viqi Shesh.
On Borleias, Lando leads the ground troops to a quick victory, then volunteers to lead a small task force to destroy Vong ambushes of convoys and find out how they tracked said convoys. These efforts are wholly successful, with large Vong capital ships destroyed with minimal effort, time, fuel, and munitions.
Finally, when the newly located Galactic Senate on Mon Calamari sets out to vote for a new Chief of State, Lando and Talon Karrde provide "incentives" such as silence, money, and blackmail to convince a group of corrupt senators to vote for Cal Omas, who supports the Jedi. When Omas is elected, Lando, Karrde, and Star Destroyer owner Booster Terrik leads the Smuggler's Alliance, with Han Solo commanding, to victory over a massive Yuuzhan Vong force in the rout at Ebaq 9.
Lando continues to serve with the Smuggler's Alliance, eventually retiring to private life after proving crucial in the Battle of Yuuzhan'tar and creating a new Holonet to replace the one the Vong destroyed.

Notes

★ Lando Calrissian was the only character in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy to be visibly played by an African-American actor, Billy Dee Williams (though James Earl Jones supplied the voice of Darth Vader, and a Rebel pilot in ''Return of the Jedi'' can briefly be seen to be African-American before being shot down by Imperials).

★ It is surmised [1] that one of Lando's character functions is to act as a Han Solo surrogate. Harrison Ford was not contracted to a third film by the end of principal photography of ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (Solo's freezing in carbonite at the end of ''Empire'' allowing a removal of that character should Ford not be available.) Calrissian/Williams would then have provided the necessary wry anti-heroic balance to Luke Skywalker in ''Return of the Jedi''.

★ Williams originally auditioned for the role of Han Solo in the first ''Star Wars'' film.[2]

★ Williams has been quoted as saying that Lando is greatly misunderstood as a character. After the second film was released, kids who recognized Williams when he went to pick up his daughter after school would accuse him of being evil for betraying Han Solo. However, he also noted that all was forgiven with the fans with the release of ''Jedi'' in which Lando redeemed himself by risking his life to rescue Han.

★ The ''Star Wars'' comic book series released by Marvel Comics featured Lando as a prominent character following ''The Empire Strikes Back''. In the comic series, he has a crimelord arch nemesis named Drebble and Lando will frequently make use of a cover identity named "Drebble" so that any animosity he generates while using the alias will be brought against the real Drebble, not Lando himself. While using the Drebble identity, Lando adopts a disguise that heavily resembles the Japanese cartoon character Captain Harlock.

Cultural references

★ In the British sitcom ''Spaced'', Tim reacts to Brian's apparent betrayal by exclaiming "You Lando!". As writer/actor Simon Pegg explains on the DVD commentary, "...[Lando Calrissian] is the modern Judas".

★ When Billy Dee Williams appeared in an episode of the US sitcom ''Scrubs'', he persistently argued with Chris Turk (Donald Faison) for calling him Lando.

★ In the film ''Chasing Amy'', supporting character Hooper X calls Lando an "uncle Tom" during a tirade in which he denounces ''Star Wars'' as racist.

★ Blink-182 makes a reference in their song "A New Hope" about 'drinking Colt 45's with Lando'.

★ In the Family Guy episode "Let's Go to the Hop", Peter dons the pseudonym Lando Griffin when going under cover at James Woods High School to stem a toad licking epidemic.

External links

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