“You got a lot of guts comin here, after what you pulled…”
In the Star Wars universe, specifically the original films, the bulk of the major characters act based on an observable moral compass of light and darkness aka good and bad. Their actions, though engaging and dramatic, can essentially all be boiled down to asking “what would the good guy do?” or the opposite.
There are only two characters free of these narrative shackles, and they just so happen to be the two characters starring in the upcoming Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Han Solo and Lando Calrissian.
When it comes to story complexity however, Lando proves the more intriguing figure.
What do I mean by complexity? I’m glad you asked. Continuing from above, Han and Lando are the only two characters in the original Star Wars saga that make choices explicitly based on their own self interest. It befits their roguish personalities, and makes us keep watching because we don’t know what they are going to do next.
Han started out carrying that torch in Star Wars (1977), when he abandoned his friends to take his fortune and run on the eve of the biggest battle of their lives. As quoted by Princess Leia, he certainly is “quite the mercenary.”
He chooses money and self over the values of friendship, justice, and heroism. He shoots first. There’s depth to be found in Han’s flirtation with the unexpected. He’s a wildcard and at the time when it seems his friends need him most, he proves unreliable. This ambiguity is what makes his return in the climactic moments of the Death Star trench run so impactful. He made us believe he wasn’t going to do he right thing.
Over the course of Empire Strikes Back, that depth — embodied in his desire to pay off Jabba the Hutt and save his own life — is slowly eroded away. He falls for Princess Leia and becomes her unexpected protector, and is set on a path to becoming just another one of the good guys. Still wielding his space pirate swagger, but far less edgy.
Enter Lando Calrissian.
Lando is Han’s friend, he’s a scoundrel — just like Han — gambler, card player, and so on. Lando arrives to take the mantle of shapeshifter just before Solo meets his (temporary) demise on Cloud City, which you could argue represents the death of the “real” Han Solo in the first set of films.
Lando takes the narrative complexity baton and runs away with Usain Bolt like dominance. He gives Han and company over to Darth Vader, unintentionally gives Vader the idea to freeze Han in carbonite, and sends Han off in the hands of the bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Lando is a total dick…or is he?
Looking deeper, Lando isn’t as completely mercenary and self-involved as he appears. In actuality he is less selfish than Han Solo himself, who’s wavering loyalties were tied solely to personal gain and self preservation.
Lando betrays friendship in exchange for the promise of protection for his city and his people. That promise came from Darth Vader, so his judgement is a little suspect, but as far as motivations go, it’s far more Utilitarian than Han’s capitalist decision making. He is actually trading something of personal value, his friend and reputation, for the betterment of those he has somehow come to represent.
He’s not doing the “right thing,” but he doesn’t actually gain a lot personally from the decision to betray his friends.
Much like Han did in Star Wars, Lando sees the error in his ways and attempts a third act redemption for the decision. But unlike Han, Lando’s efforts are for the most part a failure. He does aid in the escape of Leia, Chewbacca, and friends, but Han is still whisked away to Jabba’s palace. The fact that he is unsuccessful in the attempt is actually very satisfying from a creative standpoint and it continues to compromise the audience’s ability to forgive his mistakes.
Should he have tried to warn his friend? Absolutely. Did he really believe that Vader was going to honor his end of the deal? I guess. Regardless, this decision making process, the mistakes and oversights that compound the mistake, and the eventual failed attempt to rectify it, showcase an incredibly fluid individual who acts a lot more like a real person than most of the characters who inhabit the galaxy far far away.
Action is character and Lando is a character we can’t quite pin down. He is Campbell’s Shapeshifter archetype in living flesh. This archetype is essential in mythological series like Star Wars because they allow the story to go to new places and counterbalance the predictability of the quintessential heroes and villains. Kylo Ren is currently knocking this out of the park, functioning as part Shapeshifter and part Shadow.
For the limited amount of time he shows up on screen, Lando has a tremendous amount of impact. If I were a gambler like the man himself, I’d wager that when Donald Glover brings Lando back to life in theaters this weekend, we get some new shades of gray and a worthy addition to the “old smoothie’s” legacy.
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