Star Wars Canon Catch-Up: Who is Lando Calrissian?

Lando Calrissian is a cool guy. So cool, even after he betrayed his friends in The Empire Strikes Back we instantly forgave him. Lawrence Kasdan’s dialogue and Billy Dee Williams’ undeniable charm created a special character who still resonates to this day.

Though he’s been confirmed as absent from The Force Awakens in a recent interview with Kasdan, the film’s co-writer, also said that “Lando I don’t think is finished in any way, shape or form.”

We’ve seen Lando in season one of Star Wars Rebels, with more appearances promised in the future. But in what capacity will we see him? There’s a lot of history for Lando, but because of the new continuity not all of it applies to the character anymore. In this installment of Canon Catch-Up, we’re going to go through the concrete facts we have on Lando’s current status in the Star Wars Universe and where he might go in the future.

So, what’s the deal with Lando in the current continuity?

A lot of the general details are the same. Lando was born on the planet Socorro a few years before the Clone Wars and was a smuggler and gambler in his youth. He once owned the Millennium Falcon, which he lost to Han Solo in a game of sabacc.

Not too long after losing the Falcon, Lando worked with the crew of the Ghost in a smuggling operation on Lothal in the Star Wars Rebels episode “Idiot’s Array.” Years after that, another sabacc game won Lando Cloud City, a tibanna gas mining operation of which he became the Baron Administrator.

Three years after the Battle of Yavin, Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca fled to Cloud City after escaping the Empire‘s siege of Hoth. Unfortunately, the Empire arrived before them and forced Lando to hand them over into Imperial custody. Lando eventually turned the tables on the Empire, but not before Boba Fett escaped with Han frozen in carbonite. Lando would later help rescue Han from Jabba the Hutt and destroy the second Death Star in Return of the Jedi.

What about after the events of Return of the Jedi?

That’s the question, isn’t it? In the current canon, we’ll know nothing until the new material starts rolling out in September.

What happens in the old Expanded Universe?

After the Empire’s defeat on Endor, Lando served as a general in The New Republic for a short time until he decided to return to civilian life. Ever the business man, he set up another mining operation on the super hot world of Nkllon. The operation, named Nomad City for its ability to crawl across the planet’s surface, also came under siege by the Empire when they raided it for equipment five years after Return of the Jedi.

 

Lando worked with the New Republic to recover his stolen equipment from the Empire. Over the next few years, Lando made and lost various investments in operations across the galaxy and had his run ins with the Imperial Remnant, but he always came to the aid of his friends when they needed him.

Lando acquired a ship of his own, the Lady Luck, to replace the Falcon. Rather than a freighter, the Luck was a luxury yacht outfitted with modifications that made it combat ready, including blaster cannons and enhanced shields.

Lando also finally settled down 14 years after Return of the Jedi, marrying a savvy businesswoman named Tendra Risant. The two had a son together.

What can this tell us about Lando between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens?

The writers in the expanded universe realized two things about Lando: He’s very loyal to his friends and he’ll always be a capitalist at heart. They’re easy conclusions to come to, so it’s very easy to see the brain trust of the new canon implementing a similar future for Lando.

While he’s not in The Force Awakens, it wouldn’t be surprising to find Lando in charge of another capitalist venture such as a mining operation in Episode VIII rather than a military role. Perhaps we’ll see him in charge of Nomad City, but he’ll show up when it’ll be appropriate for both the character and story being told.