Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Star Wars #41
Star Wars is improving Lando Calrissian’s redemption arc by making his betrayal far worse. Rather than simply betraying Han Solo and his friends on Cloud City as seen in The Empire Strikes Back, the canonical comics have revealed Lando endangered the Rebel Alliance even further in the aftermath leading up to Return of the Jedi.
As seen in the new Star Wars #41 from Charles Soule and Madibek Musabekov, Lando has no choice but to come clean about everything he’d been doing in secret since joining the Rebellion after The Empire Strikes Back. As seen in past issues, Lando stole an ancient droid containing extremely sensitive Rebellion secrets he subsequently gave to Jabba the Hutt to save his own skin. Having realized soon after that he ironically needed the droid to save his cyborg companion Lobot, Lando had no choice but to admit to his guilt after getting the droid back, hence his imminent trial with a potential death penalty.
While Lando’s betrayal was naturally a breach of trust along with the endangerment of the entire Rebellion, it’s understandable that Princess Leia is having Lando arrested and put on trial as seen on this issue’s final page. As such, it’s certainly a dynamic twist that will no doubt improve Lando’s character arc as it’s depicted in the movies alone.
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Lando’s Betrayal and Redemption Goes Way Beyond Han Solo
Lando Massively Sold Out The Rebellion After Episode V
In the original trilogy of movies, Lando betrays Han by helping Darth Vader set his trap and Solo getting frozen in carbonite. However, Lando really didn’t have a choice as the Empire got there before the Rebels did. Furthermore, it wasn’t just his life at stake but the safety of those he was meant to protect in Cloud City as their baron administrator. His ‘redemption’ is essentially being given the chance to be a hero after he was forced to betray his friend, an opportunity he embraces in the final act of The Empire Strikes Back.
However, the comics have fleshed out the idea that Lando was a truly self-serving person in his past who is actively working to bury the former personality of the man he once was. He fully sold the Rebellion out to Jabba by giving him the Rebellion droid with all its secrets, even as he’d been growing in his desire to be better. Now, Calrissian has been totally exposed and sentenced to death, though it’s notable that his intentions behind his duplicitous actions were eventually noble as he was trying to save Lobot. His entire arc overall has become much more dynamic.
Lando Wants To Be Better
So How Will He Regain The Rebellion’s Trust?
By making Lando Calrissian much more complicated and somewhat despicable in between movies, Star Wars is making his arc far more satisfying. Likewise, his journey from traitor to hero is becoming far more meaningful as well. After all, Lando still needs to become a Rebellion general before the events of Return of the Jedi. While there isn’t much to worry about regarding his possible execution in future issues of Star Wars, one has to wonder how Lando will change his fortune so drastically during this interim era of the galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars #41 is available now from Marvel Comics.
STAR WARS #41 (2020) | |
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