Was Lando a bad guy?

[Cranyx]

Many people call Lando Calrissian a traitor to his friends because of what he did in handing over Cloud City to Vader, and has even been compared to Philippe Pétain of Vichy France. On the other hand, he sacrificed those he cared about for the lives of those he was responsible for, The Empire obviously could have used force (not a pun, honest) to gain control of the city.

So where do you stand, selfless, or traitor?

 

[EHKOS]

Tough call. It must have been tough for him. What he did was basically preserve Cloud City and try to hold out until the empire was defeated. He made a tough call and saved many lives. I'd say he did the right thing.

 

[LobsterFeng]

He was a traitor that redeemed himself in the end.

 

[Shockolate]

He was a man with his back against a wall with his city held hostage.

I saw nothing wrong with his decision.

He also blew up the second Death Star.

I'd say that more than makes up for it.

 

[Fbuh]

It is tough. Aa the original Trilogy's only black man, he had it pretty tough to begin with. I postulate that he must be the only descendant of Mace Windu, the Prequels' only black man, who also had some pretty tough decisions to make. I cannot fault Lando, as his responsibility to his city is greater than that of his personal feelings.

 

[Ilikemilkshake]

Well i see him as more of a neutral character. He did what he had to in order to survive... Sure he could have made a principled stand and refused to comply.. but Vader would still have captured Han.. The way i see it what he was doing was damage limitation, he knew he was beat so he made a deal to protect chewie and Leia

 

[chstens]

Keep in mind he was in one hell of a predicament. Hand over Solo or the entire city would suffer Imperial wrath. You could see that he didn't WANT to hand over Solo.

 

[thiosk]

He also blew up the second Death Star.

I'd say that more than makes up for it.

i don't really understand how anyones answer could be different than this

 

[Neverhoodian]

Nah, Lando wasn't so bad. Yes he was a scoundrel and a con artist (much like Han Solo in A New Hope), but I wouldn't go so far as to call him evil or a traitor.

Try imagining yourself in his situation. After traipsing around the galaxy for years performing all sorts of odd jobs for questionable contacts, you finally get your big break: a chance at being a legitimate businessman running a successful mining operation. This is perhaps your one and only chance at forming a semblance of a normal life.

Then suddenly out of the blue the Empire waltzes in and demands that you cooperate with them. Do you help them and betray an old friend, or do you resist and almost assuredly lose everything you've worked so hard for (to say nothing of the potential suffering of the thousands of beings who live and work at the installation)?

Of course, the Empire shot itself in the foot by constantly "altering the deal." Vader should have been more forthright about the Empire's intentions from the very beginning. If Lando was resistant to the idea, just threaten to destroy the installation via orbital bombardment.

 

[Prof. Monkeypox]

He was a traitor who did it for the right reasons (even if, by handing over these particular hostages he was giving the empire more that they wanted than if he gave over the entire city), but as much as been said elsewhere.


I think, as a kid (which is when most people saw the films) you didn't understand his side of the story and have been convinced he was just a dick ever since.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I used to think he was traitor as a kid but when I got older I understood the position he was in. He pretty much had to sacrifice his friend in order to save everyone living on Cloud City (that what he thought until Vader just lie to him).

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

He blew up the second death star. He is redeemed.

However, at that moment he did sell out his friend. No doubt about it.

 

[nukethetuna]

With a smooth, suave voice like that?
The man is the hero of the entire series!

Seriously, whether he's peddling beer or directing a military, I just can't shake the feeling that he wants in my pants!

 

[revjor]

No way. Did what he had to do to save lives and cleaned up his mistake by helping free Han AND blew up the Death Star II.

BUT I guess when you factor in the destructive nature of malt liquor on the inner city ghettos of Coruscant, The Ewok reservations and the Tusken Raiders barrios on the otherside of the pod racing tracks then yeah he's a bit irresponsible.

 

[revjor]

With a smooth, suave voice like that?
The man is the hero of the entire series!

snippity snips

Seriously, whether he's peddling beer or directing a military, I just can't shake the feeling that he wants in my pants!

Seeing this posted right above mine made me so happy. Now mine has context!

 

[Bluntman1138]

People forget that Lando was responsible for over 4 million people that inhabited Cloud City. They were a neutral entity in the war. They did not side with the alliance or the Empire. Sure the Empire could have taken the city...

BUT would the Empire had even gone to Cloud City if Han went? Cloud City was far from the Inner Core, and wasnt a strategic point for the Empire either.

Also, Lando didnt betray his friends Han and Chewie. His deal with Vader would save their lives, and keep the Empire from taking control of the City. All for someone Lando DID NOT know, nor care about. (Luke)

It isnt Lando's fault that Vader is such a dick, he "Altered the Deal" to many times, and was leaving Lando with less options everytime.

A traitor...NO. Lando did what he thought would SAVE his 2 friends.
Selfish...No. Lando had the lives of 4 million people depending on him.
Selfless...Yes. He cared more about the people he was responsible for than himself.

If anything, Lando was a good man, forced into a conflict he did not want to be in. And he had to do what he had to do in order to save lives, but that wasnt enough. Lando didnt invite Han to Cloud City, Han just showed up thinking everything would be cool.

Besides, Lando still rescued his friend from Jabba. Helped rescue Leia and Chewie and even Luke. Was made a General in the Alliance, and lead the assault on the Second Death Star destroying it. These are not the actions of a traitor of a selfish person. They are the actions of a good man, forced into a conflict he didnt want to be apart of.

 

[MrTub]

I do think overall he was a good man, one of the main reasons as to why I see him as a good guy is because he destroyed the second deathstar

 

[Mikkaddo]

Many people call Lando Calrissian a traitor to his friends because of what he did in handing over Cloud City to Vader, and has even been compared to Philippe Pétain of Vichy France. On the other hand, he sacrificed those he cared about for the lives of those he was responsible for, The Empire obviously could have used force (not a pun, honest) to gain control of the city.

So where do you stand, selfless, or traitor?

He is a traitor to his friends, but he had a much bigger responsibility than the group of heroes. The problem with storytelling is they make you believe that doesn't matter because after all, he betrayed not just Han, but LUKE MOTHER FUCKING SKYWALKER THE ONLY HOPE THE WORLD HAS. As far as the movie is concerned.

What a lot of people like to forget, is later on, he's part of the main strike force sent to destroy the base of operations for the empire he'd worked with previously, effectively returning him to being a hero. He sacrificed his friends and himself once, then sacrificed himself in a much more literal sense for everything afterward, refusing to let anyone else take his place in that battle specifically so he COULD undo the betrayal he'd done to them before.