Lando Calrissian
gambler, baron, and general
Lando Calrissian was a smuggler and gambler who lost the Millennium Falcon to Han Solo, became Baron Administrator of Cloud City, and joined the Rebel Alliance as a general, piloting the Falcon in the strike that destroyed the second Death Star.
Landonis Balthazar Calrissian, better known as Lando Calrissian, was a human smuggler, gambler, and entrepreneur who became Baron Administrator of Cloud City and later a general in the Rebel Alliance. Born on Socorro, he once owned the Millennium Falcon before losing it to Han Solo in a game of sabacc. After leaving his smuggling days behind, he reinvented himself as a businessman and rose to lead the mining colony in the skies of Bespin.
Smuggler and gambler#
A member of the Calrissian family and a native of Socorro, Lando spent his youth as a smuggler and gambler, excelling at the card game sabacc. He piloted the freighter Millennium Falcon across the galaxy, running schemes and weapons and keeping company with droids such as L3-37 and his cyborg associate Lobot. He lost the Falcon to Han Solo in a sabacc game on Numidian Prime, after which he put his smuggling days behind him and styled himself a respectable businessman. He set up a small mining operation on Lothal and later won control of Cloud City, the floating tibanna-gas mining colony above Bespin, becoming its Baron Administrator.
The deal at Cloud City#
During the Galactic Civil War, Darth Vader came to Cloud City to lay a trap for his son, Luke Skywalker. When Solo, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca arrived seeking refuge and repairs after escaping the Battle of Hoth, Vader forced Lando to lead them into his hands. Lando welcomed his old friend warmly before delivering them to Vader and the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who intended to take Solo to Jabba the Hutt. When the Empire repeatedly altered the terms of their bargain, Lando could no longer tolerate it. He alerted the citizens of Cloud City to the impending Imperial occupation, ordered an evacuation, and tried to help the Rebels rescue Solo, though Fett escaped with the carbonite-frozen smuggler.
The Rebel Alliance#
Lando joined the Rebel Alliance and set out with Chewbacca to find Solo. Locating him in Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tatooine, he infiltrated the palace in disguise and took part in the rescue. He rose to the rank of general and volunteered to lead the starfighter assault on the second Death Star during the Battle of Endor. Piloting the Millennium Falcon into the unfinished battle station's core, he fired the shot that destroyed its reactor, helping to bring down the Empire.
A hermit's grief#
In the years of peace that followed, Lando started a family and had a daughter, Kadara, but while she was still an infant she was abducted by the First Order. Years later he joined Luke Skywalker on a journey to the desert world of Pasaana to seek answers about a growing darkness in the Force, but found nothing. Burdened by his loss, he settled on Pasaana and lived alone as a recluse known to the local Aki-Aki as the Hermit, keeping in contact with the Solo family.
Return at Exegol#
When the Resistance sought his help in the war against the First Order, Lando aided Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Chewbacca in their search for a Sith wayfinder on Pasaana. In 35 ABY he reunited with Chewbacca and played a final role in the fight for galactic freedom, rallying a vast Citizens' Fleet from across the galaxy and bringing it to reinforce the Resistance at the Battle of Exegol, helping to secure the victory that ended the war.
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Lando Calrissian?
- Landonis Balthazar Calrissian, better known as Lando Calrissian, was a human smuggler, gambler, and entrepreneur born on Socorro. He became Baron Administrator of Cloud City and later a general in the Rebel Alliance.
- How did Lando lose the Millennium Falcon?
- Lando once owned the Millennium Falcon and piloted it across the galaxy, but he lost it to Han Solo in a game of sabacc on Numidian Prime. Afterward he put his smuggling days behind him and styled himself a respectable businessman.
- Why did Lando betray Han Solo at Cloud City?
- Darth Vader came to Cloud City to trap Luke Skywalker and forced Lando to lead Han Solo, Leia Organa, and Chewbacca into his hands. When the Empire repeatedly altered the terms of their bargain, Lando turned against it, warned the citizens of the coming occupation, ordered an evacuation, and tried to help the Rebels rescue Solo.
- What did Lando do at the Battle of Endor?
- Lando rose to the rank of general and volunteered to lead the starfighter assault on the second Death Star. Piloting the Millennium Falcon into the unfinished station's core, he fired the shot that destroyed its reactor.
- What happened to Lando after the war with the Empire?
- In the years of peace Lando started a family and had a daughter, Kadara, who was abducted as an infant by the First Order. Burdened by the loss, he settled on the desert world of Pasaana and lived as a recluse known to the local Aki-Aki as the Hermit, until he answered the Resistance's call and brought a Citizens' Fleet to the Battle of Exegol in 35 ABY.
Sources
- WikiLando Calrissian — Wookieepedia entry
- WikiHan Solo — Wookieepedia entry
- WikiCloud City — Wookieepedia entry
Spotted a factual error or a primary source we missed? Email a correction. Every flagged claim gets reviewed.
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