The latest addition to the Star Wars galaxy of films may have underwhelmed at the box office, but it did shine a light on a couple new spots of the canon, and established a deeper thread to the Empire with the introduction of Crimson Dawn. It also reunited the two biggest troublemakers the Rebels in the Galaxy.
In a coming-of-age origin story that jumps off a cliff into the emotional baggage of Han Solo, the standout story thread was the genesis of his friendship with Lando Calrissian.
The two are introduced when Solo and one of his first crews has to put together a heist. Business tints their friendship from the moment Han spots that Lando’s a card cheat. With the solid performances from Alden Ehrenreich and Donald Glover, who play Han and Lando respectively, the pair’s friendship is never in doubt. In this case, it feels fated rather than forced, so when they’re taking their place in the Millennium Falcon, alongside Chewie, all the pieces are just falling into place.
Whether they’re the galaxy’s best Odd Couple or just a more conniving Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, a reunion between these two actors is the best reason for a Solo sequel. If the studio has any chance of throwing good money after bad and running a referendum experiment on their spin-offs, a follow up movie could chase the two to Tatooine, and trace the ways the Empire divides the fan-favorite friendship.
To argue the point, here are 25 Han Solo and Lando Calrissian Memes.
Ice Bucket
The ice bucket challenge has nothing on carbonite, but the sensation is probably right up there. There’s nothing else that could quite approximate the sensation of having your entire body frozen, dropping your core temperature to zero degrees, for about a year, and then being thawed. If you don’t have a really good towel, the ice bucket challenge is kind of like that.
The betrayal of Lando Calrissian in Empire Strikes Back, leading to Han and Leia’s capture and return to Jabba the Hutt, is one of the all time double crossings between these two friends.
Even after saving his life, relations between Han and Lando are a little bit better than they should be.
When You Hear About Donald Glover
The skepticism about a Han Solo prequel movie started from the beginning. No one knew how the movie would recapture the magic of Harrison Ford’s original portrayal.
There was no doubt when fans heard that Lando had been added to the movie and would be portrayed by Donald Glover.
The fan favorite, jack-of all-trades, writer/producer/actor from Atlanta, lobbied hard to land the role of Star Wars’ primary black icon. In response to the body of work that Glover has produced, when he was finally confirmed, audiences were ecstatic.
The Falcon Deal
The center of the movie led Han through his first mission with the Millennium Falcon, where he’s able to break records on the Kessel Run. All through those sequences, the Falcon sadly felt a little small, more like a plot device than a character.
The movie tries to solve this in the end, when she gains her own form of consciousness, but the emotional bond with the ship never quite gets there.
Even though fans didn’t see enough of the ship in this opening movie, it’s unlikely they’ll ever see more of how the Falcon got those years of battle scars.
Buckle Up, Baby
This scene didn’t actually appear in the movie like it seems in this meme. Han didn’t meet Lando’s line with a classic, Harrison Ford eye roll, but just imagine the conversations that would take place on an extended road trip between these two. Stories that could go on for warp cycles.
Before one is so quick to agree with Han and roll their own eyes at the capes and costumes and jewelry that comes along with Lando Calrissian’s trademark phrases, keep in mind that a touch of class is bound to come in handy in plenty of situations where a softer negotiating touch is needed.
Then and Now
Billy Dee Williams and Harrison Ford were the original actors behind Lando Calrissian and Han Solo. Their performances reinforced one of iconic traits of alternative personalities: a wanderlust.
By their appearance in Star Wars, the audience is reassured. It’s alright that there are these radical forces in society. It exists at every level of the universe - just look at Han and Lando.
If these two can make it, any person with a kernel of good can get there too.
Let this meme celebrate the characters who run away from the black and white. And let it forgive the toll that life takes after thirty years.
Two Finger Wave
Glover made several noticeable attempts to line his performance up with Williams’. His speaking cadence was definitely slower, with more of a drawl to it.
Billy Dee Williams, renowned for his Colt 45 campaign, is one of the Hall of Fame TV pitchmen. Glover even attempted taking on some of the eyebrow movements and twinkling stares Williams has perfected as well.
This stands in sharp contrast to Ehrenreich’s performance behind the titular protagonist. He’s begun to form the makings of a bratty smirk, but is still lamentably far from Ford’s roguish grin.
Disney Watching the First Cut
Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the brilliant visionaries behind The Lego Movie and the rebooted 21 Jump Street franchise, were initially signed on to captain this film through the Star Wars galaxy. Unfortunately, early in the production schedule, they were dismissed from the project and Ron Howard, gracious friend of George Lucas, finished the movie.
Sources say that the root dysfunction between the directors and the studio was in the amount of comedy that they thought should be in the film.
Even if Solo had come out to be as good as Superbad, it would have had a hard time fitting in alongside the rest of the franchise.
Smuggler Swagger
For more sequences like this in Star Wars, the franchise would have to shift away from operatic battles, and more into its space western fringes.
A Deadwood-like town on the Outer Rim is a Star Wars story that could feature every type of card game imaginable.
Or a Cheers based in Naboo might shine a new light on the galactic capital and its society.
So many Star Wars movies are consumed by dire circumstances, missions filled with life or death stakes, and impending doom, that it’s nice to see scenes like this one where the of this town, or whatever corner of the Galaxy, are existing outside the Jedi/Sith coin flip.
With Friends Like These
The characters in this movie have heard of the Force, but they’re ordinary people living in a world far larger than any one of us could ever imagine. The possibilities for a person to just go to another planet and start their lives over, carry massive implications for the flexibility and unreliability of this community.
All of this is to say that Star Wars space is a lonely place, and the friends that one surrounds themself with are the only way to get through it.
A Friendly PSA
For everyone’s safety, truer words were never spoken. It’s not a good idea to even presume that any pet-related activities are appropriate for any Wookiees in your life.
If this meme is clicking on any level, take a couple steps and redirect.
The two stars behind Han Solo and Lando Calrissian are behind the scenes here, but for sure these two aren’t going to be filming any PSAs. In fact, if any group of people are taking public safety advice from Han and Lando - good buddies from the smuggling racket - they need to take a couple more steps and keep redirecting.
