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Topic:
GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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rsterling78
Registered:
May '02
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Date Posted:
6/15 9:35pm
Subject:
GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Does anyone know why and how Han Solo got promoted to the rank of General in the Rebel Alliance by ROTJ?
In ANH, Han was a smuggler. Three years later, in TESB, he has been aiding the Rebel cause but wants to go square things with Jabba over the money he owes him. Of course, he ends up frozen in carbonite and is unfrozen and rescued in ROTJ. Then, upon reuniting with the Rebel Alliance...they make him a General?
Han showed quite a bit of skill and loyalty. He is rumored to have been a previous enlistee in the Imperial Navy, although this was never alluded to on screen. He's an excellent choice to be part of a strike team. He might even be a good choice to lead it. But how the heck did he become a general?
I assume the title "Captain" Solo by which he is sometimes referred to is because he is in command of the Millenium Falcon and that this is not a formal military rank title. Even assuming it were, that would mean that from joining the Rebel Alliance in ANH to being reunited with them in ROTJ, not forgetting he was frozen in carbonite for perhaps a year and is therefore in need of quite a bit of debriefing, Solo was promoted from Captain to Major to Lt. Colonel to Colonel to Brigadier to Major General. This assumes that the Rebel Alliance uses military ranking nomenclature comparable to that of Earth armies and that "General" Solo was merely a Major General and the title was shortened to just "General." Otherwise, he would need to go even further up the ranks to either Lt. General or General.
Am I missing something here, or does the Rebel Alliance just offer really, really rapid promotions?
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zombie
Registered:
Aug '99
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Date Posted:
6/15 9:41pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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They also made Lando a General, even though he had a checkered past and all he did was rescue Han Solo. I think its really just a plot device to allow main characters the ability to give commands and have people follow them.
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rumsmuggler
Registered:
Aug '00
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Date Posted:
6/15 9:43pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
- Date Edited:
6/15 9:44pm (1 edits total)
Edited By:
rumsmuggler
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Han has previous military experience and graduated top of his class from the imperial academy. That probably counts for why he got such a high rank so fast. He also helped out the rebels quite a bit during the time between ANH and ESB.
Lando has quite a bit of adminstrative skills, on top of his smuggling and con man skills.
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voodoopuuduu
Registered:
Mar '04
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Date Posted:
6/15 11:38pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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"With the death mark no longer on Solo's head, he felt free to devote his time to the Rebellion. After recovering from hibernation sickness, he accepted a general's commission in the Rebel military."
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Han_solo
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Hk47fan
Registered:
Jun '08
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Date Posted:
6/16 8:00am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Yeah, I'm guessing it was a quick promotion after he returned from Jabba's Palace, because he was still called "Captain" at the end of ESB and even beginning of ROTJ by Threepio. Although its sort of predictable because of how much he assisted the Rebellion before that, and as the Wookiepedia article states, the bounty was off his head after Jabba died.
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JEDIGUNSHIP
Registered:
May '08
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Date Posted:
6/16 9:04am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Well, he had shown the qualities of an officer, and the Rebellion was in desperate need of some officers, so i guess they thought that he fit the mold of what they wanted in a general. Otherwise, it would just be a reason for the group to go down to Endor with Han in command.
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DarthBoba
Registered:
Jun '00
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Date Posted:
6/16 10:41am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Rieekan does say that Han's a good leader and he's sad about losing him. And even Leia says he's a good leader. And I'm sure he was an inspiration to all the pimply 18-year-olds in the Rebellion. Who else tells Princess Leia she needs a good kiss in front of other people? :P
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Darth_Smileyface
Registered:
Apr '04
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Date Posted:
6/16 6:30pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Actually the promotion is not as big as it seems. Assuming that the Rebel Alliance recognised his rank of "Captain", then they only promoted him one level. Brigadier, at least in the U.S., is a rank of general and is shortened to general in conversation (General Smith as opposed to Brigadier Smith or Brigadier General Smith). This is the rank immediately above Colonel. Furthermore, the rank of Colonel is equilavent to the naval rank of Captain. It is this rank that Solo "holds", not the Army rank of Captain. An army Catain is equivalent to a naval Lieutenant. Therefore, the Alliance promoted Solo from Captain (Colonel) to Brigadier (a general rank). One level. Now the real question is that since he had a naval rank, why promote him to General and not Admiral?
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DarthBoba
Registered:
Jun '00
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Date Posted:
6/16 6:38pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Because he's leading ground forces.
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DarthButt
Title: Manager
• Classic Trilogy
Registered:
Jun '03
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Date Posted:
6/16 7:37pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
- Date Edited:
6/16 7:39pm (2 edits total)
Edited By:
DarthButt
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Yeah the GFFA ranks make no sense at all. In the gaming world, I was once part of the NRA - New Republic Alliance - an online XvT fleet that eventually migrated to XWA (X-Wing Alliance) that consisted of over 100 members. My highest rank was Vice Admiral. Looking back, my proudest acheivement (which was also my most embarrasing, givin my later understanding of naval ranks) was introducing the General rank to our fleet. However, I justified it as bringing in the B-Wing to the fleet (which corresponded with the expansion pack at the time) which was a bomber class ship. Yeah... just.. no. I figured if Calrissian made General and lead the fleet... yeah.
Okay long story short, GFFA ranks make no sense at all, although I tried to make sense of them. And failed.
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General_Phoenix
Registered:
Nov '02
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Date Posted:
6/17 8:38am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Han had already proven himself to the Alliance, plus being friends with Luke and Leia probably didn't hurt any. In most cases it will come down with who you know. Lando, he must've pulled one heck of a maneuver at Taanab to get his promotion. Then again, maybe his references checked out.
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JediMasterChiefYoda
Registered:
Aug '03
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Date Posted:
6/17 8:06pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Maybe in the GFFA, terms like "General" and "Admiral" are used interchagably. Maybe Calrissian was an admiral, but so not to get marching orders mixed up (ADM Akbar was leading the fleet; Calrissian was, what appeared to be, one of his advisors), and so, for the duration of the battle, Lando was called General,that way if a transmission came in grabled, it would say, "Gen..ral .... .. or.ers us to hit it," it would be known it was from Lando and that Akbar (the Admiral) can override his decisions.
And if they are used interchagably, wouldn't it make more sense to give Solo a "general" rank as to not confuse anyone else on the ground (maybe for this battle, Leia and Luke held the rank 'Admiral..."
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rumsmuggler
Registered:
Aug '00
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Date Posted:
6/17 8:15pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Iirc, Luke didn't reach the rank of general until sometime after Endor.
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" Conan, what's best in life?" " Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of the women."
W.W.L.D. What Would Lando Do
"Why is the rum always gone?"
Retcons = making the dumb stuff look even dumber.
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JediMasterChiefYoda
Registered:
Aug '03
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Date Posted:
6/18 2:26am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Wouldn't that be a bit odd, to not give your only Jedi Knight a rank of some importance in your military? Even if only honorary?
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Proud vetern of Operations Enduring & Iraqi Freedom
Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. I sense much fear in you.
Ever single Jedi is now an enemy of the Republic. Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy.
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rumsmuggler
Registered:
Aug '00
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Date Posted:
6/18 6:07am
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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Luke was still pretty high up in rank at the time though. He was probabaly colonel or something.
-----signature-----
" Conan, what's best in life?" " Crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentations of the women."
W.W.L.D. What Would Lando Do
"Why is the rum always gone?"
Retcons = making the dumb stuff look even dumber.
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DarthBoba
Registered:
Jun '00
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Date Posted:
6/18 10:09pm
Subject:
RE: GENERAL Solo, is your strike team assembled?
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He made General a year later.
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