CT Lando Calrissian - Hero or traitor to his friend?

Nothing untrue was said...

 

If this still bothers you, I'd recommend reading Infinities: The Empire Strikes Back. (SPOILER ALERT) After the Empire wiped out Echo Base while the rebels were busy mourning the loss of Luke, Han and Leia escaped to Bespin (without the asteroid field chase and using the same maneuver attaching the Falcon to the Star Destroyer) while Boba Fett pursued them. Fett beat the Falcon to Cloud City and demanded that Lando detain Solo and he refused, believing that he was working for Jabba rather than Vader and helped Solo and his friends escape. But when Vader arrived and found out what Lando had done, he had the Executor bomb Cloud City to dust....

 

Hence "lie by omission."

 

If telling the truth is considered lying now then truly no one can be saved lol.

 

How is it a lie? Han needed repairs, and he thought Lando could help him. That was 100% true. If you're upset that Han didn't tell Lando the Empire was breathing down his neck, remember that Han wasn't sure he could trust Lando with that information.

 

For me Lando do things right! Vader was breathing in his neck... he betray his friend but after that save him for sure dead! And that is most important at all!

 

He's both- hero, and traitor.

 

No, he's not a traitor. If Lando really was a traitor, he would have disregarded the safety of Bespin's population to help some friend who barely trusted him and whom he barely trusted.


I really do get sick and tired of this attitude that Lando should have been more concerned about Han than the citizens of Bespin. He's not some faithful sidekick or dog.

 

It may be a "friends before anything else" cultural thing.

I'm told Oscar Wilde put it as:

"If I had to choose between betraying a friend and betraying my country, I hope I would have the guts to betray my country".

So- no matter what, Lando would be betraying somebody- he chose what he thought was the most justifiable betrayal.

 

Seems to me that if I had to make that choice, it's nearly certain that either my friend or my country would have been the first traitor. That would make the choice easier.

 

Lando was screwed from the beginning. He said it best the He had no choice, the Empire arrived before the Falcon. I am sure that under different circumstances Lando would have helped Han out. But as Lando had stated earlier, his hands were tied. Not many people get to deal with the Empire and live.

 

As leader of the Bespin community, Lando had a duty to its citizens. He didn't have Padme's luxury of being rescued by Jedi Knights and whisked away to safety. And since Lando had a duty, it was just too damn bad for Han, who should have realized that he was being followed during that long journey from the Hoth system to Bespin.

 

He could have simply told Han at the start "By the way, the Empire are already here" - instead of deceiving him.

 

Lando had to give the appearance of being friendly towards Han, or else the population of Cloud City would have been at risk. If Vader had sensed any treachery from Lando, he likely would have ordered the Executor to blast the city from orbit.

 

Well, Han, Leia and Chewie could have made their escape a lot sooner. But that would have spelled destruction for Lando and the people of Bespin.

 

As I said: it's a lie by omission. Han didn't just need repairs.

 

It would only be treachery if Vader had ordered Lando to deceive Han in the first place, and Lando had decided secretly to refuse.

 

And like I said earlier, Han didn't fully trust Lando. And besides, it is not always necessary or wise to divulge everything you know, even among those you do trust.

 

Lando decided that the safety of the citizens of Bespin was more important than Han, Luke or Leia. And he was right. There is no way in the world I would place an old friend who may or may not have cheated me out of my old star ship above the safety of the people I was ruling.

 

He was a grey character, looking out for himself. Probably do what Vader told him or die. He might not have done anything if "leia and the wookie" were left with him like he was told originally. He finally realized he had no choice but to go against the Empire

 

That's certainly the way Leia & Chewie seem to react when he frees them- they don't act like they're dealing with someone who "only betrayed them in order to save Cloud City from total annihilation".

 

So . . Lando was only thinking for himself and not the people of Bespin? Is that what so many fans want to believe? It's really easy for many fans to accept this opinion, isn't it? I've always wondered why a certain faction of SW fans have continued to demand than Lando put the interests of Han, Leia and Chewie above the people of Bespin . . . the very people for whom he served as leader. I don't understand such thinking. Is it important to these fans that Lando be another Chewie - another faithful dog or worshiping sidekick? Because that is what it seems like to me.

 

I think the idea isn't just about "putting his friends above his people" but also "putting the needs of the galaxy as a whole above those of his people".

Lando knows exactly what the Empire is like- and the threat against his people, has pushed him to finally collaborate with them. Until Vader decides he's "altering the deal".

 

So . . . what you're saying is that these fans believe that Lando was supposed to view the galaxy as a whole more important the safety of Bespin's citizens?

 

Or, that Lando's supposed to be viewed in the same light as a "collaborator with the villains, who has suddenly turned good".