CT Do you agree with Harrison Ford's opinion that Han Solo in the OT is "Dumb as a stump"?

No, OT Obi-Wan. I'm still not over his "certain point of view" nonsense, but that's an argument for another thread.

 

I wouldn't call Han "dumb as a stump". Actually, he can be quite intelligent. But . . . I find him rather immature - especially for a man of his age.

I honestly don't know what the big deal is. "Parsec" is probably some form of measurement that Lucas had created for the Star Wars Universe. You know . . . like the swear word "frak" in "Battlestar Galactica".

 

LZM65 No, it's a real thing.

 

A study that came out last month indicates that the ability to use and detect sarcasm is a sign of intelligence.
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A study also came out last month saying that staring at women's breasts makes you live longer (no joke) so unless you were kidding with your post, I wouldn't put much stock in these study revelations

As for Han, I agree with MOK on page 1

 

He's space street-smart but dumb enough to think that shooting Darth Vader with a blaster will actually work.

So he is more of an obvious kind of guy. Luke thought of the prisoner gambit and Han prefers a straight fight.

Cunning warrior he is not though he did show an ability to learn as by ROTJ he uses the prisoner gambit to get the Imperials to open the doors.

 

My mistake. And I guess Lucas made one, as well.

 

Just because its a real thing doesn't mean Lucas couldn't have borrowed the name. I wouldn't put him past him. *midiclorians*

 

Lucky escape, I forgive you

 

He's street smart, which is different then naturally smart. Scientists, Doctors are always naturally smart as they can solve problems one way, and guys like Solo are street smart where they know who to read people and get out of situations like he does all through the OT.

Street Smart = Going Through the Asteroid Fields when the odds are 3,720 to 1 as C3PO had said.

 

Considering that Han is a talented pilot and a decent mechanic, wouldn't he require more intelligence than "street smarts"?

 

He's clever. You'd have to be to be a smuggler. And I don't think an idiot would be able to fly a ship. So I don't think he's dumb. He's definitely not whip crack smart, though.

 

I think he was more surprised and panicked seeing Vader and just shot out of instinct than thinking. Plus I think he didn't know how powerful Vader was or that anybody could do something like that.

 

I can't agree that Han is "dumb as a stump" in ANH or ESB, but he does seem to lose some brain cells in carbonite, because he's not nearly as compelling or intelligent in ROTJ. I don't know where Ford got the idea that Han is intellectually deficient; he plays him with a fierce skepticism in ANH, which indicates critical thinking skills. Also, as someone posted upthread, sarcasm can be an indicator of intelligence. I think he got tired of playing the character because of his lack of backstory and development, and used this "dumb" thing as an excuse or an easy explanation.

 

For a human being.

 

I love Han Solo, but he's no Indiana Jones, kids

 

I dunno, the fact that Han doesn't believe in the Force is kinda dumb. I mean, it was only 20 years ago that tons of Jedi were sweeping around the galaxy and he's old enough to remember that. What was he thinking? That a galaxy-spanning government was trusting a bunch of magicians until the Clone Wars? The only other person to think something close to that was what's-his-face in the meeting on the Death Star, and he certainly wasn't the brightest banana in that bunch.

 

"Simple tricks and nonsense" rather explains that. He's skeptical to the point of being closed-minded. That's isn't very intelligent, but neither is it stupidity: it's arrogance, which fits Han's early personality.

 

Makes sense. I completely agree. Han is a mixed bag: He's very practical sometimes, but also very immodest and too certain of himself. I think he's very smart and very stupid, like most of us are. Very human. There are some people who are very ignorant and foolish and yet they say or do things that are profoundly insightful sometimes. Also, there are some geniuses who are very intelligent and yet they are socially inept. With Han, I'd say he's an average joe. He's not the brightest or dumbest, but he's bold, and that's why the Rebellion wants to keep him. He's useful even if he is not always the best in his field. Let's face it. He's a great pilot. I would argue that Han might be a better pilot than Vader/Anakin is, but that's a topic for another thread, and I'm out of my depth on that issue. I agree with Jaina Solo's speculation that Han probably has a tad bit of Force sensitivity, which would account for the Solo luck, his fast draw, and a few things like that. But that is pure speculation. We can't find definitive proof for that.

Like I said earlier, Ford has a habit of making dramatic statements, which is a little strange when one considers that he's usually a pretty chill and relaxed guy compared to a lot of other actors. Lol.

 

What would you think if you heard legends of so-called mystical warriors and then they are all slaughtered? Doesn't seem like their magics helped them much. And the average citizen probably doesn't know that Vader and the Emperor have magics too.

 

I think Han is an intelligent person. But I also think that he tends to be very rash and a little arrogant at times. And these traits tend to get in the way of his intelligence.

 

Yeah--people forget that, though the Jedi had a strict, fairly absolutist philosophy, they never preached it to anybody outside the Order, and since there were only like ten thousand Knights in the galaxy before Order 66, first-hand accounts would have been fairly rare.

Granted, dismissing Luke's deflection of blaster bolts while blind as "luck" is fairly stubborn.

 

I'm curious regarding your basis for this opinion. As I recall, Han has his most intelligent moment of the entire trilogy in ROTJ when he tricks the shield bunker crew into coming out, allowing the rebellion access to destroy it, thus turning the tide of the entire conflict.

I don't think he's less intelligent after the carbonite (though he is a changed man- more humble). I think Han is just in more scenarios in ROTJ where he is out of his element.

 

It's not in the script; it's mainly in the line delivery. "Hey... it's me!" and "Could you tell Luke, is that who you could tell?" -- The tone of his voice and his articulation of the syllables sounds less intelligent to me. It's a personal opinion, I don't expect anyone else to share it.

 

C'mon, he has a stupid voice? What kind of argument is that? He's probably tired after being deep-frozen for month.

 

... which is almost exactly what I wrote upthread: "he does seem to lose some brain cells in carbonite". It's not an argument, it's a personal opinion, which as I've already stated I don't expect anyone to share. The ability to articulate speech and enunciate phonemes is a sign of intelligence. But you can go ahead and turn that into the foolish straw man "he has a stupid voice" to make it seem less effective, if you like.