CT The Han-Leia Romance. Something I don't understand.

It's been a while since I've seen 'The Empire Strikes Back', so bear with me: how and when did Leia start falling in love with Han? In the Falcon, he tries to kiss her and she tells him no, no she's not interested in that. Yet he keeps pushing. Then after a few more scenes, Leia goes from being pissed at Han to acting like a lover, even shouting, "I love you!" as Han is being lowered into the chamber to be frozen.

Just...am I missing something here? When did she go from someone who tolerated Han (as I saw it) to verbally declaring her love for him?

 

The implication is that she already had feelings for Han. She just couldn't admit it until after he pulled her pigtails enough times.

The irony is that this is held up as the gold standard of believable, adult courtships in Star Wars, while the Anakin/Padme courtship is dismissed for being (intentionally) fumbling and awkward.

 

Leia felt in love for Han in the "you love me because I'm a scoudrel" scene, I think. Well, that's how I see it.

 

She likes scoundrels, and there are few scoundrels in her life.

 

Yes, Han got it! Why would Leia love him?

 

Anyway, the Han/Leia romance still better than Anakin/Padme's

 

That's just what I never understood. I mean, it goes from...

ANH= "I wonder if he cares about anyone...or anything."

TESB= "Han, you're a natural leader!" ... <refusal when Han tries to approach her> ... "I love you!!"

ROTJ= "Someone who loves you." <kisses>

I guess I'm just missing on the progression of the romance because it felt kind of rushed. I can buy that it grew between Hoth and Bespin because it likely took a while for the Falcon to reach Bespin what with the damaged hyperdrive and all.

 

I don't see issues with either romance... well at least in context of what the film maker intended.

Han was intentionally written as the outgoing "bad boy" type guy. while Anakin (whether people like this portrayal or not) was intentionally written as a nervous, mentally unstable "awkward teen" that was terrible at controlling his emotions and desires. Its not that Hayden and Lucas did a bad job making Anakin, its that a lot of fans didn't like the type of flawed psychotic character that Anakin was portrayed as.

 

Since Han didn't admit to murdering a whole village of intelligent beings, I can't for the life of me understand why Leia would fall in love with him.

 

Nah, Leia just goes for guys that unapologetically work for slavers for years for profit.

 

A guys gotta make a living in the universe…so not comparable to a slaughtering of an entire village imo

 

To each their own.

I, personally, can understand how Anakin, after watching his mother being tortured in his dreams for over a month could then hold her in his arms as she died and utterly snap -- killing all those in his wake. He also recognizes it was wrong and breaks down crying at his actions. A horrible act that was instigated by horrible circumstances.

Han, on the other hand, works for Jabba, a slaver, for money. And he clearly has other options at his disposal. He knows people - such as Lando - and yet is not working with him or for him. There's also the fact that Han could likely easily sell the Millennium Falcon and take up a more menial job like a bartender. As exciting as being a smuggler? Probably not. But I find it more disgusting that Han coldly profits off the back of Jabba's slave empire rather than look for alternatives. And he never shows a shred of remorse for these actions either.

 

Not to mention moving the GFFA equivalent to heroin and murdering people Clint Eastwood stlye.

 

Han reacted in self-defense. Check the Blu-ray for the video evidence.

 

Leia showed attraction towards Han in her very first scene in the film, when she glanced over her shoulder at Han when he walked into the war room. But while Han made no secret of his own attraction to Leia, she was more reluctant to show her feelings.

 

I think she did have some feelings for him at the start of EMPIRE, but that she was just too stubborn to admit it. Notice the way she runs after him after he announces his decision to leave and pay off Jabba the Hutt. The General seems to accept the necessity of Han’s actions (“A death threat is not an easy thing to live with. You’re a good fighter, Solo. I hate to lose you.”) compared to Leia, who seems pretty distraught.

 

The whole point of Han’s character arc is that he gives up his selfish ways and finally finds himself compelled to do the right thing. Honestly, his whole arc is almost verbatim from Rick in CASABLANCA, with a bit of Clint Eastwood thrown in for good measure.

I guess with Anakin, Lucas was going for a James Dean quality, but it doesn’t really work. He’s more like John Wayne in THE SEARCHERS, a decidedly unheroic, quite disturbed and not particularly likable individual (in fact, Paul Schrader largely based TAXI DRIVER’s Travis Bickle on Wayne’s character in THE SEARCHERS). As far as I’m concerned, that scene with the Sand People is where he becomes Darth Vader. Everything else is just a formality. Hayden Christensen even makes sure to do that Kubrick stare, a la Malcolm McDowell and Jack Nicholson, during that scene.

 

Jabba's family is portrayed in the Han Solo Trilogy as much less invested in the slave trade than its biggest rival is - and far more invested in the spice trade.

 

He murdered innocent children and women who had nothing to do with it Han is not harming anyone if he doesn't exist the slavery continues. Han also changes once he realizes he has something bigger to be apart of,also some people have no choice on how they make a living products of there environment.

 

Yea Jabba is more of a drug lord, gambler and arms dealer from what I remember. His main interest in slaves appears more as his own palace workers rather than people he trades; cooks, slave girls, custodians etc. Gardulla was more of the slaver from what I remember.

 

Hey Brian Dailey's Han Solo's Revenge (and its canon and I don't give a crap what some official person says) specifically states that Han never runs slaves. His best friend is a former slave, and you know Chewbacca would't take that crap.

The big difference is that Han and Leia were in contact and having adventures together for three years between Star Wars and Empire. So they would have had time to get to know each other and he could see Leia was attracted to him, but too devoted to the idea of duty.

 

I think Lucas may have erred in regard to Leia and Han's romance in the 1980 film. The movie began with both of them already expressing interest in each other via the glances they were exchanging. In fact, the franchise did not reveal their initial interest in each other, until a EU novel some twenty to thirty years later.