10 Lies About Star Wars You Probably Believe

9. Lando Calrissian Was Designed Purely As A Han Solo Replacement

Luke Skywalker
Lucasfilm

Not for the last time on this collection of supposed Star Wars "truths" that have been emphatically debunked over the years, your writer directs you to an intriguing Twitter thread created by Lucasfilm creative art manager Phil Szostak back in August 2019.

Going out of his way to reveal whether a number of intergalactic myths were right on the money or drastically far from the truth, one of the most notable "facts" Szostak targeted with a social media proton torpedo came in the form of the truth behind why Lando Calrissian came into being in the first place.

According to a popular urban legend, Billy Dee Williams' character was only unleashed into this galaxy far, far away as a way of replacing Han Solo, with Harrison Ford not being nailed on to return for either The Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi before the sequels were written.

Yet, after happily re-signing to appear in Episode V and eventually VI, the fact Lando wasn't swiftly brushed to one side all but confirmed that, while still possibly being a fallback should Ford's character be permanently frozen in carbonite, the smuggler was much more than a simple Solo substitute.

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Lifts rubber and metal. Watches people flip in spandex and pretends to be other individuals from time to time...