As The Empire Strikes Back closed, Luke Skywalker had lost a hand to his dad in battle after turning his back on the advice of the remaining Jedi and Lukes friends had been terrorised on Cloud City. In amongst the ordeal, Han Solo had been frozen in carbonite and shipped off to Jabba the Hutt under the careful watch of Boba Fett. Additionally Lando Calrissian had joined the rebellion but forgot to pack his own clothes and had to wear Han Solos. Times were bleak for our Star Wars heroes but is that enough to excuse what came next? Skipping forward a few months or so to the opening events of Return of the Jedi and the rebellion friends had regrouped and hatched a plan to recue Han Solo from the clutches of Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine. The big question is, who hatched this plan and exactly why was it so damn awful?
Stage 1: Lando Goes Undercover
After entering Jabbas palace with the droids (more on that later) we soon discover that previous Cloud City main dude Lando Calrissian is posing as one of Jabbas guards. It isnt clear how he managed to get the gig but weirdly in an underworld mob bosses den crammed packed full of bizarre aliens and monsters, a simple helmet and basic mask enabled Lando, a straight up human armed with nothing but a winning smile to fit in without anyone raising an eyebrow.
So Why Is Lando Actually There?: As with all aspects of this rescue mission, the plan isn't clear but there are a few reasons why Lando is at Jabbas palace. 1) Hes working alone and intends to free his friend Han Solo when he gets the opportunity 2) Hes feeding back information to Luke from within. 3)Hes feeding information back to Leia and Chewbacca from within or 4) All of the above. Whatever the reason, Lando being undercover in Jabbas palace doesnt seem to amount to much as the other players enter the action.