Lando Calrissian Lando Calrissian was a human male smuggler , gambler , and card player who became Baron Administrator of Cloud City and , later , a general in the Rebel Alliance . He was the owner of the " Millennium Falcon " before losing it to Han Solo in a game of sabacc . After losing the " Falcon " , Calrissian put an end to his days as a smuggler and became an entrepreneur , setting up a small mining operation on the planet Lothal before eventually becoming the leader of Cloud City in the skies of the planet Bespin . During the Galactic Civil War , Darth Vader arrived on Cloud City in order to lay a trap for his son , Luke Skywalker . As part of the trap , the Dark Lord of the Sith forced Calrissian into tricking a group of Rebels , including Solo and Prince ss Leia Organa , leading them to Vader himself . Though Vader promised to leave Cloud City without an Imperial presence , Calrissian felt the deal had been altered to the point where he could no longer tolerate it . Calrissian alerted his citizens to the Galactic Empire ' s presence and impending occupation , and he ordered an evacuation . He helped the Rebels try to rescue Solo , who had been frozen in carbonite , from Boba Fett , but the bounty hunter escaped . Calrissian joined the Rebel Alliance and set out to find Solo . After locating him in the palace of Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine , Calrissian aided in his rescue . The Rebels returned to the fleet and Calrissian became a general , volunteering to lead the assault on the Death Star II during the Battle of Endor . During the battle , he piloted the " Millennium Falcon " into the battle station ' s core , firing the shot which destroyed it . Biography . Early life and career . Lando Calrissian was born on the planet Socorro approximately thirty years before the Battle of Yavin . During his youth , he became a smuggler and a gambler , playing a card game known as sabacc . He traveled throughout the galaxy and pilot ed a freighter called the " Millennium Falcon " , which saved his life on numerous occasions . He ended up losing the " Millennium Falcon " to Han Solo in a game of sabacc — one in which Solo may have cheated . After losing the " Falcon " , Calrissian put an end to his days as a smuggler . He fancied himself a respectable businessman , and referred to himself as a " galactic entrepreneur . " When he was 26 , Calrissian met a criminal known as Azmorigan , who introduced him to Cikatro Vizago , a Devaronian crime lord who operated on the Outer Rim planet of Lothal . Calrissian purchased a plot of land from Vizago on Lothal , on which the former smuggler intended to begin mining precious mineral s . In order to do so discreetly , without attracting the attention of the Galactic Empire due to Imperial mining regulations , Calrissian planned to acquire a puffer pig from Azmorigan ; puffer pig s had a nose for minerals and could do the same job as twelve mining scanners . He required a ship that could evade the Imperial blockade set up around the planet ; Calrissian attempted to smuggle mining equipment onto Lothal but was stopped by the Empire . Age of the Empire . Hiring the Spectres . Calrissian found such a ship after playing a game of sabacc in Jhothal , a settlement on Lothal . He played the game in Old Jho ' s Pit Stop , competing against Tsoklo and Garazeb Orrelios , the latter of whom was a Lasat crew member aboard the " Ghost " , a ship operated by a band of rebels on Lothal . Orrelios believed he had the upper hand and bet his crew ' s astromech droid , C1 - 10P , but Calrissian beat his hand by using an Idiot ' s Array . The droid , nicknamed Chopper , therefore belonged to Calrissian , but he agreed to give the droid back and pay the rebels much - needed credit s if they assisted him on an operation — which , unknown to them , was the acquisition of the puffer pig . The crew was reluctant to trust Calrissian , but they needed the credits and wanted Chopper returned to them , so they agreed ; Calrissian spent much of the time using a divide and conquer strategy , trying to play the rebels against each other so he could accomplish his goals . During the trip to rendezvous with Azmorigan , Chopper gave Calrissian a tour of the ship , where he admired the artwork of Sabine Wren , a Mandalorian artist and member of the crew . Calrissian used this as part of his strategy , flattering the Mandalorian ' s work in order to make himself look good . Once the " Ghost " arrived at the rendezvous , the ship docked with Azmorigan ' s vessel , " Merchant One " . Calrissian and the crew ' s leaders , Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus , boarded " Merchant One " , and Calrissian told them to follow his lead . Calrissian also hinted that the ship had escape pod s — a coded message to Syndulla , whom he intended to hand over to Azmorigan as payment for the puffer pig , and he knew that she would need a way to escape the vessel . Despite Jarrus ' protests , Syndulla played along once Calrissian offered her to the crime lord , and Azmorigan gave Calrissian the puffer pig , which was locked in a crate . Calrissian and Jarrus returned to the " Ghost " , where Calrissian explained that he expected Syndulla to use an escape pod to leave " Merchant One " — which she did , returning to the " Ghost " and attracting the ire of the crime lord . Once Syndulla was aboard , and had given Calrissian a piece of her mind over the betrayal via a knee to the groin , the " Ghost " jumped back into hyperspace , leaving Azmorigan behind them . Calrissian showed the crew the puffer pig and warned them not to let it out of its cage , as it would expand into a larger creature if it was startled . Orrelios and fellow crew member Ezra Bridger ended up letting it out , and the pig ran throughout the " Ghost " before being so startled that its size increased and it became stuck in one of the ship ' s hallways . This proved potentially problematic once the " Ghost " returned to Lothal , where they needed to slip through the Imperial blockade ; Syndulla , the ship ' s pilot , was stuck on the other side of the pig , so Jarrus would need to pilot the vessel himself . Calrissian asked Chopper , who only responded to Calrissian ' s commands , to fix the mechanism that would allow the " Ghost " to mask its signature and slip past the blockade . Chopper was able to do so and the ship nearly made it through the blockade , but the pig expanded again , knocking Orrelios into the controls that allowed the ship ' s signature to remain masked . The Empire detected the " Ghost " as a rebel vessel and sent a group of TIE fighters in pursuit , which the " Ghost " was able to destroy . The crew made their way to the farm that Calrissian purchased from Vizago , where Calrissian explained that his plan was to use the puffer pig for mining . They were confronted by Azmorigan , however , who had anticipated that Calrissian would return to the land . This led to a shootout between the rebels and Azmorigan ' s forces , one that ended when Azmorigan threatened to kill Orrelios if they did not hand Calrissian over to him . Syndulla refused , and Chopper — who stole a crate of fuel for the " Ghost " and returned to the ship — fired the cannons on the " Ghost " at Azmorigan , giving Orrelios a chance to gain an upper hand and hold Azmorigan at gunpoint . Syndulla demanded that the crime lord leave , a demand that he acquiesced to . With Azmorigan gone , Calrissian claimed that he did not have the credits that he owed the rebels , but he did return Chopper to them . Nonetheless , Syndulla held Calrissian in her debt , though what he did not reveal was that he knew Chopper had stolen the fuel , which was why he did not give them any credits . He did , however , believe that he would one day meet the rebels again . Returning a favor . Calrissian came into contact with the rebels again some time later . After the rebels destroyed the " Sovereign " , the personal Star Destroyer of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin , the Imperials tightened security on Lothal . The rebels returned to Lothal after having been away from the planet , where they were pursued by numerous Imperial agents : including Darth Vader , the Dark Lord of the Sith . Vader ordered that no ship could leave Lothal , leading the rebels to contact Calrissian to ask for his assistance in smuggling them off - planet . He spoke to them via hologram , as he was not on Lothal , but nonetheless agreed to help them in exchange for three military - grade shield generators . With the deal having been made , Calrissian ordered his personal droid , W1 - LE , to assist the rebels with the masking transponder s that would trick the Empire into pursuing false signals from their stolen Imperial shuttle . The rebels successfully escaped Lothal . Trouble on Tyegin . Eventually , Calrissian returned to gambling at high stakes . At one point Calrissian traveled to the planet Tyegin and played a game of sabacc with local rich individuals during a luxury train ride . Calrissian managed to win , but when he cleared his winnings , the train was attacked by raiders . They stole all of Calrissian ' s money and set the train on fire before disappearing on their rockets . Calrissian and the other players tried to stop the train : first they unhooked speeder s , and began to throw objects onto the railroad . Sometime later Calrissian and the other players were saved by Tyegin ' s law enforcement . Galactic Civil War . Deal of a lifetime . Prior to becoming the administrator of Cloud City , Calrissian was a self - described opportunist trying to " make his way " through an uncaring universe . Calrissian was able to make a living by illegally acquiring and redistributing rare or valuable goods . However , due to Calrissian ' s penchant for gambling , he and his business partner Lobot were in deep with the wrong people . After convincing Moff Ssaria , also known as the " fiend of Castell " , into parting with a valuable and expensive trinket , Calrissian rendezvoused with Lobot at a cantina . After having had a few drinks , Calrissian was informed that Papa Toren , the individual who had loaned him money , was ready to see him . Calrissian sought to square away his debt by handing over the trinket to Toren , but the loan shark rejected to honor their prior arrangement . Instead of clearing the smuggler ' s debt , Toren offered to lower Calrissian ' s debt by ten percent . Outraged by the offer , Calrissian claimed this was not the deal they had agreed upon . Toren argued that if Calrissian had any qualms about the deal , he should take it up with the Imperials , who had taken his property from him in the first place . Toren argued that had Calrissian used the time he had been given to pay off the debt , Calrissian would not be in his current predicament of owing a vast sum of credits , with little - to - no time to pay it off . The loan shark suggested that if the smuggler was sincere and adamant about clearing his debt , he would do so , provided Calrissian agreed to do a job for him . After leaving the cantina , Calrissian and Lobot got into a heated exchange . Angry at the fact that Calrissian had accepted the deal , as well as Toren ' s gall , Lobot argued that Calrissian should have stood up to Toren . Calrissian countered by explaining that only people with no imagination use blaster s . If they tried to harm Toren , a bounty would be placed on their heads , adding to their current troubles . Instead of using violence to accept the deal , Calrissian insisted that the job would be quick . It would not only clear their debt but would also put them ahead . Although Lobot was concerned about their chosen dangerous lifestyle , Calrissian promised his friend that they would no longer accept high stakes work after completing the job . Having acquired the services of Aleksin and Pavol , in case the plan required the use of force , Calrissian and Lobot went to speak to Sava Korin Pers , a former antiques dealer and professor . Calrissian attempted to make good on a promise to Korin , to pay her back for the loss of the woman ' s eye . Korin argued that she could not think of a reason why she would ever work with Calrissian again , until she saw Toren ' s plan and what they were going to steal . According to the plan , Calrissian and company were to steal a pleasure craft being refitted at Sienar Fleet Systems Orbital Shipyard CC - 24 . Adhering to Toren ' s plan , Calrissian and his crew donned stealth suit s and infiltrated the shipyard . They managed to overpower the stormtrooper sentries and escape in the stolen ship . After taking off , Calrissian and Lobot discussed the fact that the ship that they had stolen seemed to be fairly advanced , specially modified . Lobot asked whether his friend could activate the hyperdrive . Calrissian , however , assured Lobot that he could do so only after the ship escaped the planet ' s gravity well . Unknown to Calrissian and his crew , they had stolen the Emperor Palpatine ' s personal luxury yacht , " Imperialis " . Imperial entanglements . Before they could jump into hyperspace , Calrissian and Lobot found their path blocked by three Imperial Star Destroyers . Calrissian was surprised that the Empire would dispatch such resources and realized that the ship was worth a lot . After the Imperial commander Commodore Idel destroyed Shipyard CC - 24 for failing to respect the Emperor ' s property , he deployed a pair of gravity mine s to disable the yacht . However , the " Imperialis " advanced automated defenses incinerated the bombs . An amazed Calrissian then instructed Lobot to power up the hyperdrive . Korin then confronted Calrissian and asked what he had gotten them into . Based on the fact that the Imperials had deployed gravity mine s , Calrissian deduced that the Empire wanted to capture them because there was something irreplaceable and priceless aboard the ship . When two of the Star Destroyers trapped the " Imperialis " in their tractor beams , Calrissian devised a trick escape maneuver . He got Lobot to feed the coordinates of the tractor beams into his piloting computer . Lobot and Aleksin were skeptical about Calrissian ' s plan to fly into the beams but Korin convinced the others to trust him . Flying the " Imperialis " , Calrissian locked Captain Conro ' s Star Destroyer ' s tractor beam onto Captain Shan ' s ship . This collision damaged the two Star Destroyers , allowing Calrissian and his crew to flee into deep space . After escaping the Star Destroyers , Lobot thanked Calrissian for his dangerous maneuver . Calrissian then proposed to Korin that they divide the " Imperialis " treasures among themselves and give the ship to Toren . When Calrissian asked Korin what they stole , she replied that the ship was full of treasure . After touring the ship ' s hallways , they reached the " Imperialis " central chamber . Lobot managed to access the chamber with his cybernetic headset but was impaled in the gut by a pair of Imperial Royal Guards . As Lobot succumbed to his injuries , his implants began to take over his mind . With Korin ' s help , Calrissia brought the wounded Lobot to the ship ' s medical bay while Aleksin and Pavol fought the Royal Guards with knives . Meanwhile , the Emperor dispatched the bounty hunter Chanath Cha to recover his ship . He supplied her with the modified Star Courier " Scimitar " , which was capable of tracking the hyperspace signature of starships . While Lobot recuperated inside a bacta tank , Korin told Calrissian that they had encountered Imperial Royal Guards . Based on the ship ' s opulent treasures and the Royal Guard ' s presence , Korin deduced that the stolen ship belonged to the Emperor himself . Calrissian was unwilling to listen to Korin ' s admonition and told him they were going to help the twin s . Calrissian and Korin found an armory and helped themselves to some blasters . When they returned to the central chamber , they discovered that Aleksin and Pavol had killed the Royal Guards . While Calrissian complimented the twins , Korin discovered that the guards had mysteriously been corrupted by something in the valuable chamber . Calrissian and his companions discovered that the central chamber stored several Sith artifact s including an ancient Sith helmet . No realizing the danger , Calrissian quipped that the treasures they found could make up for Korin ' s lost eye . Pall of the Sith . When Calrissian asked how much the treasures in the central chamber were worth , Korin recognized that these artifacts belonged to the ancient Sith Lord Momin , a Sith sculptor whose works were believed to be lost . While Calrissian and Korin discussed their plans to sell the merchandise , Aleksin gazed into the Sith helmet . He grabbed a double - bladed lightsaber and sliced off his twin Pavol ' s lower right arm . Taken by surprise , Calrissian and Korin managed to exit the central chamber and seal the door . However , Pavol was left inside with the corrupted Aleksin . Ignorant of the Sith and their history , Calrissian believed that Aleksin had double - crossed them . However , Korin speculated that Aleksin had been corrupted by the Sith artifacts , based on her research into Sith lore at the University of Bar ' leth . She deduced that the Royal Guards had been corrupted by their proximity to the Sith objects in the central chamber . Calrissian complimented Korin for being a " fascinating " lady but dismissed the Jedi and Sith as superstition . All that he was concerned about was that one of his team members had gone nuts and chopped off the arm of his companion . Calrissian also wanted to get back into the chamber and help Pavol . Korin replied that she was leaving the ship in an escape pod and marveled that Calrissian cared for others for a change . Unknown to Calrissian and his companions , Cha had infiltrated the ship . She was a former romantic interest of Lobot . When Calrissian objected to leaving Pavol behind , Korin warned him not to underestimate the powers of the Sith . Calrissian refused to leave his friend Lobot behind . Before the argument could escalate , the two heard over the intercom that the " Imperialis " escape pods had been disabled . Despite Calrissian ' s objections , Korin headed to the bridge to reactivate the escape pods . However , she was held at gunpoint by Cha , who had disabled the escape pods . Calrissian went to confront the intruder only to discover that it was Cha . After embracing , Cha chastised Calrissian for stealing the Emperor ' s yacht . She recounted that the Emperor had sent her to kill whoever took his ship . If she was unable to do that , he had instructed her to destroy the ship . Cha warned Calrissian that the only cargo that the " Imperialis " carried was death . Escaping the " Imperialis " . Recalling the Emperor ' s orders to kill the intruders or to destroy the ship , Cha opted to follow the second option since she was unwilling to hurt her former friend . Calrissian tried to reason with her but she pulled out her blaster and warned him that plans get people killed . Calrissian then tried to enlist Cha ' s help in dealing with Aleksin . He also suggested letting Korin and him escape in a few escape pods with some choice items while she destroyed the ship . Cha rejected that offer on the grounds that Palpatine would notice any choice items turning up on the black market . Unwilling to risk trouble with the Empire , Cha insisted on proceeding with her plan . However , she agree to ferry Calrissian and Korin to anywhere they wanted with her ship . Calrissian then mentioned that he could not risk bringing his friend Lobot out of the bacta tank to avoid the danger of the implants taking over his mind . He reminded Cha that she once had a relationship with Lobot . Cha reluctantly agreed to help . However , they were then cornered by the corrupted Aleksin and Pavol , who were under the influence of Sith objects . Aleksin demanded that they leave " his " ship or he would kill them . Calrissian objected on the grounds that the heist had been his idea . Aleksin then appealed to Korin and offered to share their treasures with her . Korin stared into the Sith helmet and was corrupted . She volunteered to join forces with Aleksin and Pavol . However , Aleksin killed her with his double - bladed lightsaber . Cha manged to shoot the door panel shut and initiate the self - destruct countdown . She then instructed Calrissian to retrieve Lobot from the medical bay while she docked her ship . Calrissian managed to helped Lobot out of the bacta tank . Before they could head to the airlock , they were cornered by a lightsaber - wielding Aleksin . Using his smooth talk , Calrissian managed to trick Aleksin into deactivating his lightsaber before shooting him dead . They then joined Cha at the airlock . Despite killing Pavol , the three encountered a new predicament . The " Scimitar " droid steward O - 66 had abandoned Cha after learning that she had activated the " Imperialis " self - destruct mechanism . When all seemed lost , Lobot volunteered to connect his cyborg unit to an interface . Despite struggling in his fight against the implants , Lobot managed to override the control codes . Calrissian and Lobot left in one escape pod while Cha left in the other . After escaping the " Imperialis " , Calrissian listened as Lobot advised Calrissian to use his charm and skills to find something bigger to believe in other than himself . He also counselled Calrissian to use his talents for good . Business success . Some time later , Calrissian scored a major victory in a card game and won control of Cloud City , a tibanna gas mining operation within the atmosphere of the planet Bespin . The " legitimate pilot and businessman " Gev Hessan smuggled goods to Calrissian to help him build the city . Calrissian became the Baron Administrator of Cloud City and turned to more reputable enterprises . As leader of the mining operation , he was able to keep the operation small enough to avoid being noticed by the Empire and the Mining Guild , which he considered advantageous as his customers did not want to attract attention . Deal with the Empire . In 3 ABY , Darth Vader and the Imperial Navy tracked Solo and the " Millennium Falcon " after they escaped from the Battle of Hoth . Vader intended to use Solo — as well as fellow Rebel Alliance members Prince ss Leia Organa and Chewbacca , who were also aboard the " Millennium Falcon " — to lure Vader ' s son , Luke Skywalker , into a trap . Vader knew that if Skywalker thought his friends were in trouble , he would attempt to rescue them and fall into Vader ' s trap . In an effort to hide from the Empire , Solo suggested that they make their way to Cloud City and seek help from Calrissian . While en route to Bespin , the " Falcon " was tracked by bounty hunter Boba Fett , who had been employed by Vader to find the " Falcon " . Vader and Fett arrived on Cloud City before the " Falcon " , and the Dark Lord of the Sith told Calrissian to help trap the Rebels or Cloud City would face the wrath of the Empire . Calrissian agreed to Vader ' s demands and awaited the Rebels ' arrival . The " Millennium Falcon " arrived at Cloud City and was granted permission from the city authorities to land . Once it landed , Calrissian personally greeted Solo and the others on the landing platform with Lobot and a full complement of the Bespin Wing Guard in tow . When Calrissian first approached , he feigned anger for actions Solo committed in their previous encounters . He quickly dropped the facade , however , and greeted his old friend with affection , telling Solo it was very good to see him again . Calrissian asked what brought Solo to Cloud City and the smuggler told him that they needed to repair the " Falcon " . Calrissian briefly referred to it as his own ship , asking what Solo did to damage it , but Solo reminded him that he won it from Calrissian fair and square . Calrissian then noticed Organa and introduced himself , using his charms to personally welcome her to Cloud City . While the Rebels settled into an apartment on Cloud City , Calrissian ordered his workers to begin fixing the hyperdrive on the " Millennium Falcon " . At some point , the work was completed and Calrissian was informed that the vessel was fixed , but the Empire secretly disabled the vessel ' s hyperdrive without Calrissian ' s knowledge . Once the Empire was ready to capture Solo , Organa , and Chewbacca , Calrissian greeted them in the apartment , where he admired Organa for her beauty . He also found that their protocol droid , C - 3PO , had been mysteriously damaged and blown into several pieces , which piqued the suspicions of the Rebels . Nonetheless , after he asked them to join him for refreshments , they followed Calrissian throughout the facility , where he told them about the mining operations and how the Empire and the Mining Guild had no presence on Cloud City . Upon arrival at a dining room , Calrissian told them that he had made a deal to keep the Empire off of Cloud City , and he opened the door to reveal Vader and Fett ; Fett intended to take Solo to Jabba the Hutt to claim a bounty on the smuggler ' s head . As a result , the Rebels were successfully captured by the Empire . The Rebels were taken into custody , and Solo was torture d by the Empire ; the torture was seen by Skywalker in a vision , who rushed to Cloud City to save his friends . Calrissian waited outside of the torture chamber where he heard Solo ' s screams , and spoke with the Dark Lord once Vader emerged from the chamber . Vader told him that Organa and Chewbacca could never leave Cloud City , to which Calrissian protested , as neither that nor helping Fett were part of their arrangement . Vader threatened to leave an Imperial garrison on Cloud City if Calrissian did not cooperate , which made Calrissian realize that the deal was getting worse and that Vader would not uphold his promises . After Solo ' s torture ended , Calrissian spoke to his old friend , Organa , and Chewbacca , and told them that the princess and Chewbacca would have to remain on Cloud City . He also told them that Vader was not interested in them , but rather he was using them to bait Skywalker to Cloud City , for which he received a slug to the face from an enraged Solo . Later , Vader determined that he would use the Cloud City carbon - freezing chamber to freeze Skywalker in carbonite so he could be delivered to the Emperor . To ensure that Skywalker would not be damaged , Vader decided to test the carbon - freezing on Solo . Calrissian protested , believing that the carbon - freezing would kill Solo . Nonetheless , Vader moved forward with the test . When Solo and the other Rebels arrived , Calrissian informed Solo of what was about to happen to him . Calrissian monitored the freezing and , when it was completed , checked on Solo ' s lifesigns , where he found that Solo was alive and in perfect carbonite hibernation . Vader then ordered Calrissian to bring Organa and Chewbacca to the Dark Lord ' s vessel , once again altering the deal he had made with the Baron Administrator . Imperial forces led Calrissian and the Rebels towards the Dark Lord ' s ship . While en route , they encountered Skywalker , who exchanged fire with the Imperials before the stormtroopers led Calrissian and the Rebels away . The Imperials were soon surrounded by Cloud City security forces , led by Lobot , and disarmed . Calrissian freed the Rebels from their restraints , at which point Chewbacca attacked him , grabbing his neck and choking him for his betrayal . Struggling to stop the enraged Wookiee from crushing his windpipe , Calrissian gasped out that there was still time to save Solo from the bounty hunter , who was taking him to the East Platform . The Rebels let Calrissian go , and he followed them towards the platform . They arrived in time to watch Fett ' s ship , " Slave I " , take off . Though they attempted to fire at it with blasters , it had no impact and the bounty hunter escaped with Solo . Stormtroopers soon arrived on the platform , forcing Calrissian and the Rebels to fight through them and escape . They made their way to the " Millennium Falcon " and arrived at its landing platform , only to find a locked door . R2 - D2 — Skywalker ' s astromech droid , who had rendezvoused with the Rebels — attempted and failed to open the door . While the droid was working , Calrissian issued a city - wide broadcast warning his citizens of the Imperial presence and impending occupation of Cloud City . He advised everyone to leave Cloud City before more Imperial forces could arrive . Calrissian ' s announcement created a frenzy of activity , as numerous people fled throughout the city . Calrissian led the Rebels through the commotion towards another doorway , which R2 - D2 was able to open while Calrissian and the Rebels fought off more stormtroopers . The group ran towards the " Falcon " , where Calrissian provided cover fire as the others boarded the ship . Once aboard , the " Falcon " lifted off from the platform , pursued by TIE fighters . As the " Falcon " was escaping , Skywalker — who had been injured in and escaped from a lightsaber duel with Vader — communicated to Organa through the Force , calling to her for help as he struggled to hang onto an antenna at the base of Cloud City . Organa asked Chewbacca , who piloted the " Falcon " , to turn the ship around so they could save their friend . Calrissian protested because of the TIE fighters , but the Rebels went back anyway to rescue their friend . They found Skywalker hanging from the city and positioned the ship underneath him . Once in position , Calrissian opened a hatch and took a lift to the top of the ship , where Skywalker fell into and Calrissian caught him . With Skywalker on board , the " Falcon " took off again from Cloud City , and Calrissian left Skywalker in Organa ' s care . Calrissian took the pilot ' s seat in the " Falcon " and prepared the ship for a jump into hyperspace . When he attempted to make the jump , however , the hyperdrive failed , much to Calrissian ' s frustration as he was unaware that the Empire had sabotaged the ship . The " Executor " , Vader ' s Super Star Destroyer , approached the vessel , where Vader would once again attempt to capture Skywalker . R2 - D2 , who learned of the sabotage while communicating with Cloud City ' s computer , made the necessary repairs to the hyperdrive and the ship was able to jump into hyperspace , successfully escaping from the Empire . Rescuing Han Solo . The " Millennium Falcon " returned to the Alliance Fleet , Calrissian did not stay long , however , as he and Chewbacca intended to set out in the " Millennium Falcon " to find Solo . Before leaving the fleet , he contacted Organa and Skywalker , promising the princess that he and Chewbacca would find Solo . The group agreed to meet at a rendezvous point on Tatooine , the location of Jabba ' s Palace . They said their goodbyes and the " Falcon " departed from the fleet , blasting off past a protostar . Some time later , Calrissian and Chewbacca had located Solo ' s still - frozen body at Jabba ' s palace on Tatooine . Skywalker put together a plan in which Calrissian , Organa , Chewbacca , the droids , and Skywalker himself would rescue their friend and , if necessary , destroy Jabba the Hutt . Calrissian infiltrated the palace and disguised himself as one of the Hutt ' s guards . He watched as each member of the Rebel team arrived ; the droids arrived first , posing as gifts from Skywalker to Jabba , followed by Organa who posed as a bounty hunter collecting the bounty on Chewbacca , who she brought as her prisoner . Organa later released Solo from carbon - freeze , but they were discovered by Jabba and his court . Solo was placed into a prison cell with Chewbacca , while Organa became the Hutt ' s slave . Calrissian remained in disguise throughout the arrivals . Skywalker arrived last and , while declaring himself a Jedi Knight , demanded that Solo and the others be released to him . Jabba refused , and Skywalker was forced to fight and kill Jabba ' s rancor beast . When the rancor failed to kill Skywalker , Jabba sentenced Skywalker , Solo , and Chewbacca to be killed ; the sentence was that they would be fed to the sarlacc creature in the Great Pit of Carkoon , where they would be slowly digested over the course of a millennium . Calrissian , still disguised as a guard , traveled with Jabba and his entourage to the Great Pit of Carkoon , and was stationed aboard the skiff on which the prisoners were kept . Before the Rebels could be executed , R2 - D2 revealed he had been concealing Skywalker ' s lightsaber . The Jedi Knight attacked Jabba ' s guards and Calrissian revealed himself , helping to free the prisoners and fight off the other guards . While doing so , he was knocked from the side of the skiff and fell towards the sarlacc , clinging onto the edge of the pit . Solo , who was partially though temporarily blind as a result of the carbon freezing , was lowered towards Calrissian by Chewbacca . Solo handed him a staff and Calrissian reached for it , but one of the sarlacc ' s tentacles grabbed his leg . Solo aimed a blaster at the tentacle and , despite Calrissian ' s concerns over Solo ' s ability to see his target , fired upon the creature . He hit the tentacle and the sarlacc released Calrissian , allowing Solo to pull him to safety . Once they were aboard , Skywalker and Organa — who had killed Jabba aboard the Hutt ' s vessel — jumped from Jabba ' s ship to the skiff . Calrissian piloted the skiff away from Jabba ' s vessel as it exploded , and the group rescued the droids , who had fallen overboard earlier . With the rescue completed , the group returned to the " Millennium Falcon " and left Tatooine . Battle of Endor . Calrissian participated in the Battle of Taanab , helping defeat a pirate fleet . He then rendezvoused with the fleet to find that a battle was being prepared to strike a decisive blow against the Empire . The Empire was building a second Death Star , which orbit ed the forest moon of Endor , and the Emperor had personally arrived on the station to oversee the final stages of construction . Unknown to the Rebels was that the Emperor had allowed them to learn this information , as he was luring them into a trap in an attempt to destroy them . They believed that the station , which was fully operational , did not yet have use of its primary , planet - destroying weapon . As such , they put together a plan to destroy the Death Star and kill the Emperor . The plan would require a ground assault to destroy the generator that powered the shield protecting the Death Star , as well as a naval assault against the station itself . Calrissian volunteered to lead the starfighter attack and was commissioned as a general of the Rebel Alliance . He attended a Rebel briefing where the plan for the Battle of Endor was reviewed , and learned that Solo would lead the ground assault , with a team that included Organa , Chewbacca , and Skywalker . Solo congratulated Calrissian on his promotion , to which he responded it must have been because of a maneuver he pulled at Taanab . Solo told Calrissian he could fly the " Millennium Falcon " during the battle . Knowing how much the ship meant to his friend , Calrissian promised that he would return her without so much as a scratch . Solo and his team departed prior to the fleet , in order to give themselves time to destroy the shield . The Rebel fleet , meanwhile , prepared to leave . Once it was ready , Calrissian and his co - pilot , a Sullustan named Nien Nunb , flew the " Falcon " to the head of the fleet , where all fighter squadron s were accounted for . Admiral Gial Ackbar , who led the Alliance fleet , gave Calrissian the order to depart for Endor . Once they arrived at Endor , Nunb told Calrissian that the " Falcon " scanners had been jammed , leading Calrissian to realize that the Empire knew they were coming and that the attack was a trap . As the squadrons approached the Death Star , Calrissian ordered his forces to break off the attack , as he knew that the shield was still operational . A hidden Imperial fleet revealed itself , and Calrissian and his fighter squadrons were forced to contend with incoming TIE fighters . He led his fighters towards the Imperial fleet in order to draw enemy fire away from the Rebel cruiser s , and the " Falcon " shot a number of the TIE fighters down . He soon saw Imperial Star Destroyers positioned away from the main fighting and was unsure as to why they were hanging back . Calrissian soon found an answer once the Death Star , revealed as operational , fired its primary weapon and destroyed a Rebel cruiser with a single shot . Ackbar ordered a retreat , but Calrissian convinced him to keep the fleet in place , as he had faith that Solo would complete his mission on the surface . When another Star Cruiser was atomised by the superweapon , Calrissian told Ackbar to move the rest of the cruisers and engage the Star Destroyers at point - blank range , reasoning that they stood a far better chance against them than the Death Star and that the destroyers would be caught in the blast if the superlaser dared to fire again . On the surface , Solo and his team successfully completed their mission and destroyed the shield generator . With the Death Star vulnerable , Ackbar ordered Calrissian and his forces to begin their assault on the battle station . The " Falcon " and the fighter squadrons entered an opening on the space station and headed for the reactor core , all while pursued by TIE fighters . While piloting towards their target , the " Falcon " hit a bulkhead on the interior of the Death Star , knocking its sensor dish off ; Calrissian , as a result , had broken his promise to return the " Falcon " to Solo " without a scratch " . The Rebels reached the main reactor , where the " Falcon " fired the shot that started a chain reaction to destroy the station . Calrissian piloted the ship back through the same route that they entered , as a ball of fire followed close behind . Despite the minor damage , the " Falcon " escaped the Death Star just in time and flew back towards the Rebel fleet as the Death Star exploded behind it . Calrissian and his fellow Rebels made their way to the surface of Endor and regrouped in Bright Tree Village , the home of the Ewok s who helped Solo and his team destroy the shield generator , where they all celebrated the destruction of the Death Star and the death of the Emperor ; during the battle , Skywalker redeemed Vader , who in turn killed the Emperor before succumbing to his own injuries . Calrissian reunited with Solo , Chewbacca , and the rest of his friends for the festivities . New Republic era . Though they had won the Battle of Endor , the Rebels would still face many challenges as they sought to restore the Galactic Republic . Calrissian commanded the Alliance Fleet during the Battle of Naboo , aiding Queen Sosha Soruna , Organa and Lieutenant Shara Bey as they disrupted the Imperial to render Naboo inhospitable . Following the events at Endor , Governor Adelhard imposed the Iron Blockade on the Anoat sector . Adelhard also claimed that the Empire had won the Battle of Endor and that rumors of the Emperor ' s death were rebel propaganda . In response , a resistance movement known as the Uprising emerged in the sector . Calrissian kept in touch with his old friend Lobot , who relayed messages through the blockade and served as a liaison between Calrissian and members of the Uprising . Unable to intervene directly in the uprising on Cloud City , Calrissian instead transferred credits to the rebels through the auspices of Lobot . He was privy to a joint operation by Lobot and the pirate Kars Tal - Korla to breach Adelhard ' s personal quarters and capture him . Though Adelhard evaded capture , the Uprising managed to liberate Bespin as the Galactic Civil War drew to a close . Calrissian managed to starve Adelhard ' s Imperial remnant into submission . Around the time of the Battle of Jakku , he returned to Cloud City at the head of a ragtag force of Wing Guards and New Republic soldier s . With Lobot at his side , Calrissian led a mopping - up operation against an Imperial hold - out in the Casino Level ' s Bolo Tanga room . As they made their way there , Lobot reminded Calrissian to get Organa and Solo a nuptial gift for their expectant child . Calrissian joked about gifting the boy a little cape and mustache so that he could resemble Uncle Lando . Upon arriving at the Bolo Tanga room , Calrissian met with the Wing Guard Captain Gladstone , who informed him that the Imperials were holed up inside . While they had broken through to the beam outtake shaft , they were trapped by poison ous fumes . Calrissian then addressed the Imperials and offered to spare their lives if they surrendered . As a further incentive , he promised to give them a hot meal , a warm bed , and to send them away without fear of New Republic prosecution . After ending his address , Calrissian ordered his engineer s to unseal the door . A dozen Imperials accepted Calrissian ' s offer and they were taken into custody by the Wing Guard . However , Gladstone then informed the Baron Administrator that an Imperial sergeant was refusing to surrender . Calrissian tried to reason with the sergeant but the man tried to shoot him . Calrissian was forced to kill the sergeant with his Vitiator blaster . After subduing the Imperials , Calrissian chatted with Lobot about the matter of purchasing a nuptial gift . When Calrissian suggested a lamp and a blaster , Lobot opposed the ideas . Calrissian then proposed leaving his Vitiator in a save lock until Organa ' s son came of age . When Lobot vetoed that , Calrissian then proposed gifting the family a Vantillian catamaran . Lobot accepted that idea . When Calrissian toyed with the idea of starting his own family , Lobot vetoed that as well . Calrissian then invited Lobot out for a drink but Lobot responded that he did not drink . Calrissian then promised to find a win - win situation for both of them . Rise of the First Order . Later , the Rebel Alliance reformed itself into a new galactic government called the New Republic , which defeated the remnants of the Empire . The Imperial remnants retreated to the Unknown Regions where they reestablished themselves as the First Order . In 28 ABY , Calrissian sent a message of support to his old friend Senator Organa following a political scandal arising from revelations about Darth Vader being her true father . Personality and traits . Lando Calrissian was a human male with black hair , brown eyes , and dark skin . He often wore ornate clothing that included a cape . In his youth , Calrissian enjoyed playing sabacc , and Solo described him as having been a scoundrel . Calrissian was also willing to undertaking dangerous risks . On one occasion , he , Lobot , and some companions stole the Emperor ' s luxury yacht " Imperialis " . Calrissian hoped to profit from selling the ship ' s treasures . The heist undertook a dangerous turn when the Sith objects aboard corrupted his companions Aleksin , Pavol , and Korin Pers . Calrissian had little appreciation for the Sith and Jedi , regarding them as " con - jobs . " He was also familiar with the bounty Cha , which led her to spare his life . Calrissian cared deeply for his friend Lobot and was unwilling to abandon him . The two were close friends . Lobot recognized Calrissian ' s charm and ability to motivate people and counseled him to find a greater cause than himself and to do good for others . After losing the " Millennium Falcon " however , Calrissian sought to turn into a respectable businessman , and he turned Cloud City into a mostly - legitimate enterprise . He was protective of his people to the point that he betrayed Solo and the Rebels to save Cloud City from the wrath of the Empire , for whom Calrissian had no love . He turned against the Empire , however , in order to give his citizens a chance to escape and to save Solo . Although Solo had felt betrayed by Calrissian ' s actions , the two reconciled after Solo was rescued from Tatooine , and shared a warm embrace during the victory celebration on Endor . Calrissian was known for his jocular and witty personality . Despite the wartime damage to Cloud City , Calrissian was undaunted and preferred to look on the bright side of things by hiring refugee s to staff his facilities . Calrissian was also a smooth - talking negotiator who managed to convince several Imperial holdouts to surrender in return for being well - treated and allowed to leave Cloud City . Calrissian was also a man of honor who kept his promises . The only person that could exert an influence on Calrissian was his friend and employee Lobot . Calrissian welcomed the news that his friends Solo and Organa were expecting a child and looked forward to being an uncle . Skills and abilities . Calrissian was a skilled pilot . During the Battle of Taanab , Calrissian performed a piloting maneuver that impressed even himself . He later attributed that maneuver as being one of the reasons why the Rebel Alliance commissioned him as a general and placed him in a command position for the Battle of Endor . Calrissian was also skilled with a blaster , wielding an X - 8 Night Sniper as his weapon of choice which he used against Azmorigan ' s thugs with enough proficiency to earn him a compliment from Wren , herself an accomplished markswoman . Calrissian once undertook a dangerous maneuver which involved latching onto a Star Destroyer ' s tractor beam and causing it to collide with another Star Destroyer . Calrissian boasted of doing this maneuver a thousand times . Calrissian was also a cunning combatant and once tricked the lightsaber - wielding Aleksin into deactivating his blade so that he could kill him . Calrissian also owned a Rossmoyne Vitiator pistol , which he won in a game of Six - Card Gizka Limit from a spice - drunk Aybarian diplomat . Calrissian used this pistol to kill an Imperial sergeant who refused to surrender . Behind the scenes . Lando Calrissian was portrayed by Billy Dee Williams in and . Williams reprised the role in " Idiot ' s Array , " the ninth episode of the first season of the animated television series " Star Wars Rebels " , and returned in the first episode of the second season , " " . Lawrence Kasdan , who co - wrote " The Empire Strikes Back " , " Return of the Jedi " and " " , told " Vanity Fair " that Calrissian is not in " The Force Awakens " , but added that he believes that there is a future for the character and that Calrissian is not " finished in any way , shape , or form . " director Rian Johnson briefly considered to bring back Lando in the film as the codebreaker that Finn and Rose Tico needed to find at Canto Bight , but Calrissian was ultimately written out from the film ' s script and replaced by DJ in the role . A young Lando Calrissian will be portrayed by Donald Glover in the upcoming 2018 film " " .