Lando Calrissian's Entire Backstory Explained

Lando Calrissian saunters into the Star Wars universe with a sly smile and charm that could make a Wookiee blush. The Socorro native proved himself to be a fan-favorite, expanding his initial cameo in The Empire Strikes Back to future films, comics, and animation. Much like Han Solo, Lando makes a name for himself as a smuggler with loose morals and even looser lips. When he's not hitting on Han's girlfriends (or Han himself), he's stacking sabacc cards in his favor to win big.

While Billy Dee Williams eventually snagged the role, Yaphet Kotto initially turned down the part before Williams stepped in. Star Wars creator George Lucas originally tossed around the idea of making Lando a clone before he settled on the canon iteration of the character. When Disney de-canonized Lando's Legends material, much of his backstory became a blank slate. However, Disney has spent years filling up that history with new content about his past and future beyond the films. Drawn from comics, novels, and TV, here's Lando's entire backstory up until The Empire Strikes Back.

Lando isn't necessarily known for doing the right thing, but he usually finds himself on the right side of history with a little persuasion. The Solo: A Star Wars Story tie-in comic book series, Lando – Double or Nothing, tasks Lando and L3 with freeing slaves from Imperial rule.

Kristiss, the daughter of an enslaved Petrusian, approaches Lando with the hope that he'll smuggle weapons into the Imperial Outpost on Kullgroon so that her people may have a chance to escape. With the impending change of the stormtrooper guard, it's now or never. Given the risk involved, Lando is dismissive at first, even when she offers him 1,500 credits for the completed job. She smooth talks him into getting a drink, where they're interrupted by Brushaun, a fellow gambler who claims that the smuggler swindled him out of 2,000 credits. Persuaded by a new threat of impending bodily harm and chastisement from L3, Lando seals the deal with Kristiss with a kiss.

Even after fighting their way into the post, the job doesn't prove easy. The Petrusian slaves are reluctant to escape. But no one gives an impassioned speech quite like Lando. Rhythus, Kristiss' father, convinces Lando to fire up the slaves. As usual, he succeeds, freeing the slaves and avoiding a painful death at the hands of Brushaun. Lando decides to hang up his smuggler boots and spend the rest of his days playing sabacc. 

L3-37, Lando's activist-minded droid, first made her way into the hearts of Star Wars fans in Lando — Double or Nothing. However, she really cements herself as a breakout character in Solo. With a gallon of snark, she's one of the few characters in the Star Wars universe who can effectively curb Lando's shenanigans and disregard his charm. Despite their epic sass battles, L3 (written as "Elthree" when characters speak her name) continually makes her co-pilot a better, more altruistic person.

Whether she's liberating droids in Solo or freeing slaves in Double or Nothing, L3 makes Lando think about his choices and how they affect others. As much as he rolls his eyes and pretends to dismiss her, she's clearly the unofficial captain of the Falcon — and he ends up caving to her demands more often than not. Lando's decision to join the rebels in The Empire Strikes Back proves that the droid had an impact on the smuggler. Lando Calrissian is a better person because of L3-37, and her impact on the world can be felt even after death. She lives on in the Falcon's navicomputer, and in Lando's conscience. 

Within several minutes of Lando's initial screen-time in The Empire Strikes Back, he makes multiple passes at Leia. Han, looking less than pleased, is not here for Lando's smooth-talking advances, and his face shows it. As fans later find out in Solo, this isn't the first time Han has been jealous of Lando. Apparently, the smuggler dating pool is shallow, and the two rivals may have shared a girlfriend.

Before Han's first girlfriend Qi'ra introduces Lando to Han, she waxes poetic about his accomplishments. She says, "He's attractive, too. Sophisticated, with impeccable taste and ... charisma. Not to mention his prodigious ..." Han cuts her off with, "We get it." Their past is never outwardly stated, but it's fairly obvious that Lando seduced Qi'ra with a magnetism few have turned down. And even if they didn't hook up, it's clear that she wanted to. Kind of a bold move to make in front of the ex she never actually broke up with. Though, it explains why Han doesn't want the smuggler anywhere near Leia years later.

You can't swindle a swindler, even in space. From their very first game of sabacc in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Han knows Lando is cheating. After losing the game he knows he should have won, Han rants to Qi'ra, telling her that the table played all of the green sylop cards already. Lando's final hand is impossible without cheating, and Han knows it. But Han bet a ship he doesn't own, so two can play at that game.

Resolved to claim what's rightfully his, Han accepts a small vial of coaxium from Savareen and heads off to find Lando at his usual spot at the sabacc table. Han sics Chewie on Lando in jest, ultimately pulling in the smuggler for a hug — or so Lando thinks. Han snags Lando's illicit green sylop card without him noticing, winning the Millennium Falcon in yet another bet. As Lando admits he initially won the Falcon in a bet himself, everything comes full circle. Without the ace up his sleeve, Lando is forced to hand over his precious ship, setting up the future of the rebellion without even knowing it.

Everyone's had that awkward moment when they accidentally steal a dictator's ride, right? That's just another Tuesday for Lando Calrissian. In the 5-part comic series, Lando, the smuggler and his cyborg partner Lobot steal Palpatine's "pleasure craft" in a heist gone wrong. Not realizing it at first, the pair are surprised by the number of star destroyers that fly after them. There's also the small fact that the ship has a guarded room of ancient Sith paraphernalia.

Palpatine employs the bounty hunter Chanath Cha, Lobot's ex, to procure the yacht, aptly called the Imperialis. The Emperor instructs her to destroy it if necessary. Complicating matters, the Sith artifacts exude an insidious anger, leading to a bout of betrayals. After multiple scuffles and the death of Lando's crew, Chanath lets Lando escape with Lobot, blowing up the ship. But the adventure is too much for Lando's comrade, whose Imperial implants fully take over his brain. Lando vows to cure him when a final message from Lobot plays. He urges Lando to get out of the game and do something good with his life. It doesn't happen right away, but Lobot eventually gets his wish.

Like most things in his life, Lando wins his most lucrative gig in a game of sabacc. Disney retconned most of Lando's Cloud City backstory during their takeover of Lucasfilm, but the media giant honored some of his origins in canon materials. Like the Legends media history, the Ultimate Star Wars guide confirms that Lando takes over Cloud City after winning a card game. It's only fitting that Lando becomes a moderately respectable member of society through moderately shady means.

After years of sketchy living, Lando wins the role of Baron-Administrator of Cloud City, a floating mining colony on the planet Bespin. Technically, after years of swindling randos in bars, his Baron title offers Lando a small slice of royalty. He works alongside Lobot, finally honoring his friend's wish that he'd get out of the game. From here, Lando would go on to reunite with and betray Han — only to make up for his actions by helping to win the war against the Empire. Lando has always been a captivating, charming, and multidimensional part of the Star Wars universe, but with the help of characters like L3-37, Lobot, Princess Rinetta, and even young Han, Lando finally becomes the hero he was always meant to be.