— Ch. 1 · Conception And Evolution —
Lando Calrissian.
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
George Lucas began writing The Empire Strikes Back in 1978 with a specific character type in mind. He wanted a gambler who would serve as a foil to the rough swashbuckler Han Solo. This figure eventually became Lando Calrissian, designed with the elegance of James Bond and the wit of Star Trek's Spock. Lucas initially envisioned him as someone who might actually be a clone from a ruling clan. This genetic manipulation was meant to make Princess Leia distrust him immediately upon meeting him. The plan included a clone faction that would partly cause the Galactic civil war featured in the original trilogy. Lucas saw Lando as similar to Rudolph Valentino because he was almost too perfect looking due to his genes being manipulated. When Billy Dee Williams read the script for The Empire Strikes Back, he thought Lando's cape and surname Calrissian were interesting things to build a character around. Before Williams was cast, Yaphet Kotto was considered for the role. Jonathan Kasdan later stated that Lando is pansexual when co-writing Solo: A Star Wars Story.
Cinematic Portrayals
Billy Dee Williams portrayed Lando in The Empire Strikes Back released in 1980 and Return of the Jedi released in 1983. He also appeared in the sequel film The Rise of Skywalker released in 2019. Williams was nominated for the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Empire and Jedi. Donald Glover portrays Lando in Solo: A Star Wars Story which came out in 2018. Glover is expected to reprise the role in another film currently in development. Megan Farokhmanesh of The Verge noted that most characters pronounce Han Solo's first name Hahn but Lando pronounces it Han. In Solo: A Star Wars Story, Donald Glover deliberately used Han instead of Hahn for consistency. When Donald Glover sought Williams' advice about playing Lando for Solo, Williams told him just be charming. Glover felt this was the best advice he could receive. Billy Dee Williams reprised the role of Lando in the Star Wars Rebels episodes Idiot's Array and The Siege of Lothal. In 2024, Lando appears as a playable character in Star Wars: Outlaws where he is voiced by Lindsay Owen Pierre.