Star Words: Episode VI, Part 42
Sep. 9th, 2021 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilThe space battle is already looking pretty desperate, with the Rebels struggling against the might of the entire Imperial fleet. Then comes a particularly nasty surprise. The Emperor informs Luke that the apparently unfinished Death Star is, in fact, fully armed and operational
As Lando and his fellow pilots witness the devastation of the Death Star's beam, they must confront a an awful choice. Flee, or continue in a fight they have almost no hope of winning. Ackbar calls for a retreat, but Lando disagrees.
"We won't get another chance at this, Admiral."
"We have no choice, General Calrissian. Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude."
"Han will have that shield down. We've got to give him more time!"
The stakes are so deliciously high. Take down the Emperor along with the Death Star, and they could topple the entire Empire. They'll never get an opportunity like this again. But how can you fight against a planet-destroying battle station? And even before the revelation of the Death Star's capabilities, their entire plan hinged on the strike team getting that shield down by the time the Rebel fleet arrived. All hopes of taking the Empire by surprise have been utterly dashed. Ackbar's reasoning is quite sound.
And yet...Lando urges them to keep trying, keep hoping. Rather than an abstract hope that things might turn out right, his faith rests squarely on Han, assigning an almost mystical sort of value to their friendship that transcends practical facts. Han can do it. He won't let Lando down. Just give him more time. It's really kind of an absurd faith, and yet we want to believe in it. It might sound like a cheesy tagline from a kids show, but there is power in friendship. Trusting in our friends. Working together for that greater good. It's certainly a power that the Emperor would never consider, and that is his ultimate downfall.
Next, the stakes rise ever higher....
As Lando and his fellow pilots witness the devastation of the Death Star's beam, they must confront a an awful choice. Flee, or continue in a fight they have almost no hope of winning. Ackbar calls for a retreat, but Lando disagrees.
"We won't get another chance at this, Admiral."
"We have no choice, General Calrissian. Our cruisers can't repel firepower of that magnitude."
"Han will have that shield down. We've got to give him more time!"
The stakes are so deliciously high. Take down the Emperor along with the Death Star, and they could topple the entire Empire. They'll never get an opportunity like this again. But how can you fight against a planet-destroying battle station? And even before the revelation of the Death Star's capabilities, their entire plan hinged on the strike team getting that shield down by the time the Rebel fleet arrived. All hopes of taking the Empire by surprise have been utterly dashed. Ackbar's reasoning is quite sound.
And yet...Lando urges them to keep trying, keep hoping. Rather than an abstract hope that things might turn out right, his faith rests squarely on Han, assigning an almost mystical sort of value to their friendship that transcends practical facts. Han can do it. He won't let Lando down. Just give him more time. It's really kind of an absurd faith, and yet we want to believe in it. It might sound like a cheesy tagline from a kids show, but there is power in friendship. Trusting in our friends. Working together for that greater good. It's certainly a power that the Emperor would never consider, and that is his ultimate downfall.
Next, the stakes rise ever higher....
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Date: 2021-09-12 12:53 am (UTC)Otherwise, I also got to remembering that for some years my source for watching Return of the Jedi was a tape of a TV airing my family had made, and I recall a cut to commercials right after this line (although we did manage to pause when recording and leave the commercials out).