A Thousand Stars: Episode V, Part 34
Feb. 5th, 2026 09:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilInto this juxtaposition of beauty and destruction comes Lando, inviting them all for some 'refreshment.' With a last ominous visual reminder of Threepio, we return to the bustling but lovely halls of the city. In an apparently casual conversation, Lando leads up to a recent 'deal' that ensures his city's protection from the influence of the Empire.
There's some excellent, subtle acting from Billy Dee. You can imagine him thinking, perhaps, 'This is the last time Han will look at me without hatred.' Or even a silent 'It's an entire city of people. I had to choose between them and you. Can you ever forgive me?' Yeah, I'm reading a lot into a little expression. But I love Lando, and I think he was tortured every single second leading up to this betrayal.
There's an image you'd never want to experience in person. Entering a dining hall for a relaxing meal only to find the Empire's fearsome symbol waiting for you. Han, too, has a very expressive silent moment, turning to Lando as if hoping he'll burst into laughter at the prank, then fake-Vader will remove his helmet to reveal Lobot, perhaps, and they'll all have a good chuckle. No such luck. In further desperation, Han fires a few blaster shots, and how devastatingly easy it is for Vader, with a simple gesture, to fend him off and snatch the weapon straight from his hand.
The awful tableau forms: the dark Lord and the successful bounty hunter before them, stormtroopers behind them. Lando's stiff, miserable apology. And the door closes on the doomed trio.
Next time, captives in pain...
There's some excellent, subtle acting from Billy Dee. You can imagine him thinking, perhaps, 'This is the last time Han will look at me without hatred.' Or even a silent 'It's an entire city of people. I had to choose between them and you. Can you ever forgive me?' Yeah, I'm reading a lot into a little expression. But I love Lando, and I think he was tortured every single second leading up to this betrayal.
There's an image you'd never want to experience in person. Entering a dining hall for a relaxing meal only to find the Empire's fearsome symbol waiting for you. Han, too, has a very expressive silent moment, turning to Lando as if hoping he'll burst into laughter at the prank, then fake-Vader will remove his helmet to reveal Lobot, perhaps, and they'll all have a good chuckle. No such luck. In further desperation, Han fires a few blaster shots, and how devastatingly easy it is for Vader, with a simple gesture, to fend him off and snatch the weapon straight from his hand.
The awful tableau forms: the dark Lord and the successful bounty hunter before them, stormtroopers behind them. Lando's stiff, miserable apology. And the door closes on the doomed trio.
Next time, captives in pain...
