# I noticed somthing Odd in Empire Strikes Back **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 21, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984 "2003-09-21T16:05:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/1 "2003-09-21T16:05:39Z")
I watched ANH and ESB last night. At the very end of ESB Lando and Chewie are taking off in the Falcon to go find Han. Lando is wearing Han’s clothes?!?!! He is wearing the black vest and brown shirt and it is buttoned up all the way in the manner that Han wears it at the end of ANH when he get his medal. We only see him from the waist up so I don’t know if he was wearing Han’s pants or any pants at all for that matter. What is this some sort of scroundrel uniform? Do he think he is going to pass for Han? What gives? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2003, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/2 "2003-09-21T16:26:46Z")
Hmmm. Interesting. I hadn’t caught that, and I’ve seen all three movies of the original trilogy at least thirty times each. No, I do not exaggerate. I don’t know if I would call it a “scoundrel’s uniform”. Lando, earlier in the movie and in the novels is portrayed as a very, um, flamboyant dresser. I imagine that space pirates, when they’re working and going into situations where their clothing, not to mention their lives, might be endangered, they leave their nice clothes at home or on the ship and put on clothing that would be more durable and less expensive. .Kind of the Lucasverse version of t-shirt and jeans. Shirt, vest or jacket and pants made of some kind of tough fabric would probably be fairly standard. Han, not being one for conforming to other people’s standards of dress, would have simply gotten into his closet and gotten out his freshly washed but not yet worn clothes for the ceremony at the end of ANH. Lando, on the other hand, was getting ready to go into battle at the end of ESB, so he would have changed into his “grubbies”, which would probably be fairly similar to Han’s usual mode of dress. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/3 "2003-09-22T11:07:06Z")
Well, you figure he left Bespin in a hurry, with just the clothes on his back. He probably raided Han’s wardrobe on the Falcon, especially if his only other choice were the drab Rebel uniforms. What I want to know is how he got to be a general in RotJ so darn quick! The end of ESB has Chewie & him leaving to find Jabba. What did he ever do for the Rebellion to earn such a quick (and dramatic) promotion! ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/4 "2003-09-22T11:16:04Z")
I always figured he just made a large cash donation. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/5 "2003-09-22T11:17:38Z")
Briefly, ArchiveGuy? He’s capable of running a fairly large city. An isolated one. That kind of logistical skill is pretty rare. Add a little lando-style sweet talking… general in no time. I say you’re exactly right about stealing Han’s clothes, though. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/6 "2003-09-22T11:21:20Z")
> [@](#): > > general in no time. It helps that the Rebels don’t exactly have what you’d call a glut of high-level leadership talent, too. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/7 "2003-09-22T11:52:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*What I want to know is how he got to be a general in RotJ so darn quick! The end of ESB has Chewie & him leaving to find Jabba. What did he ever do for the Rebellion to earn such a quick (and dramatic) promotion! \*\* He helped the gang escape from Cloud City! Of course…he’s the one who gave them up to Vader in the first place… ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/8 "2003-09-22T16:04:00Z")
Maybe Chewie makes his ‘co-pilot’ dress that way. As far as General goes, well I thing rebel generals last about as long as Imperail Fleet officers. So promotion through the ranks is pretty quick. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/9 "2003-09-22T17:39:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > Well, you figure he left Bespin in a hurry, with just the clothes on his back. He probably raided Han’s wardrobe on the Falcon, especially if his only other choice were the drab Rebel uniforms. Actually that makes the most sense. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > What I want to know is how he got to be a general in RotJ so darn quick! The end of ESB has Chewie & him leaving to find Jabba. What did he ever do for the Rebellion to earn such a quick (and dramatic) promotion! \*\* How about Luke becoming an X-Wing pilot in a few hours at the end of Star Wars? What was his flight experience? Shooting wamp-rats or whatever on his jerkwater planet in the equivalent of an old Cesna? And that qualifies him to fly the most advanced fighter in the galaxy? ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/10 "2003-09-22T17:48:04Z")
> [@](#): > > How about Luke becoming an X-Wing pilot in a few hours at the end of Star Wars? What was his flight experience? Shooting wamp-rats or whatever on his jerkwater planet in the equivalent of an old Cesna? And that qualifies him to fly the most advanced fighter in the galaxy? I figured they needed everybody with flight experience available at that point. Think of _Independence Day_, where they were short on pilots and were willing to send crop duster pilots against a Death-Star sized alien ship. ---
**Author:** ![Stonebow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Stonebow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stonebow)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/11 "2003-09-22T18:11:40Z")
If I recall correctly, ROJ takes place a few months after ESB, and during that time, Lando has lead several missions for the Alliance, and has been dubbed the ‘Hero of Tanab’ for some amazing maneuver that he pulls off and scores a big victory against the Empire. I believe that he either got a field promotion or was promoted just before the Endor mission. btw- anyone else notice that the military hierarchy is really weird? we’ve got generals leading space missions? how do they interact w/ the admirals? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/12 "2003-09-22T18:37:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stonebow \* > \*\*If I recall correctly, ROJ takes place a few months after ESB, and during that time, Lando has lead several missions for the Alliance, and has been dubbed the ‘Hero of Tanab’ for some amazing maneuver that he pulls off and scores a big victory against the Empire. I believe that he either got a field promotion or was promoted just before the Endor mission. \*\* I think the battle at Tanaab must have happened before the events in the movies. Otherwise, the recently unfrozen Han wouldn’t be aware of it. Other than that, I think you’re right. > [@](#): > > \*\* > btw- anyone else notice that the military hierarchy is really weird? we’ve got generals leading space missions? how do they interact w/ the admirals? \*\* I think the admirals (and down) actually command the ships, while generals (and down) carry out ground based missions, sometimes from ships. General Veers leads AT-ATs dropped from ships commanded by Admiral Motti, for example. Think of it like Marines being transported by the Navy in the US. – Justin ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/13 "2003-09-22T19:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > anyone else notice that the military hierarchy is really weird? Of course. They’re a buncha dirty terrorist Rebels. They can call themselves whatever the heck they want. 😃 > [@](#): > > Think of Independence Day, where they were short on pilots and were willing to send crop duster pilots against a Death-Star sized alien ship. Don’t be silly. Those city-destroyers weren’t NEARLY the size of a Death Star. Heck, they were as wide as the _Executor_ is long. The DS2 was 900 kilometers in diameter, give or take… ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/14 "2003-09-22T19:19:30Z")
When I saw the title to this thread, I was expecting it to be something about Cliff Claven piloting an imperial starship. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/15 "2003-09-22T20:32:01Z")
Actually, IIRC, Cliff is a rebel. ---
**Author:** ![DirkGntly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DirkGntly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DirkGntly)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/16 "2003-09-22T20:46:58Z")
Here’s how I always saw the clothes thing… Han and Lando knew each other…it’s not actually really clear where from, but they both have a common history with the _Correllian_ freighter, the _Millennium Falcon_. My supposition is that the clothes Han wears all the time are some sort of Correllian military flight uniform (his pants, after all, have a red Correllian “blood stripe” down the leg, which is supposed to be some sort of distinctive honor, like the US green beret). I figure Lando just went back to wearing his old Correllian military uniform, just like Han… - Dirk ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/17 "2003-09-22T21:15:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ResIpsaLoquitor \* > I figured they needed everybody with flight experience available at that point. Think of _Independence Day_, where they were short on pilots and were willing to send crop duster pilots against a Death-Star sized alien ship. \*\* That was stupid too. “WE NEED EVERY AVAILABLE PILOT…AW FUCKIT!! JUST THROW A MOLOTOV COCKTAIL INTO THE ENGINE INTAKE AND SAVE YOURSELF THE TROUBLE OF BLOWING YOURSELF UP”. I was under the impression that fighter pilots go through years of vigorous training for a reason. Of course in both movies nearly every pilot got himself blow’d up anyway so maybe I’m not that far off. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/18 "2003-09-22T21:37:39Z")
Holy crap! I’ve seen TESB lots of time and I’m a huge ‘Cheers’ fan, and I never noticed Cliff aka John Ratzenberger. But the IMDB confirms he played “Major Derlin”. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/19 "2003-09-23T04:54:28Z")
Haven’t seen it in a while but is it possible they matted Lando’s face over Han’s? If they came up short a shot they may have done a quick fix in post. ---
**Author:** ![KGS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/90ced4/32.png) [@KGS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KGS)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984/20 "2003-09-23T04:59:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zebra \* > **Maybe Chewie makes his ‘co-pilot’ dress that way.** Are you suggesting that Han & Lando both enjoy furries? (Because I was about to say the same thing…) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-noticed-somthing-odd-in-empire-strikes-back/202984.md?page=2)