Lando Was Originally Going To Be A Clone
What Might Have Been
The history of Star Wars is one of many drafts, ideas, concepts, and themes. It is an ever changing and evolving process . There are many versions and variations of the movies, as one might say. The Star Wars saga that we have come to know and love could have taken shape many different ways. With these various drafts come various takes on the characters, and many directions they could have gone. Once upon a time, R2-D2 could talk, Han Solo was an alien, Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader were two separate characters, and Luke Skywalker was originally female. These were just examples from A New Hope alone. The characters of Empire Strikes Back went through similar evolution as well. The movie was going to dig deep into the backstory of one particularly suave and cool Lando Calrissian. In an alternate version of the movie, he was supposed to be a clone.
Clones and cloning were nothing new in Star Wars lore. It had been baked into the DNA of the overarching story ever since Luke Skywalker asked Obi-Wan Kenobi if he had fought in the Clone Wars. While the clones would eventually make an official appearance in Attack of the Clones, the clone storyline was actually supposed to begin in Empire Strikes Back with the introduction of Lando Calrissian. When George Lucas was beginning the work on Empire Strikes Back, he went to known science fiction writer Leigh Brackett to write the first draft. In her version of the script, Lando was supposed to be a clone. As clones had a shadowy reputation in Star Wars lore at the time, it would tie into the untrustworthiness of Lando. This explained why Han Solo hesitated in going to him for help. It was also why Leia never fully trusted him, probably having heard terrible tales of the clones from the time when her father and Obi-Wan fought side by side in the aforementioned Clone Wars. Furthermore, with the Empire's ideas of eugenics and purity, it made sense for a clone like Lando to choose to stand up against the Empire later on.
RELATED: The History Of Clones In ‘Star Wars’
According to the lore established by Lucas and the Expanded Universe during the early 1990s, the Clone Wars were originally a literal war against clones. This was quite the opposite of the Clone Wars we have become familiar with. Some clones had been afflicted with "clone madness," causing them to attack the galaxy. Lando was to be part of a noble clan of clones who were partly responsible for this particular Clone Wars. The combined forces of the Jedi and the Republic fought against the clones as opposed to alongside them. This conflict would eventually lead to the rise of the Empire and Palpatine.
Leigh Brackett was not able to flesh out this particular version of the charismatic Lando Calrissian as she passed away from cancer only weeks after she had submitted the first draft of the script. In later revisions of the script, the character was no longer a clone. However, his betrayal of his friends and his later redemption were kept in the final version of the script. Other elements like the Rebel base on an ice planet, and Vader's pursuit of Luke also originated from Brackett's draft.
While the idea of Lando Calrissian as a clone was eventually dropped, much of his character's story remained the same. This showed how the making Star Wars was very much an organic process. Ideas may remain the same or evolve over time. Lucas and his creative collaborators worked hard to ensure that they presented the best final products possible. It is fascinating for us Star Wars fans to ponder and speculate on what might have been.
READ NEXT: The Real-Life War 'Star Wars' Almost Caused
Written By Joel Davis
Source: Digital Spy
Syndicated From Culture Slate
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from Culture Slate and writers in Futurism and other communities.
Planned 'Star Wars' Movies We'll Never Get To See
The cinematic part of Star Wars is on hiatus right now, until Patty Jenkins' Rogue Squadron hits theaters Christmas of 2023. But between May 25, 1977 and December 20, 2019, there have been twelve canonical Star Wars movies released on the big screen. Apart from the nine films of the Skywalker saga, there were two standalone movies (Rogue One in 2016 and Solo in 2018), as well as The Clone Wars movie from 2008. Additionally, the two made-for-TV Ewok movies from the '80s have been released in cinemas in Europe. Over the decades there have been plans for or at least rumors about a number of additional Star Wars movies that were never made and most probably will never see the light of day, as detailed below.
By Culture Slate3 years ago in Futurism
Review of 'Constellation'
I've read and seen many alternate reality stories. Some are caused by quantum entanglement -- the mega version of two subatomic particles colliding and then moving in opposite directions but still intimately and instantly connected -- and some just happen or are already there. I just reviewed a movie here on Vocal with that schema, and have written a few double realities stories and a novel with that premise myself. But none explore the existence and impact of that on families the way that Constellation does. Indeed, none do much of that at all in the at once deep and startling way that this new series on Apple TV+ does.
By Paul Levinson2 days ago in Futurism
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.