Early July, it was announced – unofficially via the likes of Rolling Stone, Variety, and some guy named Bob on Facebook, that Billy Dee was coming back to a Galaxy Far Far Away (GFFA). Officially for me, I read it on my Facebook feed (probably someone sharing Bob’s original post) July 9^th sometime before 9 pm. I know this because by 9:37 pm I posted it myself. I remember holding back the information until I had seen it from a few different sources, but even as I write this missive – a full 14 days later – still no “official” announcement from Lucasfilm. I will write here what I threatened in my original FB post – “Don’t screw this up Mr. Mouse.”

Most kids of the Star Wars generation, ones that were still impressionable (no matter the physical age) and maybe still played on playgrounds during recess, picked who they were going to be. It was always a choice between Luke or Han (later to be a choice between Starbuck and Apollo) much like previous generations picked between cowboys and Indians (oh the PC horror) and/or cops and robbers.

• Sidetrack #1 - I preferred being the robber – more money in it I guess…and do not recall any preference of Indians over Cowboys, but I do remember thinking that the Indians had better tactics, but in all fairness and honesty, I don’t I knew what a tactic was at five years old…

I guess I don’t really remember who I picked to be – or more likely fought to be, since with only two main “hero characters” (plus Chewie, and ugh the “girl”) inevitably, fights broke out on who got to be Han or Luke.

• Sidetrack #2 - Nothing at all against Leia. She was always and forever more everyone’s favorite princess, and a hero in    her own right, something that the millennial generation did not discover, and was always a fact, even amongst what is currently being chastised as the old white-guy fan generation.  But the concept of “playing” as Leia, was just not something that we 5-10 year old kids could grasp at the time. Yet, in a year or two, we would all give up our StretchArmstrongs and Evil Knievel Stunt Cycles for just a peck on the cheek from Our Princess.

Either way, I recall quite well that I did not really identify with either Luke – the innocent hero or Han – the worldly skeptical rogue. I might lean more toward Han, but I knew I wasn’t THAT cool. I am about to contradict that statement in 119 words.  Then in 1980, we got the real scoundrel. The one who could work both sides and still come out ahead. The one who despite looking like he was only out for himself, he was actually working toward the greater good.  I present to the court - evidence exhibit #1 –where Lando calls for the evacuation of Cloud City, trying to saveas many of his citizens as he could.

• For more – check out this web page I just found while looking for that linked clip above.

Lando, the cape wearing, mustache owning, gambling (and often winning but not so much that you become suspicious) not quite good not quite bad, smooth Ladies man was the character I wanted to play on the playground. Yes, he was still too cool for me, but the few years in between Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back had hardened me and made me believe I could reach that level of cool. But alas, by the time he emerged in the GFFA I was too old to really “play” on the playground, and too young to use what he was teaching to successfully woo the ladies.  Still, in the privacy of my own backyard or my room, Lando was the hero of many of the missions my well-worn action figures went on.  I did not try to steal Leia away from Han, but since there were various versions of Leia released, I just waved my imagination wand and presto! Lando got his own lady-friend, someone who magically looked like Leia, but was not. With that solved, RTOJ was right around the corner.

RTOJ just solidified what I liked about the character.  At first I was a little confused why he couldn’t go down to the forest moon, why didn’t he make the cut. But looking back, the best scenes in that movie are the space battle scenes. And while the main cast/crew was down on the moon, the most suspenseful parts of the final act in RTOJ are the ones where Wedge…

• Sidetrack #3 – Wedge, probably my second favorite character in the franchise – so underrated. I mean how was Episode VII not ALL about Wedge?  He survived BOTH Death Stars and the battle of Hoth, plus how many other off-screen missions.  I get it, Denis Lawson didn’t want to comeback, but I’m guessing Peter Cushing wasn’t really available for Rogue One and somehow he was a major character in the film….

…and GENERAL Lando are weaving and diving and performing split-Ss, pitchbacks, wingovers, and high-G barrel rolls. And all he lost was an antenna…well and a few wing-men. But when faced with retreat or going head in – he goes head in. Trusting on his friend who most people thought he had grossly betrayed only one episode prior. Lando not only drives straight in, he does it with style.

Now, what do I want to see in episode IX? Well, it is the same thing I expected to see in TLJ. As I have said and written, I went in to the TLJ fairly spoiler free. So during the movie I was projecting what I thought would happen. I went in not realizing the travesty I was about to witness. So during the movie and especially at the point where the Resistance leadership claims that they are broadcasting messages to their “allies” I fully expected to see Fleet Admiral Calrissian show up at the most climatic moment, even if only at the very end of the movie.  I wanted to see a flash of light as a large fleet of allies ships of all sized emerge out of hyperspace. I wanted then to see these ships move to engage and putting themselves in-between Leia’s flagship and the First Order fleet. Then I wanted to see the scene cut to the interior of the flag ship and then zoom in to the Admirals bridge chair, where we see a familiar figure. A capped figure – with a familiar mustache. He stands…we get a close up of his face…Its LANDO, and he says one word – engage! Cut to the credits…and leaving us on the edge of our seat until December 2019.

We didn’t get that…