Headscratchers / The Empire Strikes Back

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Leia in the Cockpit

• Other than showcasing their Belligerent Sexual Tension, was there any good reason for Leia to stay in the cockpit of the Falcon snarking at Han while they were fleeing from Hoth under fire from TIE fighters rather than, you know, going to one of the Falcon's blaster turrets and shooting back?
  • While it's never explicitly said in the film, you can divine that none of the Falcon's cannons are working at that time (not even the forward guns, whether from wear-or-tear or just having been disassembled for maintenance on Hoth) from the fact that they never use them at any point in the film.
  • There may also be physical limitations. As seen in the first film, the gun turrets were quite large and bulky, and difficult enough for Luke and Han to operate them. Although Leia certainly can handle a blaster, given her tiny size, it may simply not have been physically possible for her to operate a turret.
  • Also, Chewie was performing repairs just before they were leaving, and had to jerryrig to make the Falcon flightworthy in time. The guns weren't as important as escaping, and if the hyperdrive was down, odds are the guns might not pewpew, either.
  • Chewbacca didn't disable the Falcon's guns for repair/maintenance. Han tore a strip off Chewie for taking the landing gear apart earlier; I doubt Chewie would follow that goof up by disabling their main weaponry. Also, just before their hurried takeoff, Han blasts the Snowtroopers with a smaller belly gun to effect their escape. If that one was in working order, there's no reason the main guns wouldn't be. And as for Leia being "too small" to work the gun turret- Rey is maybe a couple of inches taller than the Princess at the most, and she managed the belly turret just fine in The Last Jedi. I always figured either Leia hadn't been checked out in the Falcon's turrets, or perhaps Han's frantic maneuvers prevented her from targeting pursuing TIE fighters effectively.
    • There are plenty of reasons why Chewie might disable their main weaponry. For all we know, the guns had already broken down from ordinary wear and tear and they hadn't yet scrounged up the correct parts to put them back together. And you can't judge the main guns by the condition of the underbelly gun; they're different guns! That's like seeing a guy trying to change a tire on his car and remarking "The other three tires are fine, so presumably the fourth tire is also fine." The mere fact that he's changing the fourth tire indicates that it's flat. The Falcon is explicitly under maintenance, so we can assume that various things aren't working for one reason or another. Apparently the underbelly gun is one thing that does work and hyperdrive is one thing that doesn't work. It's not hard to imagine that the main guns are currently in the "doesn't work" category.
  • Well, in the scene you're referring to, the Millenium Falcon was being attacked by a large fleet of Star Destroyers and TIE Fighters. The Falcon was already heavily damaged and may not have been able to withstand more powerful shots from the Star Destroyers. Therefore, it was more important to focus on evading the Imperial attack than trying to outgun them. Additionally, when the Millenium Falcon was under attack by TIE Fighters, Leia was in fact shooting back from the Falcon's turret with Chewbacca, as seen in The Empire Strikes Back. So while she may not have been shooting back in every scene, she did contribute to the defense of the ship when it mattered.

Luke's Reputation

• Yoda and Obi-Wan are willing to leave Han and Leia to die in the hands of the Empire because they want Luke to stay and train to stop Vader. Though the biggest reason Luke has a leg up on Vader, that Luke is in any position to threaten Vader is because of his association with Leia in the Rebel Alliance. I don't think Luke would've been able to pose much of a threat to Vader if he were a lower-ranking Rebel.
  • The way I see it, the Emperor implanted an Asskicking Leads to Leadership order so the institutions by themselves are no longer an immediate threat with the Senate extinguished and the civil war ravaging and so on, only Force sensitive personnel are able to change anything in the You Kill It, You Bought It Sith-enforced policy. The movies suggest the Empire is a Decapitated Army without Palpatine, the Rebel Alliance and its assets are of secondary importance there, only capable of tactical victories.
    • Tell that to Jyn, Cassian, Hera, Sabine, the many Bothans... Obi-Wan and Yoda were more concerned with killing Vader and Palpatine than destroying the Empire, and never mention on screen what will happen after the Emperor dies in any scenario. Order 66 probably made them hesitant to trust any sort of military structure to accomplish anything.
  • As Cracked.com would point out, Luke leaving with R2 to try to save his friends actually helps in the long run. If R2 wasn't there to fix the deactivated hyperdrive aboard the Millennium Falcon, Leia, Lando, Chewie and Threepio would have been captured and killed. In particular, Leia would've been tortured for the location of the Rebels once again before being killed, which would lead to the Rebellion's defeat. So if he didn't leave now, help them he wouldn't, and all they've fought and suffered for would have definitely been destroyed.
  • Jedi are not omniscient and have had a lifetime being taught that dying in the name of duty is not the worst thing that can happen. I'm guessing this leaves them blind to the fact that most other people don't think that way (they typically are the ones on the front line, so it's not like they expect anything they don't do themselves).
  • Because they're worried about Luke falling to the Dark Side, which would actually be worse than the Rebellion collapsing. Luke himself realizes towards the end of Return of the Jedi that allowing himself to be killed and thus making it much harder for anyone to depose Palpatine would be preferable to him becoming Sith. Even if Luke had lost the chance to really effectively oppose the Emperor, as a fully-trained Jedi, he could still have sought out students in secret and rebuilt the Jedi Order underground. If he left, got captured, and was turned, that was it, Game Over for the Jedi effectively forever in Obi-Wan and Yoda's eyes.
  • There's a simple explanation for all of this: Yoda and Obi-Wan were just completely wrong. They were wrong to tell Luke not to go, wrong not to tell Luke that Vader was his father, wrong to tell Luke that Vader was irredeemable and that if Luke could not kill him that the Emperor had already won. They were just wrong. Contrast this with Anakin, who in the prequels did his best to obey the orders of his masters, and blundered right into the Emperor's plans as a result.
    • I seem to recall that Anakin disobeyed his masters, particularly when Windu was threatening Palpatine with a lightsaber.
  • This whole discussion ignores the fact that Vader had no intention of killing any of his prisoners, they were the bait to trap Luke. Had he stayed away, they would have stayed alive. Sure, being tortured sucks and Han was frozen and shipped off to Jabba, but again, they're all alive.
    • They would've been tortured, which would've made them even better bait if Luke could sense their suffering. Granted, Leia didn't cave under torture in the last movie, but none of them knew that, and it was still a risk.
  • Obi-Wan and Yoda could not see Han and Leia's fates. And on top of that, they might have even known that the Empire was doing everything that they could to reel Luke in. Therefore by advising Luke not to go, they both were trying to better prepare Luke to handle dubious situations in a better way.
  • Confronting Vader came with a risk of death. Who's more likely to win against Vader: A low-ranking rebel who's still alive, or celebrated matyr who isn't alive? The argument was that if he stayed on Dagobah and trained he'd eventually be skilled enough to face Vader, but if he went to Bespin now he would die and that would be the end of it.
  • Yes, Luke's association with the Rebel Alliance and his friendship with Han, Leia, and the others certainly gave him more opportunities to stand up to Vader and the Empire. However, it's important to note that Luke's strength in the Force was a crucial factor as well. While his attachment to his friends and family may have given him motivation to defeat Vader and the Empire, his training under Yoda and Obi-Wan gave him the skills and insight he needed to successfully confront and defeat Vader. In fact, Luke's victory over Vader can be seen as a testament to Yoda and Obi-Wan's training, as their teaching helped Luke master the ways of the Force and overcome his own personal struggles to become a true Jedi Knight.

Hoth Soldiers

• At the Battle of Hoth, the soldiers who were in the trenches didn't do a damn thing. The whole battle was carried by the snow speeders. For instance, after Wedge and Jansen took down an AT-AT, there was one soldier who saw it and said "Come on!", and started running towards it only for it to be destroyed by another snow speeder a few seconds later. Even taking into account that this was all a distraction, if you removed them from the battle altogether, nobody would notice.
  • Given the harsh conditions on Hoth, the Rebels were probably expecting an Infantry assault, likely augmented by TIE fighters. The Rebel speeders had to be modified in order to work on Hoth, so it was likely assumed that the walkers wouldn't be of any use. The shield would prohibit Imperial bombardment, and Rouge Squadron was on hand in case any fighters/bombers were sent in. The problem (as we see) is that the walkers obviously did work, and thus outclassed 90% of what had been prepared for the battle.
  • The whole point of the Rebel defense on Hoth was to buy time for the escape. While largely unseen, I always assumed that there were some Imperial ground troops as well who were prevented from storming the trenches.
  • Also, always remember, they're the plucky underground rebels fighting an extremely rich and militarized empire in a series of pitched battles. This is not two well-armed superpowers duking it out on terms both sides have had a hand in choosing. The rebels are using what they've got, not what they need to be effective. They're firing from ground positions because they haven't read the script and don't know that the snow speeders will handle everything.
  • The did have anti-vehicle turrets and high-power blaster rifles, but they were just completely outclassed by the AT-ATs. They were doing the best they could with what they had, what they had just wasn't good enough. And again, they were just buying time for the evacuation, so even if they only slowed the walkers down by making them shoot at the defenders, that was more Rebels and equipment that could make it off the planet.
  • The rebels recognize they could not reasonably defend the base. The purpose was to distract the imperial forces while they controlled a "tactical withdrawal." However, there WERE imperial infantry troops involved. You can see Snow Troopers during the fight, if I recall correctly, particularly attacking the base itself.
  • It's basic tactics to deploy infantry to screen defensive emplacements, both to have additional firepower and to prevent enemy infantry from infiltrating your positions and destroying your defenses. The Rebel infantry were able to slow down the oncoming Imperial armor, if only by keeping them occupied, and prevented Snowtroopers from getting close to the turrets and destroying them with missiles or other heavy weapons.
  • It's worth noting that you don't see any snowtroopers out in the open while the AT-ATs are advancing toward the base, and are presumably deployed from them once they get in close. Thing is, like with tanks in real life, infantry is very useful for screening against threats armored vehicles can't easily detect or engage. If they weren't advancing across an open field toward an entrenched position, those snowtroopers would've been useful for discouraging the snowspeeders from getting in close. So the Hoth infantry was still useful, their presence meant the snowtroopers were completely unable to contribute to the battle until they could actually disembark and assault the base directly.
  • You're right that the majority of the action in the Battle of Hoth was carried out by the Rebel snow speeders, and the soldiers in the trenches didn't do much to contribute to the battle's outcome. However, it's worth noting that the soldiers' presence at the Battle of Hoth served as a distraction for the Imperial forces, drawing their focus away from the snow speeders and allowing them to complete their missions more effectively. Without the soldiers providing this distraction, it's possible that the snow speeders would have faced more resistance from the Empire, making it more difficult for them to inflict damage on the Walker and AT-AT forces and potentially leading to more losses for the Rebel Alliance. While the soldiers' direct contributions to the battle may not have been as significant as those of the snow speeders, their presence served an important supporting role by creating a distraction and drawing fire away from the Rebel forces.

The So-Called Other Hope

• As Luke is leaving to go rescue Han and Leia, Yoda comments on how "now matters are worse." Obi-Wan replies that "That boy was our only hope." to which Yoda says, "No, there is another." Obi-Wan's been criticized for forgetting Leia, but isn't he right and Yoda wrong? The two are lamenting that they could lose Luke because he is going to face Vader. And yet, Vader already has Leia, so how is she another hope?
  • Partly, the line was written when Luke's sister wasn't Leia. Also, though Vader had Leia, nobody was aware Leia was Force sensitive at all.
    • He still had her, and wasn't going to release her, so she wasn't much of a hope, even with her Force sensitivity unknown.
    • Leia was a rebel leader and figurehead, but she would still have been much easier for the rebels or (if he got really desperate) Yoda to rescue, since she most likely would have been significantly less well guarded than Vader's own friggin' prodigal son.
    • Figurehead, nothing. Even without the EU or the pre/sequel movies, by this point Leia's the sole confirmed surviving leader of the Rebellion after a serious loss. Mon Mothma and Admiral Ackbar are in Jedi, but even then, they're Leia's peers, not her leader. Leia's death would've been a serious blow.
  • It's possible that Obi-Wan was not aware that Leia was Force-sensitive until Yoda brought it up (possibly sensing it having spent some time in close proximity to Luke and reading his mind). Alternately, we do not know for certain that Yoda was aware of Luke's parentage.
    • In Revenge of the Sith, Yoda was the one who suggested that Luke be left with his family, meaning the Lars', who he was related to through Anakin, so he had to have known Luke's parentage.
  • It may not have been original intent on the part of George Lucas, but considering the events of the next film, it's possible that Yoda had an insight/Force vision at that very moment, that if Luke wasn't the last hope... maybe his father still is. Up to now, he and Obi-Wan (more so the latter) have been operating on the idea that Vader's so deep in the dark side that he's irredeemable, and Luke killing him is the only way forwards. While Obi-Wan still holds to that idea even into the next film, Yoda only says that Luke has to confront Vader to complete his training, not kill him—that Vader/Anakin would end up fulfilling that hope. And despite the dismemberment and the emotional trauma, Vader revealing himself to be Luke's father completely changed the nature of Luke's quest, ultimately keeping him away from corruption by the dark side.
    • This is the most logical explanation I see, but apparently Obi-Wan believed the "Other" to be Leia when he and Luke talked again in Return of the Jedi. Then again, Obi-Wan already had it wrong before when he said Luke was their "only hope." He might be wrong again; as you allude to above, Obi-Wan clearly is not omniscient.
  • The other hope isn’t necessarily Leia. It could be Ahsoka, Ezra, Gungi, or some other surviving Jedi not yet mentioned on screen.
  • It's true that Obi-Wan's line may have led to some confusion among fans, but I believe what he really meant was that Leia could serve as another hope against Darth Vader if Luke were to fail. Even though Luke is the only one who can face Vader directly, Obi-Wan and Yoda know that Leia is a powerful Force-sensitive individual and has the potential to become a powerful Jedi in her own right. As a member of the Rebel Alliance, she could help lead the fight against the Empire, and if Luke were to fail, she could be the next generation of heroes who can help bring down the Empire and bring balance to the Force. So while Leia may not be the only hope against Vader, she is certainly a valuable asset to the Rebel Alliance and to the future of the Galaxy.
  • My thinking is that they both know Leia (or should be in retrospect, IRL of course we know the actual story details hadn't been codified when the movie was being written) is Vader's other child, and the discussion is more about them disagreeing about whether having her actually play her intended role as the backup is feasible anymore. By this point one of them is a ghost, the other is in his twilight years, and Leia's on the other end of the galaxy. Obi Wan justifably worries that if they lose Luke it'll be too late to pass their teachings on to Leia to the extent needed to end the Sith, while Yoda is still optimistic about things working out in the end. Given he saw the end of the Jedi order after hundreds of years of living within it and how the Sith completely blindsided them in the process, he still figured that anything could still happen, despite how badly he wanted Luke to stick to the plan. And he was right to think that something unexpected could happen, since their Plan A was to prepare Luke for killing Vader only for Anakin to go against their expectations and prove pivotal in turning things around at a critical moment.

Snow Impediment

• During the Battle of Hoth, was there any impediment to the snow speeders flanking the AT-ATs or coming up behind them? Every approach in the movie comes from the front, where they can be easily shot down by those massive forward batteries on the thing's head. Since AT-ATs don't seem to have rear-facing artillery, the speeders could have just flown past them from out of range, turned around, then attacked (or fired their tow cables) from behind.
  • Could be that the walkers came in waves, and with each successive wave the speeders had to approach head-on due to time constraints. 4 walkers don't carry enough troops to attack an entrenched enemy base, especially with walkers being destroyed on the way in.
  • The walkers are heading towards the base. The snow speeders have to launch from the base. They're thus going to have to come around from the front, at least at the start. It's either that or loop way around, and they don't really have time for that.
  • Plus, this isn't so much a battle as it is diversionary action. Rogue Squadron wants the AT-ATs shooting at them so they're not attacking the base or the transports that are trying to get off world. They're flying in from the front because they want—need—to get the Empire's attention right away.
  • It's possible that there were impediments to the snow speeders flanking the AT-ATs or coming up behind them, such as other Imperial vehicles or troops on the ground. Additionally, the AT-ATs could have been guarded by other Imperial aircraft or ground defenses that would make it difficult for the snow speeders to approach them from behind. It's also important to note that the battle took place in a snowy environment, which could have made it challenging for the snow speeders to maneuver and execute complex tactical maneuvers like you suggested. Ultimately, it's worth remembering that the Battle of Hoth was a significant victory for the Rebel Alliance, and the snow speeders played a crucial role in the defeat of the AT-ATs. While there may have been other potential strategies that could have been effective, the rebels ultimately came out on top and were able to destroy the Imperial AT-ATs and escape from the planet.
  • TheAT-ATs are supported by AT-STs, smaller but more maneuverable walkers which function as a sort of mechanized skirmish line, taking out targets that might threaten the larger walkers.

The Length Of Yoda's Training

• How long does it take Yoda to train Luke to be a (admittedly partly trained) Jedi? You'd think a few months at least, the length of a Biggest Loser season say, but Luke is trained in the time it takes Han to fly through an asteroid field.
  • Actually, Yoda trained him for longer. The trip to Bespin, according to the EU took quite a while. The main hyperdrive was toast and the backup one was very slow.
  • It's also implied that they stayed on Bespin for awhile (a few days at least) before the Imperials were able to fully spring their trap.
  • I think the point was Luke was not trained enough by the time he left.
  • The new canon reference book Star Wars in 100 Scenes confirms this, that Han used the backup hyperdrive to reach Bespin and that it took months to get there, which is why they couldn't use it earlier until they had thrown Death Squadron off the trail.
  • According to the official Star Wars timeline, Luke's training with Yoda on Dagobah lasted approximately one month. This may not be enough time to fully master the ways of the Force, but it was enough for Luke to learn the basics and gain some confidence in his abilities. Additionally, Luke had already received some initial training from Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine, so he wasn't starting from scratch. And, as we see in The Empire Strikes Back, Luke's progress is accelerated by his willingness to fully embrace the teachings of the Jedi and let go of his attachment to his friends and family. So while his training was intense and relatively short, it was enough for him to grow as a Jedi and gain the skills he needed to face Darth Vader and help the Rebel Alliance in its fight against the Empire.

The Battle Of Hoth

• Good grief, the entire battle of Hoth is one massive plot hole. So the Rebels have their planetary shield up, right? And the Imperials can't fire through that shield to bombard the base. The Rebels, meanwhile, have an ion cannon that CAN fire through the shield (from the inside), and it can temporarily incapacitate a Star Destroyer in a few shots. So...why didn't they just take out the Imperial fleet, then fly blithely out with all troops and technology intact while the Imperials try to regain power? Or, failing that, just take out the drop ships that are carrying the AT-ATs, or just use the ion cannon to shoot the AT-ATs themselves. Seriously, that ion cannon could have won the battle in like three different ways. Or even, maybe, I don't know, USE THE BOMBERS THAT ARE DESIGNED TO TAKE OUT HEAVY ARMOR, RATHER THAN THE AIR SPEEDERS WITH WEAK BLASTERS AND NO SHIELDS??????? Seriously, the Y-wings would have taken down those walkers easily. Or, even, since it's clear that when there's a clear shot, a few blaster shots can take out an AT-AT when hitting the neck, just fly up to the side, stop in midair (these are repulsorcraft, remember, not fixed-wing aircraft), point at the neck, and shoot! Seriously.
  • Because the ion cannon only incapacitates the Star Destroyers, as you said, temporarily. As in, just enough time to stop them from actually intercepting a ship.
    
    As for using the Ion Cannon to take out the AT-ATs or those drop ships, did you even see it? It's a giant mounted gun pointed straight up. It simply does not have anywhere near the articulation to hit something near the ground, and was probably only able to hit the Star Destroyers because they're frigging huge.
    
    As for using the Y-Wings, they're slow as hell (i.e., great targets), and there's a throwaway line about the speeders having to be modified to work in the conditions on Hoth—presumably that's what's keeping them from using the Y-Wings. And there is never anything in the entire canon of the series that ever indicates that Y-Wings, X-Wings, or any other fighters can come to a dead stop in mid-air like you're suggesting.
    
    So, please, cut it out with the all caps screaming.
    • Plausible on that ion cannon, but they should have been able to do something with it. Even just shooting it at the ground by the AT-ATs would at least be worth a try. The bottom line is that the Rebels are given this massively powerful plot device that can apparently do some pretty spectacular things (especially given how terrifying and powerful SDs are implied to be), and there's no real explanation for why they can't just do any number of other things with it.
      
      As for bombers — they're not all that slow. Probably not much slower than air-speeders, given that they're spacecraft, not air vehicles. Besides, as I said, they have actual shields, so they could probably take more than half a shot before they fell out of the sky. Not to mention that they more than likely could just lob proton torps at the things from like three miles away. And the cold conditions — we saw X-wings taking off right out in the open with no trouble.
      
      Speaking of taking off, when X-wings and Y-wings, and I think also T-47s, take off, they're pretty much stationary. It makes no sense for them to be unable to come to a stop, since they use antigravity tech and don't rely on speed to keep themselves up. It's just that they usually don't stop, because it's impractical, because they'd get fried. But in this case there's nothing other than maybe some AT-S Ts on the battlefield that would actually be able to aim at them properly. They probably wouldn't stop entirely, just slow down enough to get in a quick shot or two at the side.
    • Not just "plausible" on the ion cannon—look at the thing. It is physically incapable of pointing anywhere except up into the sky. By its very design, it cannot possibly do the things you're suggesting they should try.
      
      The X-wings took off and flew straight up into the atmosphere, not stick around close to the ground flying and fighting. They're not specific about just what needs to be done to convert the snow speeders to work on Hoth, but apparently there's something that makes it so that the space fighters don't just work.
      
      Just because they hover when they take off doesn't mean they can come to a stop in mid-air like you're suggesting. We're never shown any of the fighters be capable of doing that throughout the entire series. Any time they stop, they're within a few feet of the ground.
    • It has a fair amount of freedom, assuming it's mainly limited by the fact that it shouldn't point into the ground. I'm assuming the only reason it's spherical is so it can rotate.
      
      There's a difference between an air-speeder and a starfighter. Fighters are almost certainly designed to work in all sorts of environments. If they can't work in a cold climate, how are they going to operate in a space battle full of debris or a nebula? (Granted, space isn't actually cold, but some environments these things would be expected to work in certainly are. Air support on freezing planets, for example.) Besides, they wouldn't have to be there for long. All they'd have to do would be to spend a few minutes locking on to the AT-ATs and lobbing out a few proton torps, and bam! No immediate threat, plan an extended fighter attack on the Imperial fleet, evacuate the base with all personnel intact, and find a new base.
      
      Wrong. Remember the speeder chase in Aot C? Anakin takes his "shortcut" and they lose Zam, and then they pull up to a dead stop in midair, possibly miles above the ground, and argue for a minute before Anakin jumps. And don't tell me it's a different technology. They're repulsorlifts. They're used in everything. And as I keep saying, it makes no sense for an antigravity system to rely on airspeed.
    • That's a big assumption not supported by what we see in the movie. Look at it◊. Unless it's going to be rolling, it's not going to be pointing anywhere near where the AT-AT's are.
      
      It's not nearly that easy to take out one of the AT-AT's. They're still heavily armored, and they have support on the ground—remember those thousands of ground troops in the battle? The empire would be pretty shitty if their biggest assault vehicles were easy to take out with a handful of torpedoes. Since, you know, wading through that kind of fire is the whole reason for an Armored Transport in the first place. And an extended fighter attack on the Imperial fleet? The fleet that has hundreds and hundreds of disposable Tie fighters and enormous ships which dwarf in power most of what the Rebellion has in total, let alone what they have at Hoth? There's a word for that kind of thing: Suicide.
      
      I said fighters. And, yes, from everything we see in all of the movies, the fighters are not capable of sudden and complete stops in mid-air like you're suggesting. There are a dozen air-combat scenes that would have, and should have, played out completely differently if they were capable of that.
      
      So, in short, you're saying the rebels are dumb because they didn't make their Ion cannon do something it couldn't do, didn't instantly annihilate the armored transports they could barely dent with capabilities their fighters didn't have, and didn't proceed to commit suicide by head-on attacking a fleet that has them outnumbered and outgunned in every way.
    • The ion cannon probably couldn't take down the AT-ATs, but my other points about it stand, given that there's no proof it doesn't have better aim than you think.
      
      What makes you think an AT-AT could stand up to a proton torpedo or even a concussion missile? They never even tried anything other than ludicrously weak blaster cannons. "That armor's too strong for blasters", not torpedoes. The things are designed to take out shielded capital ships, remember. And oh you mean like they did in the next movie, and won? I'm not saying that it necessarily would have worked, but they would have had a lot more options than they did as it was. They had plenty of bombers, that clearly could have spent enough time in the atmosphere to launch torpedoes on their way up, and while they admittedly weren't likely to be able to defeat the entire Imperial fleet, they could do something similar to what they did, only with lots fewer casualties and more exploding Star Destroyers since they would have all their fighters and capital ships in one place.
      
      Everything indicates that they can. There is no reason why they wouldn't be able to. You're grasping at straws now. I already explained why fighters don't normally stop during combat, and that's because they'd get shot if they stopped moving, which wouldn't happen here because the only flak is either from AT-STs that could be taken out relatively quickly by turrets or speeders, or is only a problem if you're right in front of the AT-ATs. And you keep saying that I'm thinking they should come to a complete stop, instantly. I'm not. All they'd need to do would be to slow down. Actually all they'd need to do would be exactly what Luke did with that little maneuver before he flew between the legs, only aiming at the neck instead.
      
      Oh and there's yet another reason they could have won that I'd forgotten about. Luke uses his lightsaber to cut a hole in this thing. That brings up a lot of questions. He has a melee weapon, which would have given him a massive advantage should he have chosen to enter the vehicle and slaughter the snow troopers in the confined space, then taken control of the thing and used it to eliminate the others. Failing that (operating the walkers apparently requires a lot of physical strength, but still, this is Luke Skywalker we're talking about here), he could at least have taken out some of the others the same way he did while the Rebels were retreating. The fastest way to do that would be to grapple up onto the top of the thing, cut a hole, drop a bomb in, Force/grapple jump to the next walker, rinse and repeat. Granted he'd need more bombs, but seriously.
    • What makes you think that Luke knows how to pilot an AT-AT? And how would he have time to teach himself in the middle of battle? It's better to just blow the thing up and get rid of it than to take the risk of boarding it and then waste time with unfamiliar controls.
    • No, the proton torpedoes cannot take down shielded capital ships. They never do, once in the entire series. The only time a capital ship is taken down is after they destroy the shield generators. As for them "winning" in the following movie? Well, no. They won because they blew up the Death Star and killed the emperor—they did not take on the imperial fleet and win ship to ship. They only had a chance because the Emperor specifically ordered his fleet not to attack in full strength, and that was while the Rebels had literally every single ship they could get their hands on.
      
      Right, no indication that they can't do that, except that they never, ever do that at any point in the series even when it would have been extremely useful. Regardless of how you think they should work, clearly the fighters work on some principle that requires them to move at speed, or at least makes it difficult and impractical to come to a stop in the air. And the writers, as I understand it, admit that the AT-AT blowing up after it topples was a cheat that shouldn't have happened—it was there to indicate the thing was destroyed and out of the fight. Can you imagine how hilariously idiotic it would be if your armored transport completely blew up while standing from just a couple laser shots to the single most obvious vulnerable spot this side of a giant glowing eye?
      
      "He has a melee weapon" does not give Luke some ungodly advantage. He's not a Jedi yet. The sum total of his training consists of that drone. Instead, it's "he has a melee weapon that's extremely dangerous to its own user, and he doesn't really know how to use it." If he wades into a box full of enemies with laser blasters depending on a weapon he has not been trained with, he is going to die.
    • No, he's not. I don't care if you're a Jedi or not; if you have a sword and you're fighting a bunch of people with combat rifles in a tiny space designed for troop transport, you're going to slaughter them before they even have a chance to fight back, and that's not even taking into account the fact that you have enormous natural potential with psychic abilities, with which you have (very) rudimentary training and with which you have been practicing, albeit mentor-less, for three years, you're wielding a sword that can deflect bullets, and the average storm/snow-trooper's aiming abilities.
    • That is completely wrong in every single way. A cramped environment hampers the ability to swing a sword, and you know what else it does? It gives you no room to dodge. The idea that he'd "slaughter" them just because he has a sword is utterly laughable.
    • Not when you have a sword that can cut through anything. Granted it takes a bit of time with heavier materials but still. Suffice to say, if they were expecting a random ambush inside their twenty-foot-high tank, then Luke would lose. If not, he wouldn't. Actually come to think of it, he could just lob in a low-yield grenade to clear the place out, then take out the occupants of the cockpit with his blaster.
    • Completely wrong again. Unless Luke can slaughter everyone in there before they even know he's there (hint: He won't), he is going to, at some point, be confronted with several troopers firing at him at once in cramped confines where he has no room to dodge.
    • I already explained why fighters never stop. They would get shot, because space battles are normally full of laser fire because whoever's in charge of the formation is smart enough, unlike the AT-AT drivers, to cover every angle. Besides, the snow-speeders wouldn't have to be any higher than they are during takeoff to target the neck, and I just said that they wouldn't even have to stop entirely. The only argument that can really be made is that they have some sort of maneuvering thrusters that take time to turn off or something. And as you keep claiming that it would be useful for fighters to be able to stop, it makes no sense for them not to be installed with the same repulsorlifts that power air-speeders like the one Anakin stole. If I were a Doylist, I would just say that it's so they look like aerial fighters, but if I were a Doylist I would have written all this off as bad writing long ago.
    • Stopping would've been great in the Death Star trench—stop, let the tie fighters swing past you, then shoot them down. The only time we see the fighters do any of the sort of maneuvering you're thinking of is when they're landing—probably they switch to something like a land-speeder's drive when they get close to the ground and slow down enough.
    • Don't even get me started on all the problems with the Battle of Yavin. And my point stands: they would have gotten sniped by those turrets at the end of the trench had they stopped. Or the TIEs would have stopped too. Besides, it's pretty much irrelevant in space combat because, y'know, no gravity. Although the Death Star did have some. Here I'm gonna look at repulsorlifts on Wookieepedia. (...) Kay. Repulsorlift range is the six times the diameter of the planet the repulsor is pushing against. Approx. 75000 kilometers for an average-size habitable body. And they're "included on virtually every type of vehicle". It later says that includes air-speeders and starships capable of operating in an atmosphere. They're said to be capable of "levitating" an object, with no mention of speed.
    • Nope again. Remember two things: One, they went into the trench partly because there were fewer turrets up there, and two, the turrets stopped when the Tie Fighters followed them in there. And most of the technical stuff only came years and years after the movies. I'm arguing the movies here, not the expanded universe (which, as far as I'm concerned, can in great quantities be thrown out for missing the point. I'm looking at you, contrived explanations of the Kessel Run).
    • No, it can't be thrown out. You can argue the movies all you like — that's not what I'm doing, and it wasn't from the start. Besides, that brings up even more problems, since most of the ones I haven't mentioned I'm accepting the EU explanations for. And regardless of repulsors, they've gotta be capable of deceleration anyway, because otherwise they'd be completely useless for basically anything. I mean at the very least they must have retrorockets. So they could have used your trick regardless. (They also should have been able to just cut engines, turn around, and fly backwards to shoot at the TIEs, using momentum to keep moving and repulsors to escape the DS's gravity. But hey, another movie, another battle, another Swiss-cheese plot point.)
    • And yes, proton torpedoes are designed for anti-cap-ship use. We see an orphaned torp striking a Star Destroyer in the background during the Battle of Endor (right when that flaming TIE fighter goes past), and shortly afterward, concussion missiles from a pair of A-wings are used to take down the very shields you mentioned by striking the generators. Which brings up another Fridge Logic, that being the fact that you could just have the guided missiles hit the weak-point — the neck — and be done with it. (If you want proof, Luke's torpedoes obviously curved into the vent shaft at the end of ANH. And that wasn't just him using the Force or they wouldn't have even bothered trying, since at that angle a straight shot never would have gone in. Also the discord missiles in Revenge of the Sith.)
    • The torpedoes weren't guided—remember, the other guy's just struck the surface. I think that was supposed to be something like them getting caught in the vent shaft's suction or something. They can't be guided because Luke isn't using the targeting computer, remember. And all that still depends on A. the AT-AT's having such a glaring and obvious weak point (which they probably don't), and B. the Rebels even knowing about it.
    • It's a vent, not a vacuum cleaner. Those torpedoes would have had no chance of actually going straight down the shaft without guidance. And (Wookieepedia saves the day again) it's confirmed that Rebel fighter-issue proton torps can maneuver. Quite well at that, apparently. As for A/B: the Rebels obviously knew about it, given that they specifically aimed at it after the thing was taken down. Besides, I maintain that a torpedo would completely obliterate those walkers. They're ground armor, not dreadnoughts.
    • Luke turned off his targeting computer, remember. His torpedoes couldn't have been guided, because he explicitly was not using the thing that would have been guiding them. And no, they didn't "specifically aim at it" so much as they strafed the thing with blaster fire. And you're "maintaining" something that you've basically made up. That's most of your argument, really—that you, personally, think that things should be working in ways that we never see them work. That the Rebels should be using tactics and equipment that we're shown will not work at all the way you're suggesting they should.
    • I am not the one saying that repulsorlifts work like wings when there are onscreen examples proving that they clearly don't. You are making stuff up. The protons they were using have onboard guidance systems, and as we saw in ANH, apparently they can maneuver without the aid of a targeting computer, the purpose of which would presumably be to lock on and hone the aim further. Although you do have a point; the targeting computer thing is odd since it really appears that the torpedoes are guiding themselves in, not being Force-manipulated, simply from the way they're moving. However, the plan clearly required homing torpedoes in order to work, or else they would have to have flown straight down toward it. (I know, I know. More fire. But there would have been ways around that, and they were swooping around up there anyway.) Meanwhile, there's no indication that the armor is too strong for anything more than blasters. Torpedoes are heavier weapons. That's obvious simply from the visuals and the way they're portrayed; they're clearly meant to evoke bombs or missiles. Or maybe, y'know, torpedoes. Either way they're clearly more powerful than the bullet-esque laser bolts. EDIT: I checked Wookieepedia again, and it appears the purpose of the targeting computer is to help the pilot aim, not to actually guide the weapons.
    • I guess it's analogous to the reason modern air forces (hell, air forces back to WW2) have specialized ground attack aircraft for close air support as well as air superiority fighters. And if you think for a moment about how frikking BIG space is you realize that there would have to be specialized vehicles like speeders for close air support on a planet. A fighter that can travel between Yavin IV and the Death Star in less than 5 minutes is going to be fast. A pilot trying to take part in a ground battle would be futile, once he hit the throttle on his X-wing, he would blow completely past the battlefield; just like an F-22 doing Mach 2 is not going to be able to strafe an enemy tank with its cannon. That's why we have Apache helicopters- of which the snow-speeders might be the in-universe equivalent.
    • For air support the real-world analogy you're probably looking for is the A-10, not the AH-64. Snow speeders don't hover in one spot.
    • Yes, I wanted to say "A-10" and don't for the life of me know why I didn't. Probably all the talk of "hovering" further up the page got me confused. The snow-speeders are A-10 Warthogs, the X- and Y-wings are F-22s.
  • Ok, I'm late to this discussion, but I want to give my two cents regarding the ion cannon: OP, you're suggesting that they use the ion cannon to destroy the AT-ATs... I repeat; using the weapon that can disable Star Destroyers temporarily, (of which they only have one) to take down the tiny (in comparison to star destroyers) walkers. Even if the ion cannon could target the walkers (which I seriously doubt), using it on them would be Overkill to ridiculous degrees and since they're evacuating at the same time... well, congratulations, you've stopped the walkers, and consequently, lost all your space capable vehicles because the orbiting Star Destroyers were untouched. That is why the ion cannon was only used to disable Star Destroyers; so the transports could escape untouched. Using it in any other way only runs the risk of losing even more personnel to the orbiting Imperial Fleet.
    • Has anyone considered that maybe the Ion Cannon just has limited ammo? Like some sort of battery that runs out if they use it too much. So they can't just shoot every single Star Destroyer all the time; they have to hit particular Star Destroyers at the exact moment when they threaten the escaping transport ships. (This would also explain why they can't use the Ion Cannon against the AT-ATs, even assuming you could tilt the thing downward far enough to hit ground targets. If you knock out the AT-ATs but you run out of ammo to defend the transports, then the transports get destroyed.)
  • In so far as Rogue Leader can be taken as canon (and I do considering it's movie-accurate in many respects, with a few embellishments for the sake of gameplay), it shows that Y-wings can't destroy AT-ATs with bombing runs. Even their advance-strength cluster munitions are ineffective on the walker's neck and other parts. It seems as though that they are up-armored against pretty much everything short of a thermobaric warhead.
  • The planet defense ion cannon are not terribly accurate weapons, even hitting something like a Star Destroyer is more luck (and the fact that it was sitting on the same outbound vector the escape Rebel ships were taking.) Shooting it at AT-ATs, even if it could depress to that degree (highly doubtful), would have been pointless; they wouldn't hit anything.
  • Related question: Are proton torpedos ever depicted as being used within an atmosphere in canon? I only recall them being used in space, and my headcanon was they don't work right or somehow become unstable in atmospheric conditions.
  • On the original subject, the Ion Cannon is not "firing through the shield." The shield has to be briefly opened for the transport and its fighter escorts to pass through, and it's during that time frame that the ion cannon is fired. The ion cannon's job is to hopefully clear out any ships in the transport's path so they have a clear route to get off world. Even then, it's a risky proposition. Note how everyone cheers when the announcement is made that "The first transport is away."
  • Long story short: There's no indication that either the ion cannon can rotate down enough to engage the AT-AT force, nor is there any indication that it's even in a position to engage the AT-AT force. If it's on the other side of a mountain or cliff from the direction the Imperials are invading, then it's completely useless against them anyway. As for using the speeders to approach the necks and fire while holding still, that's inviting them to get shot down. The Imperial force included AT-ST support and ground troops, both of which would eagerly blow apart any hovering Rebel aircraft that stopped long enough to line up a shot. As for using Y-Wings or X-Wings against the AT-AT walkers, it was more important that they use the starfighters to escort each transport out. Keep in mind that they were already stretched so badly that they could only send two fighters with each transport, so they didn't have anything that could be spared to stop the ground assault. Even if the starfighters took out some of the Imperial walkers, they would just send down more vehicles and troops until the Rebels ran out of bombs, and the rebel starfighters wouldn't be able to intercept and destroy all of the ground troops. Their best hope was to use their non-space attack craft and ground troops to delay the Imperials while the majority of personnel and equipment were evacuated, and the starfighters were tasked to the important objective of protecting the transports. The entire ground battle was just a delaying action.
    • Rogue One clears this up. At the battle of Scarif, rebel fighter craft have no trouble at all wrecking AT-ATs.
    • Blue Squadron was wrecking AT-ACTs (All Terrain Armored Cargo Transports), not AT-ATs. AT-ACTs are built for hauling cargo; they probably only have enough armor and weapons to deter pirates, using the rest of the weight for cargo. The 'back' of AT-ACTs is hollow with only a thin 'spine', a weakness which Blue Squadron exploits on Scarif, but one that isn't shared with the AT-ATs.
  • Also, the rebels on Scarif mainly used X-Wings, which likely have greater firepower. While there were X-Wings on Hoth, the snow speeders were used because they had been adapted for the cold and because the X-Wings were protecting the transports.
    • This entire thread is one big moot point because it ignores one very simple fact about the battle: The Empire has limitless resources and the Rebel Alliance does not. Let's say, for the sake of argument, that the Rebels use superior tactics to out-maneuver the Imperials, blow up the Star Destroyers and even, through some miracle, kill Vader; it wouldn't matter. The Empire knows where they are. More will come. The Emperor is still out there, and if he needs to wear down the Rebels until their cannon losses power, their ships run out of fuel, and they eat their last scrape of rations, he will do just that. Hoth is neither rich with resources nor strategically important, it's just not worth enduring a protracted siege for in the face of overwhelming opposition for no gain. Even killing Vader would be meaningless in the long run because he's ultimately just as replaceable as anyone else. Has it ever occurred to you that, out of the three major military engagements engagements of the OT, the Battle of Endor is the only one that the Rebels chose to participate in voluntarily? That is because Palpatine is the real prize, and the Battle of Hoth is far and away from being a fight worth making a stand over because it in no way gives the Rebels a shot at their true objective. At Hoth, the only meaningful long-term victory that could ever be achieved was in surviving to fight another day, and that meant escaping the planet with as much personnel and munitions as they could.
  • I hear your frustration, and there's no denying that there are certain plot holes and inconsistencies in the Battle of Hoth. However, it's worth noting that the Rebels were heavily outnumbered and outgunned by the Imperial forces, and they were facing a sudden and unexpected attack. Additionally, the AT-ATs were heavily armored and had powerful weaponry, making them difficult to take out without heavy equipment or tactical advantages. Furthermore, the Rebels may have been hesitant to use the ion cannon too extensively, as it required significant power to operate and could potentially drain their resources. Additionally, they may have been worried about causing unnecessary collateral damage to the base or other Rebel facilities on Hoth. While it's certainly true that the Rebels could have made different strategic decisions during the battle, it's important to remember that they were fighting against overwhelming odds and were facing a massive and experienced enemy. In the heat of battle, it's not always easy to make the most strategically sound decisions, and even the best troops and military leaders can make mistakes or face unexpected challenges. The Battle of Hoth may not have been a perfect example of military strategy, but it's certainly a memorable and iconic moment in the Star Wars universe.

Missing Wampa

• While checking for lifeforms on Hoth with their high-tech sensors, Luke and Han conclude there's nothing living there...moments before a big, very big, critter jumps up and takes out Luke and his steed. How'd they miss him? And what did such a huge carnivore normally eat on that planet?
  • I just assumed they were checking for prowlers around their base, specifically. As for how they missed the wampa? Beats me. Maybe the radar somehow couldn't pick it up? Wasn't there a blizzard going on at that time? Also, the wampa would have likely been trying to hide from Luke and the tauntan (which is presumably one of its main source of meals).
  • Depends on what the sensors were looking for exactly. I have no idea what kind of life signs could be picked up remotely, unless they were scanning for heat sources. So, the sensors they planted were IR scanners. Now let us assume that the Wampa is a creature superbly evolved to live on Hoth, one whose fur holds body heat in so well that it radiates at almost the same level as the surroundings; in other words, a creature that doesn't show up on an IR scan. Maybe this is a common adaptation for all the native life forms of Hoth, or at least a good many, which would be why it seemed that there "isn't enough life to fill a space cruiser". Or- maybe the wampa hides under the snow, waiting for prey to pass, which would have the same effect. Either way, it didn't show up on infra-red.
  • A better question is, what the heck does the wampa EAT? Well, tauntauns, but then, what do THEY eat? Hoth's not crawling with plant life. Plus, Han's mount freezes to death before the two humans—these are supposed to be native fauna, but they can't survive a typical night in their planets' weather? The question isn't where did the wampa come from, it's how does mammalian megafauna survive on Hoth in the first place?
    • A wampa is like a polar bear. If you saw a polar bear in the middle of the arctic and you didn't know what it was, it might seem absurd. How does this creature find food in such a desolate environment? Well it turns out that the arctic has more life than you might think. Polar bears eat seals, and the seals eat fish. So maybe Hoth has fishing holes of some sort, and the fish there form the basis of a food chain that leads up to tauntauns and wampas.
    • Legends established that Tauntauns eat lichen growing in caverns underneath the surface. This is probably where they also slept at night to avoid freezing to death.
  • I always figured the Tauntan was simple overworked to death because Han was forcing it to go as fast as it could go without any breaks. Luke's clearly got along fine outdoors before the Wampa iced it.
  • Lots of animals can't necessarily survive a typical night in this planet's weather. That's why they make nests and houses to get away from that weather.
    • That doesn't explain why Han's tauntaun didn't seem to do anything - hunch up, puff up its fur, tuck its forepaws, head and neck against its body, squat down out of the wind - to better endure the falling temperatures. Just how stupid are tauntauns, anyway? And if they're that stupid, how can it be possible to train them as riding animals in the first place?
    • How do you know it wasn't? Hoth nights are just that cold. Han was even warned that his tauntaun would freeze to death before they reached the first marker, but Han was too focused on saving Luke to notice that he was driving his tauntaun to death. Or perhaps he was aware, but felt the tauntaun's life was secondary to Luke's.
  • It's possible that the sensors Luke and Han were using weren't calibrated to detect the specific lifeforms that lived on Hoth, such as tauntauns or wampas. Additionally, it's possible that the creature was moving slowly or staying low to the ground, which could have made it more difficult for the sensors to detect. Regarding the creature's diet, according to the Star Wars Legends wiki, the wampa is a "carnivorous predator" that feeds on smaller animals such as tauntauns and gopher-like animals called "ice worms." Similarly, the creature that attacks Luke and his tauntaun may have been a carnivore that fed on smaller prey. As for why such a large creature was able to survive on Hoth, despite the planet's extreme cold and isolation, it's possible that the creature had developed specialized adaptations to survive in its environment, such as a thick layer of insulated fur or a slow metabolism that allowed it to conserve calories. Additionally, it's possible that the creature was able to find shelter or warmth in caves or other protected areas, which allowed it to survive the harsh climate.

The Trip

• During the Battle of Hoth, snow-speeder pilots realize that their guns can't penetrate the AT-AT's, so they trip one using a cable. They they shoot at it, and it explodes. So, the snow-speeder guns suddenly got more effective after the AT-AT was tripped. How?
  • It's easier to make a called shot to a weak point on a target that isn't moving any more.
  • The crashing fall might have loosened some of the armor, or damaged the chassis, making it more vulnerable.
  • The neck is the weak point of the AT-ATs, thus it getting shot at from the neck would cause it to explode.
  • Heavily armored at the front doesn't mean heavily armored on all sides.
  • It's possible that the snow-speeder's blasters were more effective against the AT-AT once it was tripped and on the ground because the AT-AT's armor was designed to protect against attacks from above, not against attacks from below. Additionally, once the AT-AT was on the ground its armor may have been more vulnerable to attacks, especially if the snow-speeders were able to target its weak points, such as its joints. Finally, it's possible that the AT-AT's systems were damaged or disabled when it was tripped, making it more vulnerable to attacks from the snow-speeders.

The Emperor's Message

• In his message to Darth Vader, why, for purposes other than keeping viewers unaware, does Palpatine refer to Luke as "the son of Skywalker" instead of "your son"? Is he really so stuffy that he always feels the need to speak in riddles?
  • Oh, well, this one's a fairly easy one. The Emperor is trying to invoke That Man Is Dead. Palpatine considers clinging to the past to be a form of weakness and wants to limit any chance that his apprentice might consider returning to the Light Side, so he treats Vader's former identity as a Jedi Knight who served the Light Side as a completely separate person from his current one as a Sith Lord in order to reinforce Vader's devotion to the Dark Side.
  • Palpatine may have used that phrasing to maintain a sense of distance and mystery between himself and Darth Vader, and to reinforce the idea that Vader and the Emperor are in control of the situation. Additionally, Palpatine may have been using psychological manipulation tactics to provoke Vader's emotions and feelings of anger and resentment towards his son, which could fuel Vader's dark side powers and make him a more valuable asset to the Emperor. But, it's also possible that Palpatine simply enjoys speaking in riddles and playing games with other people, as he is known to be a manipulative and cunning character.

Why Luke Doesn't Know Vader Is His Father

• How did it take so long for Luke to discover that Darth Vader is his father? It hasn't been that long since his transformation, and surely there must be plenty of people in the Rebel Alliance who are aware of the connection. Did no one bring it up?
  • If recall correctly, the EU claims most people believe Anakin Skywalker was among the Jedi killed during the attack on the temple. So not many know he is Darth Vader.
    • Addressed in the new EU book Tarkin, where Governor Tarkin, who served with Anakin during the Clone Wars, strongly believes Anakin Skywalker and Darth Vader are the same person, but considers the rumors that Vader was actually an cybernetic-enhanced super soldier that Palpatine introduced at the end of the war. Some even think there's more Vaders just waiting to be activated in a lab somewhere.
    • Why would Tarkin doubt for one moment that Vader was Anakin Skywalker? In New Hope, there is the conversation between Tarkin and Vader about Obi-Wan Kenobi, how he was Vader's former master, and Tarkin telling Vader verbatim: "The Jedi are extinct. Their fire has gone out of the universe. You, my friend, are the last of their religion."
  • Once Anakin was confined to the Darth Vader suit, Palpatine had no reason to reveal his identity, and every reason to conceal it. Vilifying all the Jedi in the public image would be much easier than vilifying all but one, and the only reason to reveal that Darth Vader is Anakin Skywalker is to make people fondly remember their romantic notions of his heroic exploits, which would make them fondly remember their romantic notions of the heroic exploits of all the other Jedi, which would make anti-Jedi sentiment that much harder to cultivate.
    • He can say that Anakin did a Heel–Face Turn, defecting from the evil Jedi after seeing how much of a pawn he was in their plot. He can even still have the Vader rumor by saying that Anakin was killed by Obi Wan for defecting.
    • "All of the Jedi were actually evil and conspiring against the people EXCEPT for this one guy you can totally trust him." could still potentially call that into question, especially for people who don't know Anakin Skywalker's story (and publically airing it might also call Palpatine into question). Better to just flag them all as terrorists and pretend Vader is someone else. Perhaps more pertinent to Palpatine's goals, pretending that Anakin is dead helps reinforce Vader's That Man Is Dead mentality toward his former identity and prevents him from drifting back to the light.
  • It might be possible that Vader's reputation and presence on the front lines of the Galactic Civil War had made it difficult for many members of the Rebel Alliance to gather conclusive information about his past, including his identity as a former Jedi named Anakin Skywalker. Additionally, many of the surviving members of the Jedi Order may have kept Vader's identity as Anakin a secret to protect their identities and avoid being targeted by the Empire. Furthermore, Luke's own journey to discover his true identity as a Jedi and his connection to Vader may have been complicated by his limited understanding of his father's past and his lack of knowledge about the Force and the Jedi order. It's not until Luke undergoes his own journey of self-discovery and learns about his connection to the Force that he comes to understand his familial relationship with Vader.
  • Given that Ahsoka Tano, leader of the Rebel Alliance's intelligence network, was unaware that Vader was Anakin until she came in direct contact with him and even then remained in denial about it until her disappearance on Malachor, it seems likely that very few in the Alliance knew and those that did did not know it for certain had no reason to discuss it.

Vader's Line

• This is more a question to the original script, but most fans know that Vader's line, "No.... I am your father!" was originally, "No.... Obi-Wan killed your father!" What I want to know, is what was the original line in the script for "Join me.... and we'll rule the galaxy as father and son!"
  • As far as I know, the line was already intended to be "No... I am your father!" when the script was released. The reason it was shown as "Obi-Wan killed your father!" was because Lucas wanted to keep the reveal a secret. During filming, when they were recording that scene, the only people who knew the actual line were George Lucas, Mark Hamill and James Earl Jones (whose lines would be edited in later), so it was planned at that point, possibly even earlier. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but I think the line could have been left the way it was in the original script, and use it to show that Vader is a complete nut job, when in actuality it was a cunning deception.
  • I presume it was something like "Join me, and we will rule the galaxy together without the Emperor." Something of the same length and the same basic idea, just without the words "father and son".
  • According to initial drafts of the script, the line was originally "Join me, and you shall have your revenge. Join me, and together we shall rule the galaxy.” However, this line was later changed to the more memorable “Join me... and we shall rule the galaxy as father and son!”

Hoth Support

• Why no air support at Hoth? Couldn't the Empire have just sent down fighters to help the walkers?
  • Planetary shield around the base.
  • The Rebels mention that the speeders had to be modified to work in the cold of Hoth, so it's likely the Empire simply didn't do the same for their fighters. Alternatively, they were holding the fighters in reserve to take on whatever fighter escorts the escaping rebel ships had.
    • That explanation of modifying speeders is an okay Hand Wave, but that doesn't apply to the TIE fighters. They clearly fly in space and atmosphere just fine. You wouldn't have to modify those, as space is colder than Hoth...
    • Required reading: Space Is Cold
  • If you take five minutes to consider the strategic outlook of the war and the tactical situation of the specific battle, it becomes obvious that in any interstellar war between space-faring militaries/civilizations (that is, assuming neither party has access to some kind of planet-to-planet teleportation technology), maintaining naval supremacy above a targeted planet would almost always assume a higher priority of importance than any form of ground assault. Ships sitting in orbit could either bombard the co-ordinates of the rebel base or maintain a blockade until more Imperial reinforcements arrive (or both). It makes sense to concentrate every vessel capable of space-flight above orbit, since the rebels have to get past them sooner or later. Remember that the reason the ground assault was really necessary was purely to destroy the shields of the base. Its extraordinarily unlikely that a fleet's worth of ground assault units wouldn't be able to manage that, but even if they didn't... so what? The rebels have to leave as quickly as possible, or the Imperial presence will just get stronger and stronger until escape is impossible. The argument could be made that the Empire needed a stronger assault force on the base because they also needed to take out that ion cannon, but firstly to my best recollection the Imperial force didn't know they had one until it opened fire (and therefore its a hindsight observation), and secondly it gives the rebels a much better chance at dividing and conquering their enemies.
    • A better question still: why didn't the Empire send some of those fast, agile ground assault vehicles from the prequels, rather than slow and cumbersome mechanical camels?
    • The camels, while slower, were also better protected from mines and had an important advantage over the fast, agile vehicles: armor. A single missile could take out the older vehicles, whereas the only AT-ATs that are destroyed are taken out by a Jedi and Sir Isaac Newton. Also, the AT-ATs were enclosed, while the older vehicles often weren't, offering more protection from enemy fire and the cold. Given the distance to be traversed and the conditions that had to be dealt with, the AT-ATs were the better option.
    • The Empire DID send some of their fast, agile ground assault vehicles: AT-STs accompanied the AT-ATs, as can be seen in the film. According to supplementary materials, one of their roles was to use their sensors to ensure that the heavy AT-ATs had a safe path that could bear their weight.
  • They did have Orbital Support in the form of the Star Destroyer that was glad to see the first ships leave the surface. They were apparently not prepared for the ION Cannon strike. One could argue that all the lack of prep was due to Vader sending out forces all over the galaxy searching for his son. He sure was not looking for the rebels. He could not have cared less about the rebels. All he wanted was Luke. And the Empire forces on Hoth suffered for his hard focus.
  • Rogue Leader and Rebel Strike show that both Wedge and Luke encountered TIE-fighters harassing the evacuating transports. They employed bombers against the transports before/as they were taking off, and standard TIEs and interceptors against Rogue Squadron and to help soften up the transports. They didn't need to support the ground contingent because a) the AT-ATs are better suited to destroy the Ion cannon and it's surface defenses and b) the whole walker squadron had the ground battle pretty much won all by itself and some snow-trooper support without requiring air cover.
  • The Battle of Hoth took place on a snowy planet surrounded by asteroid fields, which made it difficult for ships to maneuver. Additionally, the Rebels had a powerful ion cannon that could take out Imperial fighters, as demonstrated in the movie by taking out a Star Destroyer. So air support would not have been an effective strategy for the Empire. Furthermore, the AT-AT walkers were designed to be powerful weapons on their own, so the Empire may have believed that they would be able to take out the Rebels without the need for air support. Ultimately, it seems that the Empire's arrogance and lack of preparation for a strong counterattack from the Rebels led to their defeat in the Battle of Hoth.

How Does Cloud City Sustain Itself

• Is it ever explained (even poorly) how exactly Cloud City is able to float? Is the atmosphere really that thin (which would mean, assuming they are human, Luke & co. would not be able to breathe outdoors)? Is there some kind of mystical device that creates lift without any visible heat or light being given off? Granted, even for a modern jet plane one has a hard time seeing the exhaust, but Luke was hanging under there for a little while and I sure didn't seen anything resembling a "thruster".
  • Antigravity is extremely common in the setting to keep things afloat.
  • Repulsors. Same way land-speeders float and starships can lift off the ground without any visible exhaust.
  • The center pole that hangs below the city is the repulsorlift that keeps everything afloat.
  • And the center pole is made out of the stuff that black boxes are made out of.
  • So, essentially, a Jedi did it
    • No, a Jedi did not do it. Pay attention. Cloud City is held up by repulsor force fields.
    • Oh, you're no fun.
  • Bespin has a "habitable layer," where the pressure and atmosphere are survivable. Obviously, that's where Cloud City is.
  • Cloud City is a floating city that hovers over the surface of the gas planet Bespin. It is held aloft by a combination of magnetic repulsion fields and anti-gravity engines. These technologies are common in the Star Wars universe, where they are used for a variety of purposes, including lifting cargo, levitating objects, and providing thrust for spacecraft. The atmospheric pressure on Bespin is much lower than on the planet Earth, so Luke and company are wearing special suits that allow them to breathe in the thin air. It is not clear how the anti-gravity engines function without producing any visible exhaust, but it may be that they rely on some advanced technology that operates at the atomic or sub-atomic level to provide lift. Overall, the anti-gravity engines on Cloud City are highly advanced and their precise workings are not fully understood by non-engineers in the Star Wars universe.

Lando Solo

• Why is Lando wearing Han's clothes at the end of the movie?
  • There are 3 possibilities I've just thought of :
    • 1) It's a sort of 'uniform' traditionally worn by Independent Interstellar Traders. Or, if you like, Smugglers and Space Pirates.
    • 2) Lando's usual, expensive, wardrobe was inappropriate for his new role as a Space Pirate (too flashy and eye-catching).
    • 3) They are actually Lando's clothes. Remember, Han won the Falcon from Lando in a card game. Perhaps Lando's outfits were still on board and he's only now reclaiming them.
    • Well, the pants are standard Corellian military issue, according to the Han Solo novels (it goes on a bit about the red piping).
  • Lando didn't have time to pack a change of clothes when fleeing Cloud City so he would only have the clothes he was wearing at the time. It's a safe bet that Han had some of his clothes stored on the Millennium Falcon making them the obvious and possibly only option when Lando needed to change.
    • And he's probably got his clothes in the Falcon's washing machine.
  • Simpler explanation: Lando is taking on Han's role in the True Companions until he is rescued. Naturally he's going to dress like him.
    • But that's the meta reason; I doubt Leia, Chewie and Luke held a meeting and said "okay, since Lando's temporarily assumed Han's place in the story, we'll dress him up like a Replacement Goldfish in the meantime. Come on Lando, let's go shopping!" In-universe, it could be any one of the three above reasons, or just a fashion sensibility than Han and Lando happen to share (if anything, Lando's original clothing as the administrator of Cloud City was probably out of the ordinary for him).
    • Given that he goes back to wearing something very similar to his Cloud City getup as General Calrissian in Return of the Jedi, I think the likeliest explanation is that he needed a new set of clothes, and Han's old duds were all that was available.
  • It's not explicitly mentioned in the film, but it's possible that Lando may have borrowed Han's clothes because he didn't have any other suitable clothes of his own. Han is known for his stylish and distinctive clothing, so it makes sense that Lando might have wanted to wear something similar in order to blend in with the other members of the Rebel alliance. Additionally, Lando may have wanted to express his gratitude to Han for helping him escape from Cloud City, and wearing Han's clothes was a way to show that he was thankful for Han's help.

Train Luke Long

• How long did it take for Yoda to train Luke on Dagobah? It was shown not having been more than a few days and that was far less training than Luke's father received? Is Yoda just THAT GOOD?
  • Hard to say. Obviously you can't show that much training on a film without a montage, but it's never really stated how long it was, anyways. Beyond that, Luke went off half-trained, and quite deficient (compare him to some of the stunts other Jedi do in the prequels).
  • Yoda didn't think so. He told Luke that he had taught him everything that he could. WTH???
  • Not when he was departing the first time. When he faced Vader, he lost, and would've been captured if not for things completely out of his control, i.e. Lando.
  • "Everything that he could" doesn't necessarily mean everything there is to know. Yoda wasn't in any shape to teach Luke much about lightsaber combat, for example, and there's probably a lot of teaching that goes on in a young padawan's life that there just wasn't time for. Yoda was saying he's given Luke all the instruction that he could in the time he had, not that he taught Luke everything there was to know about Jedi.
  • There is no indication that Luke's training takes "no more then a few days." He is training for the amount of time it takes for the Falcon to fly from Hoth to Bespin at sub light speeds. I realize that Star Wars isn't exactly hard science, but we can assume that if it only took a few days to fly between star systems, light-speed wouldn't be nearly as important as it's made out to be. We're talking possibly several months to a year, certainly a good deal more then a few days.
    • That doesn't jive. If the Falcon was that long in transit, why did Fett track it that entire time rather than calling in his employer to collect the bounty? Shorter interval means he can move on to additional contracts.
    • Because you don't collect a bounty just for calling someone up and saying "Hey dude, I'm looking at the bounty, money plz." You have to actually, y'know, capture the bounty and go turn it in.
  • It's also worth remembering that Yoda's primary concerns weren't about teaching Luke how to use force abilities, but the philosophy behind the Jedi and the Force. Sure, battle meditation would probably be useful, but it's not much good to someone who can't resist the draw of the Dark Side.
  • It's been confirmed that the Falcon's trip to Bespin took several months because they were running on the backup hyperdrive, so Luke got months of training from Yoda, not just a few days.
  • According to the Star Wars official reference book "Star Wars: The Essential Guide to Characters", it took Luke Skywalker a total of about 12 days to complete his Jedi training with Yoda on Dagobah. During that time, Yoda taught Luke key concepts such as the fundamentals of the Force, how to control his emotions and feelings, and how to use the Force in battle. As for why Luke's training was shorter than Anakin's, it is worth noting that Luke was already a skilled pilot and had a strong intuitive understanding of mechanics, which allowed him to use his connection to the Force in a more natural way. Additionally, Yoda was a highly skilled and experienced Jedi master who was able to convey his teaching in a way that allowed Luke to pick up on things quickly.

Vader Grabbing Luke

• This spoof video has a point (1:44). Why didn't Vader grab Luke with Force after the kid'd jumped into the shaft in Ep. V?
  • The same reason that Jedi/Sith fights don't just involve throwing each other around with telekinesis. You can block telekinesis that's directly applied to you.
    • Except that Vader was far more powerful than Luke was at that point, plus his son's hand had been severed and thus Luke's ability to resist would be negligible given the pain he would be in. I always felt that the reason why Vader didn't grab Luke with the Force was because he was hurt by the fact that his son would rather die than stand by his father's side, I know that if my family showcased some sort of disappointment in me, like Luke did against Vader, then I would be affected by it.
    • OP: Of course you would, but you are not an imperturbable, emotionally-scarred, evil cyborg (you're not, right?). Even notwithstanding that, it'd be very naive for Vader to expect that Luke would just leap into his embrace right away, especially after all the pounding, arm-cutting, Han Solo-freezing, Empire-serving and Alderaan-blowing up, and Vader was anything but naive. Next, family issues can be sorted out, unlike the consequences of a thousand-mile drop. Finally, what about Force Precognition? A death wish should be a very strong emotion, surely Vader would sense it. And Vader did use telekinesis successfully during his fight with Luke.
    • If he didn't expect Luke to immediately join him, what would make him think that force pushing him back to Vader's side was going to. How could family issues be sorted out when Vader ended up doing all the things you mentioned. And not being naive? Why did he turn to the dark side again?
    • Vader used telekinesis, but it was to throw inanimate objects around, he never picked Luke up. Given how ridiculously effective such a power would be if it really worked, the fact that he never used it suggests that Luke is strong enough to put up some resistance. After dropping down the hole Luke only needed to resist for a few seconds before he fell out of reach.
    • In the novel he used it directly on Luke (to push, not to pull, I admit, but come on). As mentioned above Vader was incomparably more powerful than the boy even before all the beating and arm-cutting.
    • Force Push and Force Pull are two different powers. Pushing involves creating a concussive blast in the air which hits the target and knocks them down (in the prequels you can clearly see the shockwave), but pulling involves using the Force directly on the target. Force users are able to resist Force attacks against themselves, if you look at The Force Unleashed for example, throwing stormtroopers around with the Force is a standard tactic, but as soon as you face someone who is even vaguely skilled with the Force it becomes largely useless and certainly not something you can rely on to work if you only have a few seconds.
    • I assume that force-users have a "defensive advantage" when other people try to use the force on them. So even though Luke would never have the strength to push Vader around, he has the strength to stop Vader from pushing him around. That's why Vader has to throw inanimate objects at Luke, rather than pushing Luke directly. (Or pulling, if you want to make that distinction.)
  • One word: Whiplash.
    • If Star Wars functioned with any normal sense of physics Luke would have splattered into a million pieces the moment he made contact with the cold, hard surface of that tunnel that must have been about a thousand miles below. I am assuming that the Force can cushion the damage that natural physics would have on a body so Vader grabbing Luke would have been no more dangerous than what Luke was about to fall to... his death.
    • If you look carefully you see that Luke gets sucked to the side into the vent, arresting his momentum, and after a fall of much less height than that. Vader was shocked for the second or two in which he might have been able to do anything.
  • As a powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader has the ability to use the Force to move objects and creatures through the air. However, using the Force requires concentration and focus, and Vader may have been caught off guard by Luke's sudden leap into the shaft. Additionally, the shaft may have been designed to inhibit the use of the Force, making it harder for Vader to grab Luke. Furthermore, Vader may have believed that Luke would fall to his death and that he didn't need to interfere.

A TIE Short

• Han hides the Millennium Falcon by landing on the backside of a Star Destroyer's island...superstructure, whatever. The Falcon looks tiny by comparison. TIE fighters are shown to be very small—certainly not substantially larger than the Falcon. Yet late in RotJ, a TIE fighter appears to explode against the superstructure and it's almost the same size.
  • Perspective. The TIE was closer to the camera when it kabooms, plus that particular Star Destroyer had an enlarged command tower, since it was serving as a communications vessel. Yes, one of the blasts from the X-Wing hit that SD, but a. Deflector Shields and b. The X-Wing probably snap-rolled left to avoid the TIE's debris, and it's final shot just went off during/after the maneuver.
  • The Star Destroyers in the Star Wars universe are massive, with the average ship being around 1.6 kilometers long. The Millennium Falcon, on the other hand, is relatively small, with a length of approximately 35 meters. The TIE fighters are also significantly smaller than the Falcon, with a length of roughly 10-12 meters. In the scene where the TIE fighter crashes into the Death Star's superstructure, it may appear to be larger than it actually is due to the relative sizes of the structure and the fighter. The Death Star is much larger than a Star Destroyer, with a diameter of approximately 160 kilometers. Therefore, even a small object like a TIE fighter would appear to be larger when it crashes into the Death Star's surface. Additionally, the perspective of the camera and editing may have distorted the relative sizes of the TIE fighter and the Death Star to make them appear more comparable in size. It is worth noting that the depiction of the sizes of ships and other objects in Star Wars movies and other media may not be entirely consistent or accurate due to a variety of factors, including the artistic choices of the filmmakers, the limitations of special effects technology, and the demands of storytelling.

Fall & Scream

• Apparently in this film's special edition, when Luke decides to fall to his death rather than join Vader, a scream is digitally added as Luke falls. Why would Luke scream if he's accepted his fate and chose to fall.
  • Falls are still scary even if you've decided to jump. Also, his arm's still burning from being chopped at, so it might also be from pain.
  • That's the reason why George Lucas decided to remove the digitalized scream in the 2004 DVD version.
  • In the original version of the movie, Luke did not scream when he jumped off the platform, which was consistent with his decision to face death rather than turn to the dark side. However, in the special edition, George Lucas added the sound of a scream to add drama to the scene and to further emphasize Luke's willingness to sacrifice himself to save his friends and the Rebel Alliance. It's worth noting that the addition of the scream was controversial among Star Wars fans, with some arguing that it was unnecessary and detracted from the original meaning of the scene.

• In real life you usually scream when you fall. For example: I've seen videos of Suicide when someone jumped off a building. They screamed until they hit the ground.

Letting The Falcon Escape

• Near the end of the movie when Lando and Leia save Luke and attempt to escape in hyperspace, it almost doesn't work and we are treated to Vader questioning the imperial admiral if he deactivated the Falcon's hyperdrive. I have a question about this decision. This was obviously done after Han and Leia had been captured, so why didn't Vader just ORDER THE FALCON DESTROYED SO THEY COULDN'T SOMEHOW ESCAPE? There was no need to keep up the appearance that the Falcon was still on the landing pad!
  • Deactivating the hyperdrive was a spur-of-the-moment decision made after Luke escaped from Vader. Vader suspected that they would go for the Falcon (easiest ship for them to use) and rescue Luke in it. Also, if the Falcon was destroyed or removed, Lando would have known about it. Its his city, after all. If the Falcon is intact, they're going to go for it, so they know which ship they've got Luke on, and can grab him while he's escaping. If they disabled the Falcon in an obvious manner, then Leia and Lando would end up using a different ship. Vader didn't order the hyperdrive disabled to prevent them from using it, he ordered it disabled because it was a trap.
    • But, they could have "physically" disabled it from the inside, making it appear intact but unable to take-off. Problem solved.
    • If they had disabled it completely then they would have been unable to rescue Luke. Vader doesn't care about Leia and the others, but if they picked up Luke on a ship with no means of leaving the system it would make the real prize easy to catch.
    • Fair enough, that's logical, but wasn't there a way to completely wreck the hyperdrive? I know time was an issue, but couldn't they have removed certain vital components, making it impossible to repair?
    • Removing vital components would have been obvious; if Star Wars ships are anything like modern craft, the moment even a slight bit of gear is out of place a warning light flashes in the cockpit. Remove the components of one of the most vital systems on the ship, and you're going to get a big flashing trouble light on your consoles.
    • So remove the light too? And the flashing trouble with the trouble light light.
    • They've only got a limited amount of time to work, remember. Removing parts of the dashboard would have likely necessitated taking it apart, which they didn't have time for.
    • This line of discussion is based on an incorrect assumption. Check the timeline - the Falcon had escaped before Vader and Skywalker's final showdown. The Hyperdrive must have been deactivated before Luke had even landed, possibly so that in case he successfully rescued Chewie and the others rather than being lured into the freezing chamber or if he was able to evade Vader, he'd still be trapped. His X-Wing was probably similarly disabled immediately after he left it.
  • There's actually a very good reason to not wreck the hyperdrive in an obvious manner: leaving a clear escape route means that your enemy will take that escape route. Destroying a clear escape route will have him take a different route. Vader knows that if the Rebels escape, they'll go for the Falcon, which the Imperials can easily track and chase down. If he wrecks the Falcon in a manner that it's obvious that they can't use it, then they'll go to ground inside Cloud City and maybe try to escape some other way that he can't predict. Leaving the Falcon as a possible escape route means he can predict where they'll go, what ship they'll be on, and what he needs to chase down to recapture them.
  • I thought it was because Lando wanted the Millennium Falcon for sentimental reasons so Vader agreed not to destroy it.
    • Exactly. "They told me they fixed it! I trusted those guys!" It's not who "they" are whether they were Lando's own people who betrayed them, or Imperial techs that agreed to "repair" the ship for Lando but it was clear that part of this backup plan was for Lando to be informed the Falcon was hyperdrive ready. Possibly Vader knew he'd turn on him after all his bargain altering. Either way, that means destroying the ship or blatantly damaging or sabotaging them would tip Lando off that something was up. It seems they geniunely repaired the drive, but then manually switched the engine off, which is probably the best way to do it without making the sabotage apparant.
  • Oh, and how did Lobot know the hyperdrive have been sabotaged, and how did he know exactly what was wrong with it?
    • IIRC, Lobot intercepted the order from Vader and forwarded it to R2.
    • Actually, R2 learned it from the city's central computer. There was probably a record in there because the Empire either used local techs (thus generating a work order), sourced local parts (thus generating a requisition/commandeering order), or simply logged that they'd disabled the hyperdrive as ordered using one of Cloud City's communication consoles (thus generating a communication log.) As a wise man once said, "The bureaucratic mentality is the one constant in the universe."
  • Guys... it was being repaired. You turn things off while repairing them, then on to check if they're fixed. Nothing mysterious here.
  • If nothing else, chalk it up to Anakin Skywalker's Complexity Addiction. Why go for the Mundane Solution when you can do something really clever or fancy? Hence why he allowed Princess Leia to escape in A New Hope (so he could follow her to the Rebel Base). The fact that it keeps biting him in the ass is because he's Anakin, whether he wants to admit it or not.
  • Vader probably had the Falcon's hyperdrive deactivated as soon as Han and co. were captured, as a precaution against their unlikely escape. Vader figured that the Rebels would know if Lando's people hadn't effected the repairs, or if they'd sabotaged the ship somehow, so he opted for a more insidious method; simply disabling it. The Dark Lord of the Sith counted on Leia and the others being too occupied with trying to escape to properly diagnose what was wrong with the hyperdrive, and if they ever did, the Falcon would be trapped in a tractor beam by then. What Vader didn't count on was Artoo-Detoo, an astromech droid whose specialty is starship repair/maintenance a) being aboard the Millenium Falcon and b) hacking into Cloud City's central computer and learning what was done.
  • Why not just hide a bunch of stormtroopers in the Falcon? That seems like a much more straightforward way to capture the ship than letting it take off and trying to intercept it.
    • You mean those same stormtroopers our heroes have cut a bloody swath through in order to reach the Falcon in the first place? Unlike in A New Hope, the forces on Cloud City would not have been ordered to allow the heroes to escape while making a convincing attempt to stop them. So either the group are subdued and captured in their running lightfight, or they make it to the Falcon and blast off, only to be captured because the hyperdrive still doesn't work. Either way, the Empire prevails. Luckily, everyone underestimates Artoo.
  • It's possible that Vader didn't order the destruction of the Millennium Falcon because he wasn't sure where the Princess and Solo were and wanted to capture them alive to extract information about the location of the Rebel base. He may have also wanted to keep the Falcon as a trophy or as a bargaining chip with other factions, rather than destroying it. Additionally, the Empire was under pressure from Emperor Palpatine to capture the Rebel leaders alive to ensure their total defeat, so Vader may have been following his orders in this regard. However, it is also possible that Vader simply didn't think clearly in the heat of the moment or that he was too focused on the imminent defeat of the Rebellion to think clearly about the logistics of capturing and destroying the Falcon.

Mynok Appetite

• If mynocks are known for chewing the power cables then why does the first mynock Leia sees attach itself to the window with the mouth open ? Mynok don't feed on glass, do they ?
  • "Known for" =/= "the only thing they do."
  • Maybe they actually eat space dust? Some of that would be on the windows, so mynocks would be like these aquarium-cleaning fish, whasser name?
  • Well, the inside of the Falcon is loaded with power cables, so presumably mynocks have some ability to sense the electricity but aren't smart enough to figure out that the glass is keeping them from getting to it.
  • It's possible that the mynock is using the glass as a grip rather than a food source. Mynocks are known to be extremely tenacious creatures, and it may have been trying to use the glass to cling to the ship's surface while searching for a more suitable area to feed on. Alternatively, the mynock may have been using the glass as a platform from which to reach the power cables inside the ship and then was interrupted before it could attach itself to the cable itself.

Not Capturing Leia

• On Bespin, Vader seems remarkably unconcerned that he's captured Leia, one of the most important political figures of the Alliance, who got away from him once before.
  • Because Vader's only concerned about Luke at that point.
  • You're right, but I think he's more focused on converting Luke to the Dark side at this point. Leia is definitely an important prize, but he's focused on the bigger picture: turning Luke to the Dark side and defeating the Rebels. Of course, he's wrong about this and everything falls apart in the end, but that's his mindset in the moment.

Han's Shady Buisiness

• Why does Han's years of working for Jabba not bother Leia? This guy has been working for years supporting a slave empire. And he never shows a shred of remorse for this. Sure he's done good helping the Rebellion, but making money for a slaver like Jabba seems like exactly the sort of thing Leia would abhor. Padmé is frequently criticized for marrying Anakin after he kills the sand people. And yet, that was a single act brought on by immense stress and trauma that Anakin clearly realized was wrong. Also, just as Han has done good in helping the Rebellion, Anakin has dedicated years of service to the Republic, saved Padmé's home planet and saved her life. But Leia is given a free pass for ignoring all the awful things Han has done.
  • Well, let's see. In the first movie, she started right off by insulting him, ordering him around, and dismissing him harshly when he decides to take his money and run. It's the more naive Luke who begs him to stay and help. The best she has to say to him when he does save the day is "I knew there was more to you than money." Second movie, he tries to pull an emotional ploy where he says he's leaving, and she basically acts like she doesn't care (and probably does believe that she doesn't care). She snarks at him all through the movie. Laser brain, nerf-herder, and they even have a rather charged scene while fixing up the ship in which she calls him a scoundrel and says she prefers nice men. So what happened? She fell in love with him despite herself and despite what he was. She didn't exactly fall into his arms swooning and declaring that she didn't care one whit what he was or what he'd done.
  • Well what has Han done? All we know from the movies is that he smuggled some stuff for Jabba. We don't know what the stuff is. We don't know what the circumstances were. And with the Empire in charge, I bet a lot of ordinary stuff gets smuggled just to avoid oppressive taxes and the like, much like how there was a lively black market for regular consumer goods in the Soviet Union. So for all we know, Han just smuggled snacks for Jabba's palace. In which case, yeah, he's working with a bad guy, but he's not actually murdering people.
    • Han smuggled spice, but for all we know, he also could have smuggled something else (like bootleg copies of Figrin D'an albums). Either way, trafficking people doesn't seem like something he'd do. After all, he was humane enough to save Chewbacca, and I doubt Chewbacca would have been as loyal to him stooping so low, even with the life debt.
  • Han Solo's job description was "smuggler", not "bounty hunter", "slaver" or "assassin". There has never been evidence or even hints that he or Chewbacca have ventured into any of those areas at all, especially in the service of Jabba. Solo has certainly killed in the course of his vocation, but in self defense and never for pay. And as Rogue One depicts, the Rebellion has many individuals with shady, even dark pasts in their service, several of them of high rank, like Cassian Andor.
  • It’s addressed in the first film. Luke (jealously) asks Han if he’s into her, and he first denies it, then says “What do you think...a Princess and a guy like me...” and Luke exclaims “No!” Han is clearly attracted to her but recognizes that his profession and social class make it unlikely he could be with her.
  • It's plausible that Han's past doesn't bother Leia because she understands that people can change. Han may have worked for Jabba for years, but he's since learned from his mistakes and become a better person through his experiences with Luke and the Rebellion. In contrast, Anakin's actions in Attack of the Clones were much more abhorrent than anything Han has done. Anakin not only killed innocents out of anger, but he also slaughtered the Jedi younglings at the end of Palpatine's coup. This suggests that Anakin has a much darker and more violent nature than Han, and would have been less likely to change his ways. Additionally, Anakin's actions directly led to the downfall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, which likely made him a much more controversial figure than Han.

Go To The Dagobah System Earlier

• Why did Obi-Wan wait so long to tell Luke to go to Dagobah? Three years passed between the end of A New Hope and the beginning of The Empire Strikes Back. We see that Obi-Wan is able to communicate with Luke at the end of New Hope, when he tells him that the Force will be with him always. Why wait three years? After all, Yoda is old, so old that died of old age in Return of the Jedi, which is set one year after Empire. So they do not exactly have limitless time to spare. And they had to worry that Luke might get killed before getting to Dagobah; he almost did get killed by the Wampa on Hoth. So why waste three years?
  • Either they'd been hoping Luke would progress well enough on his own only for him to hot a wall with his self training, he'd hit the point in his training where falling to the dark side was more likely, or maybe Yoda decided it was time to check him out, perhaps sensing Vader's growing obsession with catching Luke?
    • Why would they have been hoping that Luke would progress well enough on his own? Even if he could develop his skills on his own, there is no way he would have simply rediscovered the Jedi code on his own. Also, Yoda had been used to training students much younger than Luke was in New Hope. In response to all three points, they do not really have anything to lose by bringing him to Dagobah earlier. Even if he could progress without help, even if he wasn't vulnerable to the Dark Side until then (can't anyone of any age fall to the Dark Side?), or even if Yoda had sensed Vader's growing obsession, what do they have to lose by bringing him to Dagobah sooner?
  • I assume that speaking from beyond the grave is an advanced technique which requires lots of energy and excellent circumstances. In ANH Obi-wan only gets a couple sentences through to Luke, when he might have preferred to tell him a lot more. He talks more freely on Dagobah, but I think he's only able to do so because Yoda is nearby and Yoda kinda gives him a boost. So if Ben was silent for three years, it wasn't necessarily by choice. It could just be that mystic cosmic forces prevented him from speaking up until that moment. (Heck, maybe the Emperor is casting some kind of anti-ghost spell which is hard to push through.)
    • He was able to have an extended conversation with Luke on Dagobah after Yoda had died. He was also able to give Luke the message to go to Dagobah on Hoth with no apparent difficulty. But even if he were, despite all evidence, limited in how often or how much he could communicate with Luke, at the end of New Hope, he told Luke "Remember, the Force will be with you always"; are we seriously to suppose that he could not just as easily have said "Go to Dagobah to train as a Jedi"? It's the same number of words and the same number of syllables, and seems like a much more important message. If there was such a limit on what he could tell Luke, why waste words on a vague reassurance rather than telling him to get his butt to Dagobah?
    • True, he kept talking after Yoda died. But Yoda's still around, isn't he? I mean his ghost isn't visible at the moment, but I presume his spirit is still around in an abstract sense, and that still gives Obi-wan the boost he needs. By the way this also explains the line "If you choose to face Vader you will do it alone. I cannot interfere." Obi-wan can't manifest on Bespin the way he does on Dagobah, because he needs Yoda to boost the signal (and/or Dagobah itself is just "strong with the Force"). As for why Obi-wan didn't mention Dagobah in ANH...ok, obviously the Doylist answer is that Dagobah hadn't been invented yet. But there's still a Watsonian answer: If you listen closely, you'll notice that the words "The force will be with you, always" is actually just a clip from earlier in the movie, just before Obi-wan went to disable the tractor beam. So Obi-wan's running out of energy at this point and can't generate new words, but just before he vanishes he manages to trigger a memory that Luke already has. It'll be another three years before Obi-wan can gather the necessary energy to actually impart new information.

  • There is dialogue in Star Wars: The Clone Wars where Yoda describes Dagobah as being very strong in The Force, or words to that effect. Manifesting there is probably easier than in other locations.
    • Well, the only times Obi-Wan communicates with Luke is when he's basically in an altered state of perception, the exception being on Dagobah. The first time, when he tells Luke to "Run," Luke's just watched Ben get killed, so Luke wasn't exactly in his best state of mind. Later, during the trench run, Luke's riding high on combat adrenaline, and about to make the most important shot of anyone's life, so he's again in a heightened state of awareness (and the message was important enough Obi-Wan would have put the full force of his Force behind it). When he tells Luke to go to Dagobah, Luke's literally on the verge of dying from hypothermia. Only on Dagobah does Obi-Wan seem able to manifest at will, which could partly be because, as mentioned, Yoda's Force presence is providing more energy for Ben to draw on, and after Yoda dies, he still leaves some residual energy behind. Granted, that gets into Legends EU stuff, where powerful Force-Users (particularly darksiders) leave behind residual traces when they spend a lot of time in or die in a specific place (Timothy Zahn advances the idea that the Dark Side cave on Dagobah exists because a powerful Dark Jedi died there). Also, by the time Luke begins to have long conversations with the ghost of Obi-Wan, he's grown much stronger in the Force, so that probably plays a role as well. So basically, maybe at first Obi-Wan had to wait until Luke was in an appropriately receptive state of mind to contact him again and not only tell him to go to Dagobah, to explain why he had to go there, and that didn't happen until Luke was dying on Hoth.
  • It's not entirely clear why Obi-Wan waited three years to tell Luke to go to Dagobah. It's possible that he was still trying to figure out Luke's capabilities and whether he was ready to face the challenges that awaited him on Dagobah, such as his confrontation with his father in the cave and his training with Yoda. Additionally, Obi-Wan may have been waiting for the right opportunity to contact Luke without raising suspicion from the Empire, as the Empire was actively hunting down the remaining Jedi and preventing them from helping the Rebel cause. It's also possible that Obi-Wan's communication with Luke at the end of A New Hope was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he didn't know at the time how he was going to continue training Luke.

Chewbacca's Bounty

• Return of the Jedi shows that there was a bounty on Chewbacca as well as Han. So why didn't Boba Fett take both Han and Chewie from Bespin?
  • Because he made a deal with Vader that apparently didn't involve Chewbacca. Vader breaks deals when it suits him. You breaking a deal with Vader means Vader breaks you. Therefore Fett is going to do the smart thing and get the easy payday then possibly go find a more interesting bounty. If you want to get into scheming, maybe Fett hopes that Chewbacca will escape from the Imperials and thus can be captured again (and might have an Imperial bounty that's worth more than the one Jabba posted). All he'd have to do is sit back and wait.
  • Who says the bounty on Chewie is the same bounty that was put on Han? RotJ is a year after the end of ESB. In that time Chewie and Lando are out trying infiltrate Jabba's Palace and rescue Han. Maybe the bounty was placed on Chewie because of something he did to try and rescue Han during that year.
  • Where would he fit Chewie? Boba Fett's ship only has one cargo hold, and everyone knows a Wookiee doesn't sit still when he is upset, so the cockpit is also out of the question.
  • The bounty on Han and Chewie was placed by the mob boss Jabba the Hutt, who wanted to make an example of them for losing the Millennium Falcon. Boba Fett was tasked with capturing Han and Chewie and bringing them to Jabba to collect on the bounty. However, Boba Fett had a personal vendetta against Han Solo for the events that took place in The Empire Strikes Back. In that movie, Han Solo accidentally knocked Boba Fett into the pit of the Sarlacc, a massive carnivorous desert creature on the planet Tatooine. Boba Fett managed to escape from the Sarlacc alive, but it was a humiliating experience for him that tarnished his reputation as a bounty hunter. As a result, Boba Fett was focused solely on Han Solo and wanted to claim the bounty himself, without having to share it with the other bounty hunters who were also after Han and Chewie. This explains why Boba Fett chose to bring Han back to Jabba's palace instead of also capturing Chewie. He wanted to present Han Solo to Jabba himself and collect the full bounty.
    • Han doesn't kick Fett into the Sarlacc pit in Empire Strikes Back, he does it in Return of the Jedi. So it doesn't happen until after Han has been taken to Jabba and rescued by his friends.
    • Hmmm. Sounds like an AI came up with that previous answer.

If The Test Went Differently

• So what would have happened if Luke didn't bring his weapons into the cave, or not fought Vader?
  • Maybe I'm being a bit dense but wasn't that a Battle in the Center of the Mind, with the Force attempting to show what path awaited Luke if he should kill the Emperor?
  • It was a test to see how Luke would respond to the temptations of The Dark Side, as well as a lesson about the price the Dark Side demands. Luke takes his weapons despite being told not to (failing the test before it even starts), then fails again when he draws first and goes straight for the kill on the apparition of Darth Vader. The lesson then is: if Luke starts down the Dark Path, he'll end up the next Darth Vader. Had he gone in unarmed, he likely still would have been confronted with a apparition of Vader (and may even have found his lightsaber suddenly in his hand, it's all a Force vision, after all) but the point was to meet this challenge with peace and calm, as a Jedi, not anger and aggression, as a Sith.
  • If Luke hadn't brought his weapons into the cave, or if he decided not to fight Vader, it's possible that the outcome would have been different. Without his weapons, Luke may not have been able to defend himself against the Wampa, a monstrous creature that lived in the cave. And if he didn't fight Vader, he may have missed the opportunity to confront his own fears and doubts, and to learn the true nature of the Force. Additionally, if Luke hadn't fought Vader and lost his hand, he may never have learned the true identity of his father or been forced to confront the fact that he was being drawn towards the dark side. In either case, the outcome of his quest to become a Jedi and save the Galaxy would likely have been greatly altered.
• For that matter, what is the deal with the cave on Dagobah? All Yoda says about it is that it's a place strong in the Dark Side. Is it some kind of Genius Loci? Did something really bad happen there once, and now there's some kind of "Force haunting" going on? Was there any Expanded Universe explanation given for it?
  • The old Expanded Universe established that a powerful Dark Jedi was killed at the site, and tainted it with the Dark Side, which Yoda used to mask his presence. The new canon hasn't given an explanation yet.
  • The Cave of Imagination on Dagobah is known to be a place of great darkness and evil power. The area is home to creatures called Dark Side Adepts, powerful Force-sensitive beings who draw their strength from the darkness of the cave. The Cave is also said to be an entrance to a network of underground tunnels and caverns, some of which lead to other worlds. In the Expanded Universe, it is revealed that the cave is the site of a powerful Dark Side energy nexus, which was created by a group of dark Jedi in the ancient past. The nexus amplifies the negative energy and fears of those who enter it, causing them to experience disturbing visions and dreams. Yoda chooses the cave as a place of exile and training for Luke because it is a place where he can learn to master his own fears and face the darkness within himself.

Debt Of Jabba

• Why didn't Han ever get around to paying off his debt to Jabba? Even if he joined the rebels, I don't see why he couldn't find the time to zip on over to Jabba's palace, pay off the debt, and then head back to fighting the Empire. It wouldn't have taken that long, and this movie takes place years after A New Hope.
  • Several possibilities. First, Han's massive ego. He figures he can keep evading Jabba's goons indefinitely, so why part with the money if he doesn't have to? Plus, paying Jabba after all this would be a big hit to his pride. Finally, I imagine spite has a lot to do with it too.
    • I have to disagree with that. The first movie made it very clear Han was concerned about paying his debt to Jabba and intended to do so as fast as possible. The only thing that stopped him was he decided to help the Rebels destroy the death star.
  • It's implied that Han's been on the run with the Rebellion for the past few years, and it wasn't until he ran into a bounty hunter on Ord Mantel that he decided that getting Jabba off his back was a priority.
    • But paying off Jabba was shown to be a priority in the first movie. At the end he was going off to pay Jabba and only came back to help the rebels destroy the Death Star. So after he got his medal, why didn't he just tell them "okay guys, gotta go back to pay off Jabba now. See you in a few weeks."
    • The Rebels were on the run from the Empire since the destruction of the Death Star. They were fleeing from system to system, always trying to stay one step ahead of Vader and his forces. Stealth and secrecy was obviously high priority. If Han left, even for a little while, to go pay Jabba, there was no guarantee that he'd be able to return, as locating the Rebel Alliance again just might lead the Imperial fleet to their new hidden base. Han's "mistake" was becoming too attached to his new friends.
    • It's also possible that, in the wake of the destruction of the Death Star, there was political upheaval that somehow distracted Jabba from chasing after Han for a time. Maybe Han just assumed that Jabba had let it slip...and it wasn't until they ran into the bounty hunter that he realised that, no, Jabba hasn't forgotten.
    • Han was on course to Alderaan which blew up and then got wrapped up in the Death Star incidient. It's entirely possible that for awhile Jabba thought Han was dead as him living through all of that and joining the rebellion was unlikely. Han might have tried to keep up that illusion rather than pay him, but once the bounty hunter located him and reported him to Jabba that was the end of that.
  • One explanation is that the galaxy had become much more dangerous during the years between A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back. With the Empire's crackdown on the Rebel Alliance and the rise of bounty hunters and pirates, it may have been too risky for Han to leave the safety of the Rebellion and travel to Jabba's palace alone. In addition, it's possible that Han was focused on the more pressing task of fighting the Empire and felt that settling his debt with Jabba could wait until after the Rebellion had triumphed. It's also worth noting that Han's character arc throughout the trilogy shows that he becomes more responsible and committed to the Rebellion over time, so it's possible that he simply didn't prioritize his personal debts over the greater cause of defeating the Empire.
  • Maybe he stuck around a little longer and thought "I might as well help them get setup on Hoth." Han was on his way pay off Jabba before the Empire discovered the base there, and he volunteered to get Leia out on the Falcon and rendezvous with the Rebels later. They were on the run for a while with that damaged hyperdrive, and in the meantime, Jabba had more hunters looking for him.

The Excecutor

• Minor question: is the Executor's name and that of its class supposed to pronounced like the guy who simply carries out an order, or like the guy who actually kills people. I swear I've heard both pronunciations from different sources over the years.
  • Technically, the term for someone who kills people is "executioner" not "executor", so it is most likely referring to one who carries out tasks.
  • The ship is called The Executor. The word "Executor" has multiple meanings. Its obsolte definition is the same as "executioner". Its most common definition is "one who carries out a task". It can also mean "administrator", i.e. somebody in charge. All of these meanings work well for a major ship in the Empire.
  • The Executor is the flagship of the Imperial Navy, the biggest and most powerful warship in the Empire. The name comes from the idea that it is the one that carries out the Emperor's orders, so it is pronounced as the person carrying out an order, rather than the person executing someone. The ship's class, however, is pronounced as the execution of a person. The Executor was first seen in the film Return of the Jedi, and it was destroyed by the Rebel Alliance. The Emperor himself was on board the ship at the time, and the ship's destruction was a symbolic victory for the Rebels in the fight against the Empire.

Death of Ozzel

• Vader kills Ozzel for coming out of hyperspace too close to they system. Except... why? Unless there's something I'm missing from Expanded Universe content, a surprise attack close to they system would seem perfect for catching the rebels with their pants down, rather than coming out far enough to be detected on radar and letting them plan a quick escape. And in either case, the rebels knew the Imperial fleet was coming because they realized they were being spied on by a probe droid, and started evacuating immediately afterwards on the (correct) assumption that the Empire would be headed straight towards them. So my question is, why does Vader see it fit to punish Ozzel for this?
  • "You have failed me for the last time, Admiral." Presumably, this wasn't the first time Ozzel had failed to do exactly what Vader wanted. Even if Ozzel had the right idea this time, it didn't suit Vader so *force choke*.
    • Vader was probably cheesed off at Ozzel already - earlier in the film, they get the feed from the probe droid that Han and Chewie engaged and Ozzel tries to argue with Vader over whether it's the system they want, saying it's probably just smugglers. Vader's already proven he doesn't like it when people disagree with him.
  • Part of it is Vader taking out his frustrations lethally, like any good Sith does, for the most part. He may not have known that a probe droid got intercepted and tipped off the Rebels (especially because the Empire LOVES using comms encryption that a protocol droid could recognize from a megalight away like a bunch of dopes), and attributed the shield being up to Ozzel's enthusiasm to jump the Rebels at the first opportunity, blowing whatever chance there might've been for a Rebel-ending bombardment out of nowhere. However, assuming that Vader wasn't just satisfying a desperate need to choke a bitch, it might be reasonable to assume that the shield wasn't spun up prior to the Star Destroyer fleet arriving with more concern given to mobilizing for the evacuation. By staying further out of the system when the fleet come out of hyperspace, they could've taken a standoff position around one of the other planets (the "Hoth" we know is only really Hoth VI) and picked off some of the early transports (which might arguably have the VIP leaders and materiel onboard) before they could communicate back that they were under fire, and also negated the force multiplier of the ion cannon. Then they could drop in the AT-AT squadron whenever they felt like it, and clean up the rest of the mess. By jumping in so close, they forced the Rebels into a higher defensive posture immediately, and then the ground assault (however impressive and one-sided it was) had to be the only way of getting the job done. Though because Vader wanted Luke so badly, he might've preferred the slow route, anyways. Any of y'all tried to resist a Force choke fetish? :P
  • They never really explain how sensors or stealth work in the Star Wars universe. We've had passing references to cloaking devices, and we see in Rogue One that the Rebels at least can detect sufficiently large objects approaching in Hyperspace. It's possible that they can only detect stuff in Hyperspace if it's close, and that ships can only cloak (whether that means turning invisible or simply hiding themselves from sensors like radar). Thus, your two options, it seems, are to drop out a safe distance away and sneak in all sneaky sneak like, or do a Hyperspeed Ambush and drop right on top of them. Admiral Ozzel seemingly tried for the latter but didn't quite pull it off, meaning they just made a big showy entrance without actually getting the drop on the Rebels.
  • We get an explanation in the Empire Strikes Back radio drama: there's a scene in the base where General Reikaan has a throwaway line about "detecting a fleet of ships dropping out of hyperspace." So we can assume that the fleet dropping out of hyperspace can be detected further out than the ships themselves. Vader also goes into a rant when he learns about the shield how "A simple act of conquest now becomes a needless and costly battle." Given these pieces, I think it's reasonable to guess that in Vader's perfect world, the fleet would have dropped out of hyperspace beyond the detectable range, snuck in on sublight, and either picked off the transports as they flew away or bombed the base to ash and sifted through the remains later. As for his obsession with Luke, Vader would probably have spent the battle using the force to keep tabs on Luke to make sure he wasn't killed in the battle. But then Ozzel had to be Ozzel, and all that planning went to pot.
  • Ever led a group project that went to pot because one of your teammates decided to do things their way and not according to your plan? You’d want to strangle them too.
  • Vader is known for being prone to fits of anger and taking his anger out on others, so it's possible that he was simply looking for a scapegoat to take out his frustration on. Ozzel's actions may have gone against Vader's strategy or plan, and Vader may have believed that Ozzel had failed to adequately capture the Rebels. Additionally, Vader may have been trying to set an example for the other Imperial officers, making it clear that even the slightest failure would not be tolerated. While Ozzel's plan may not have been the most effective strategy in hindsight, Vader's response was a bit extreme and likely due to his own anger and arrogance rather than any logical necessity.

Han Leaving

• Minor quibble, but at the start of the film, the Belligerent Sexual Tension between Han and Leia starts when he plans to leave Hoth to go pay off Jabba. What's the big deal? The guy's explicitly marked for death. His smuggling contacts are a valuable asset to the Rebellion, but not if he's dead, and it's not like he's saying he's not coming back.
  • Leia's still in denial about her feelings about Han at this point, and she's using "The Rebellion needs your help" as a cover story for "I want you to stay with me." Han calls her on that bull, and she gets angry, again as a cover for her feelings. Her real worry is that if Han leaves, he won't come back, though she would never admit it at the time.
  • The Rebellion is always undermanned compared to the Empire. Leia doesn't want to lose anyone, not even temporarily. (There's even a separate commander who says "You're a good man, Solo. I hate to lose you.") Besides, there's always a chance that Jabba will refuse the money and simply toss Han in a sarlack pit as punishment for being late. He's been waiting three years, after all.
  • It's understandable for Han to want to settle his debts with Jabba, as his debt to Jabba is something that has plagued him throughout the trilogy and is a threat to his life. However, it's also understandable for Leia to prioritize the needs of the Rebellion over Han's personal needs. While Han's smuggling abilities can be valuable to the Rebellion, losing him to a Bounty Hunter or to the Empire could be disastrous for the Rebellion's efforts. As much as Han may want to take care of his personal obligations, Leia is right to encourage him to focus on the greater good of the Rebellion and to put his own needs aside. It's a difficult balance to strike, but one that the characters need to navigate in order to survive.

Luke's Landing

• Is it ever discussed as to how Luke knew exactly where to land on Dagobah, a planet we can safely assume is at least as large as Earth? I think he had some dialogue about detecting life signs or something similar, but (and my SW knowledge may fail me here), there must be other sentient forms of life on the planet, shouldn't there? Perhaps we can just say the Force did it, but I don't believe Luke ever mentions feeling drawn to the location or anything.
  • Well, it's generally been assumed that Yoda was specifically guiding Luke's X-wing (hence why his instruments had a blackout on his first arrival on Dagobah, but apparently not subsequent visits — this is actually mentioned in at least one other article).
  • What bugs me is why does everyone assume it is a fluke of Luke. Yoda is a semi-prescient Jedi Master with 19 years to set up camp, with a space ship should he need to go somewhere. I would think it was Yoda who went to where he knew Luke would crash.
    • Hmm perhaps, but that's an awful lot of prediction to do so far in the past and it still seems hard to believe he would have gotten the location so precise. I know that most of Yoda's predictions left much "gray area" as to particular outcomes, but then again, those predictions in questions tended to depend on the independent actions of people, which are near impossible to predict. Also, he could have just been in the ballpark area, so to speak, and simply walked a short distance when he saw the ship crash. It seems to be implied that Luke has been on the surface for some time before Yoda finally makes an appearance.
    • I was not saying he set up camp 19 years in advance. I was saying he had 19 years to have a vision of where Luke would go, get in the starship, move to that general location, and if necessary, guide Luke down to where he needed him. I was simply pointing out the flaw in putting the onus on Luke alone.
    • Regarding Dagobah, I always figured that, since Star Wars was originally conceived as a simple fairy tale (albeit IN SPACE!) the planets were stand-ins for relatively smaller areas: a planet-sized city is just a large city, and a "desert planet" or "swamp planet" are just a big desert and big swamp respectively. A space station the size of a "small moon" would just be the biggest fortress anyone had ever conceived.
  • Luke did not know the exact location of Dagobah when he landed on the planet. He simply followed his intuition and trusted his senses to guide him to the location of Yoda. He did sense "many life forms" when he approached the planet, but it wasn't until he landed and began his search that he was able to reach out with the Force and locate Yoda. It's possible that the Force simply led Luke to Yoda, or that Luke's Force abilities enabled him to sense Yoda's presence on the planet. Regardless of the specifics, it's clear that Luke's abilities as a Force-user played a significant role in his ability to find Yoda on Dagobah.

You Have Failed Me, the Headscratcher

• Why is it that Darth Vader got into the habit of strangling admirals for minor setbacks? Not only is it unwise to kill off your most experienced commanders for failures that were no fault of their own, it is also likely to incite other officers to resign or defect to the Rebellion. This is even more strange when you consider that he was able to show restraint towards the official that dismissed the Force in the first film.
  • Because he's a baddie.
  • He is only shown strangling two officers in the movies, Ozzel and Needa. Context indicates that Ozzel has a penchant for disregarding Vader's precise instructions repeatedly, Vader asserts that Ozzel is "clumsy". You can also infer without guessing that Ozzel as Admiral was given specific instructions on the way to come out of hyperspace near the Hoth system, and that he had failed to follow instructions in the past hence: "This is the last time you fail me, Admiral." Needa was just a destroyer captain, and he willingly shuttles himself over to the Executor to apologize to Vader personally, Vader most likely killed him to show everybody else he won't tolerate giving him petty excuses, like letting a freight cargo escape three star destroyers when they had the numerical and technological advantage. It's worth noting that Piett was promoted to Admiral in place of Ozzel; and that Vader can acknowledge that they lost the Falcon on causes not attributable to any neglect from Piett, who gets to command the Executor up until its destruction during RotJ.
    • Needa also jumped the gun in informing Vader that they had captured the Falcon. Before Han's buzzing stunt he's heard ordering another officer to inform Lord Vader that they "had them" only to then apologize for letting them slip through his fingers. Vader is not a fan of overconfidence, having seen too much of it in the Republic's officers during the Clone Wars and having personally learned that lesson rather painfully on Mustafar.
    • When Captain Needa was released, the officers on either side pulled him up to 'lead' him away instead of carrying him off like a corpse, and the way his body moved as they did so suggests strongly that he was not choked completely to death. Vader no doubt acknowledged that he did the right thing by going to face him directly to report the failure and taking full responsibility; you choke him out, give him an unpleasant experience to remember, and quietly shuttle him in your head into a promotion later.
    • Needa is confirmed to have died in various other sources. Him appearing to move was probably just an error on the actor’s part.
  • Vader suffers a bad case of Never Live it Down about this, since its not like he goes left and right killing people; he does however, intimidate and pressure people left and right; like he casually remarks to Jerjerrod that "the emperor is not as forgiving as he is".
  • Because he's like Stalin. First, he definitely has the power to do it, seeing as he doesn't really have to answer to anyone but himself and maybe the Emperor. Second, an officer's failure reflects badly on him, so by killing the offending officer, he severs the connection between him and the officer, essentially washing his hands of the mistake. Third, he was mad. REALLY mad.
    • Especially third. Vader's a veneer of icy control over an eternally seething core of pain-fueled epic rage. When regular people lose their temper, they scream. When Vader loses his temper, people die.
  • In the first movie, Tarkin was there to tell him to stop.
    • And it's fairly clear from other comments made by Leia that Tarkin actually outranks Vader ("holding Vader's leash"). They never explain exactly where "Lord" Vader falls in the Imperial chain of command, but apparently it's somewhere below Grand Moff.
    • In the EU, its explained that Vader's original official position was as the senior most officer of the Imperial military, second only to the Emperor. However, that was after Tarkin was dead. Tarkin's dominance over Vader was either a) less a matter of official rank and more a matter of whose influence with the Emperor was greater at that moment in time or b) Tarkin, in addition to being a Grand Moff, was the prior occupant of the job the EU described Vader as holding.
    • It may just have been that Tarkin was the commander of the space station, and a very important one at that. Vader could get away with killing random underlings. It may be that Vader is always the ranking officer on any ship (such as the various Star Destroyers he kills people on) but the Death Star is a big deal. Much like how on Deep Space Nine, Sisko can yell at Admirals and Captains all he likes, despite technically being outranked, because it's his damn station.
    • In the EU, a Moff is a planetary Governor, and a Grand Moff is essentially the governor of an entire star sector. Tarkin is of a rank second only to the Emperor or a Senator, and with the Senate dissolved...
    • I always assumed it was because Tarkin was friends with Vader - he actually calls him his friend at least twice.
    • Lots of people call people 'my friend'. Many of those people aren't friendly, and I suspect that Tarkin may have been among them.
    • According to "The Secret History of Star Wars", Vader was initially envisioned as the Secretary of Defense, A politician who has control over the imperial military, but doesn't hold an actual rank (supposedly inspired by Henry Kissinger). Note that this only holds for the ANH, when ESB comes around George apparently changed his mind and made Vader an actual officer.
  • Ozzel actually was going to take over the ship... or at least try to.
  • Vader uses the Dark Side of the Force, which means he practices a religion based entirely on channeling one's fear, anger and hatred. While this may make one a fearsome opponent in a fight, it does NOT make one an effective leader. This, honestly, is probably a large part of the reason why the ragtag rebellion is able to defeat the Empire in the first place.
  • Quick note: Timothy Zahn, in the EU, recently brought this up. Captain Ozzel, later to become Admiral Ozzel, features in an adventure Mara Jade and Darth Vader were both involved in. During that adventure he proves himself to be corrupt, a coward, a crappy tactician, and the kind of nasty piece of work that the Empire's staggering level of bureaucracy breeds; a politician who knows how to inveigle his way into power and keep it and will sell out anyone over or under him to protect his power if he has to. Vader's been looking for an excuse to get rid of him for quite some time, and the terrible botch he made of GETTING VADER'S SON BACK (and keep in mind that more than anything else GETTING HIS SON BACK is an obsession that stokes Vader's deep irrational inner rage) was all the excuse he needed.
  • There is also the Alternate Character Interpretation that Ozzel is in fact working for the rebels or at least sympathizes with them, which has some merit. Captain Needa on the other hand was just Vader hitting the Berserk Button.
  • Also remember that the Empire are clearly modeled in part on the Nazis, and Vader is somewhat of a Hitlerian type, consumed by anger and hubris, prone to emotional outbursts; imagine if Hitler had telekinesis.
  • Vader's behavior towards his commanders is often interpreted as being a reflection of his own feelings of inadequacy and insecurity as a Sith Lord. Despite his immense power, he often struggles to control his emotions and is prone to outbursts of anger and frustration, which sometimes manifest as physical violence towards those around him. His treatment of his subordinates is often seen as a way to assert his dominance and prove his authority, even when it is not necessary or wise. Additionally, Vader's willingness to kill or harm his subordinates is also seen as a reflection of the harsh and brutal nature of the Empire, which values obedience and loyalty above all else. While Vader's behavior towards his subordinates may not be the most effective or rational, it is consistent with his character as a Dark Side user and his role as a enforcer of the Empire's will.

AT Armor

• Battle of Hoth. Luke claims the armour on the AT-ATs is too strong for blasters, thus meaning the speeders have to trip them up with cables. We see one trip up then a pair of speeders shoot it with lasers...and it blows up. So... what happened to "that armour is too strong for blasters"?
  • There's a weak spot in their armour behind their heads.
    • What, so Luke "I used to bullseye Womp rats in my T-16 back home" Skywalker can't hit this spot of a huge machine that moves at about two miles per hour and has to have it come to a complete stop first?
    • First off, Luke is a dumb kid who's boasting. Second, womp rats aren't shooting back. Nor are their friends shooting back.
    • Also, in the official novelization by Lucas, right after Luke makes his "I used to bullseye womp rats" comment, Wedge's response is to thoroughly rip him on how useless that skill is in actual combat.
    • The weak spot is not exposed to any feasible approach vector. Blasters don't arc; the only way that Luke could have got a shot at the walker's weak point while it was walking was if he dived at it from directly above the walker. Which, suffice to say, would not have been very feasible.
    • Why not? There were no anti-air weapons on the thing's top or back.
    • Actually, the target he was aiming at could only be hit from the front. Where the AT-AT's blasters are located.
    • They spent most of the battle in front of the AT-AT anyway, and that still doesn't explain why they didn't just go above the plane of the AT-ATs and shoot down, or at least fly past then tow-cable. AT-A Ts have horrible neck articulation and can't aim up, there's no reason they couldn't have flown about 2-3x as high as they were in order to dodge attacks, then swooped down and hit the weak point from above.
    • The blasters on the AT-AT's heads are mounted on swivels. They don't need great neck articulation when the blaster can just rotate up and fire. And flying up too high wouldn't give them a good shot at the AT-AT's weak point.
    • In actual fact the target is where the neck connects to the body, which would require comming in over the top of the walker and diving down (30-45 degrees seemingly). It's unconfirmed, but it seems that hitting them from behind could be a viable option as well, as the few pictures I've seen seem to represent this area as being largely unarmoured.
  • On the DVD Commentary, Irvin Kershner admitted he fudged it because explosions are cool.
  • The place the AT-AT is hit before it explodes appears to be the top of the neck/back. From the looks of things, and from how they handle in the games, the Speeders can't do the sort of dive maneuver necessary to hit that sort of target while the AT-AT is standing up. Their movement seems to be fairly limited to moving laterally, and gradual climbing and diving compared to things like the X-Wing.
    • Wow, so suddenly an aircraft of the future can't handle anything like a modern one? Bull. Maybe the games can't deal with it, but I'm damn sure it'd be possible for a good pilot to make the shot, although steering through the blaster fire at the same time would be more difficult.
    • The snow speeders seem more like higher end versions of the land speeder personal vehicles than aircraft, based on how they perform. So think Humvee, not F14.
  • In the Novelization, the rebels were trying to rush the fallen AT-AT on foot to take out any imperial soldiers trying to escape when it exploded on its own. Maybe the snow speeder shooting it was unrelated to its destruction.
    • Perhaps it was so badly damaged from the fall that any further damage would make it blow up. The idiom "the bigger they are, the harder they fall" is literally true, as force= massXacceleration, so the bigger something is, the more force it hits the ground with. Even comparetively tiny real-life elephants often suffer broken bones if they fall down.
  • It's possible that the armor on the AT-ATs is strong for most types of blaster fire, but the speeders used by the Rebels were equipped with more powerful blasters that were able to penetrate the armor. Additionally, it's possible that the armor is not completely impenetrable and that repeated shots from weaker blasters could eventually wear down the armor and allow for a killing shot. The point of tripping up the AT-ATs with cables is to provide an opportunity for the speeders to fire at the AT-ATs from a position where they can target the weak spots in the armor, and not that the armor is completely impenetrable. Additionally, it's also possible that the Rebels had upgraded their blasters since the Battle of Yavin, allowing them to dish out more damage to the AT-ATs.

Vader's Other Captives

• They're testing the carbon freezing process on Han. All they need is Han. Why don't they leave the rest of the gang in their cell? They even let Chewbacca carry the annoying thing that doesn't shut up along.
  • Vader was having Leia and Chewie taken to his ship. He simply brought them along so he wouldn't have to bother with hauling Han to the carbon-freezing chamber and then going back to get them and taking them all together. Saved him a trip.
  • Trip? Vader doesn't make trips. He has a legion of goons to do this stuff for him. Now, I wonder why he didn't take Han to be frozen and have the rest taken from their cell, directly to a cell on his ship.
    • Because Vader is evil, and making Leia and Chewie watch Han getting frozen gives him his evil jollies.
    • That, or he was being a nice guy and letting them say their goodbyes to their dear friend...
    • Let's not forget, the whole purpose of Vader taking Han and the others prisoner was to set a trap for Luke. And how did Luke find out they'd been captured? He sensed their pain through the Force. Vader wanted all the characters to feel as much emotional agony as possible, which is why he tortured Han. He knew Luke would sense the pain of Leia and Chewie watching their friend get frozen, and it would get him into his X-Wing and on his way to Bespin that much quicker.
  • If he had, they probably would not have gotten away, with Luke in tow to boot.
    • No, it wouldn't. Leia and Chewie's escape was predicated on Lando's rescue effort; it had nothing whatsoever to do with separating the two groups. In fact, Lando only acted to rescue Leia and Chewie once they were separated from Vader and Boba Fett, so moving them in a separate group from Han would have only made Lando act sooner, which in turn might have led to a complete aversion of Vader's trap for Luke and Leia, Chewie, and Lando getting to Fett before he got back to Slave I, thereby potentially rescuing Han.
  • Plus it's a way to spread fear to those who would oppose the Empire. "We don't even care about this guy, we're just using him to test this thing, that's how easy it is for us to risk the live of people like you so get in line, or you'll be next into that pit. And your Wookie can rage and scream all he wants, but we don't even consider that worth the effort of shooting him."
    • The power and ruthlessness of the Empire was pretty well established. Surely, they were still talking about Alderaan.
    • This group has narrowly escaped them all over space until they laid this trap. Gathering them together to witness Han's freezing is begging for trouble.
    • They were under extremely heavy guard and had no way to escape without outside intervention. In fact, they didn't escape without outside intervention, even when Luke distracted the Stormtroopers the first time.
  • If memory serves, Vader wants to know if the carbon freezing facilities in Bespin will be adequate for freezing Luke. If Vader brings the gang with him and the carbon freezing process kills Han, Vader could easily say, "Modify the settings and try it on Leia this time."
    • But then why test it on Han? Boba Fett wants him alive, so why does Vader risk pissing him off when he might need his services again in the future? If Vader needs to test the carbon freezing, he can just grab someone from Cloud City, or just toss one of his stormtroopers in.
    • Vader doesn't care what Fett thinks, he's already told Fett he's getting paid if he dies and to shut up. There is a whole galaxy full of bounty hunters if Fett doesn't want the Empire's money again. If Han dies then his death in the Force will just be one more thing to draw Luke to Vader.
  • The gang's presence in the chamber with Han adds tension and suspense to the scene, with the possibility that they could try to free Han and ruin the carbon freezing process. Additionally, as a group, the gang provides a source of humor and levity to balance out the dark and imposing tones present in the rest of the scene. Furthermore, having the entire group present adds to the emotional impact of the scene, as the audience can sympathize with the gang's frustration and concern for Han's safety. It is also worth noting that Darth Vader may have been making a statement by keeping the gang present, and demonstrating the power and control he held over them. Overall, the decision to include the gang in the scene serves a number of artistic and storytelling purposes, both in terms of enhancing the tone and emotional impact of the scene, and in terms of adding depth and complexity to the characters and their dynamics.

Obi-Wan's Lack of Interference

• What is the reason behind Obi-Wan's claim that he can't interfere if Luke confronts Vader? I know he can't physically do anything, but I imagine seeing the ghost of his former friend would be a good way to distract Vader when things got bad. Was he letting Luke make his own mistakes, or did he just not feel like a trip to Bespin?
  • Force ghosts only show up for sensitive individuals, but in this case he just meant that he can't pull Luke's fat out of the fire.
  • Moreover, it's possible that Anakin just can't sense Force Ghosts. He couldn't sense Qui-Gon begging him not to kill the Sand People either. Or dark siders can't sense Force Ghosts, at any rate.
  • I can accept the possibility that Anakin, for whatever reason, can't sense Force ghosts; at least the films aren't inconsistent on this point. But Obi-Wan's statement "If you face Vader you must do it alone; I cannot interfere" does seem on the surface like mere plot convenience, as he did guide Luke during the Rebel attack on the Death Star in the first movie, so why couldn't he do the same while Luke fights with Vader? One possible answer (and it's pure WMG) is that he's unable to guide Luke if he knows what Luke is doing is wrong.
    • I think it's more that Obi-Wan can easily manifest on Dagobah (because Yoda is nearby and/or because Dagobah itself is "strong in the force"), but anywhere else is a crapshoot. He was lucky enough to get a signal through soon after his death, but after that he had to wait three years before he had another opportunity on Hoth. So he knew in advance that there was a very small chance he'd be able to reach out to Luke on Bespin. (Luke ends up reaching out to Leia, but she has the advantage of being alive. Obi-wan, being dead, is working with a handicap.)
  • Obi-Wan was wise enough to understand that Luke's confrontation with Vader was a key part of his growth and development as a Jedi, and that interfering in that battle would undermine that growth. Additionally, Obi-Wan had a strong belief in the will of the Force and knew that Luke's destiny was to face Vader and confront him. By allowing Luke to confront Vader on his own, Obi-Wan was giving Luke the opportunity to grow, learn, and become the Jedi he was meant to be. If Obi-Wan had intervened, he would have deprived Luke of that important experience and growth, which would have ultimately weakened him as a Jedi. In short, Obi-Wan's decision to not interfere was a demonstration of his trust in the Force and his belief in Luke's ability to overcome the challenges he faced.

Luke Believing Vader

• So how is it that Luke so readily believes Darth Vader's claim of him being his father? First of all, the only sort of info he has on the guy, Save for any news casts, are a couple sentences by an old man who died less than 3 years before? Second, if some guy claimed he was your father, I'm sure you would be questioning the validity of the claim.
  • Weren't you paying any attention? He searched his feelings and knew it to be true via the force. Also, even if he wasn't completely convinced, Obi-Wan's Force Ghost kinda confirmed it when next they spoke.
  • Yoda confirmed it in his dying moments.
  • Luke's immediate, and only, response is to scream, "No, that's not true, that's impossible!" and then jump into a hole. So the question is flawed — Luke does not "readily believe" that Vader is his father. He immediately and strongly denies the possibility, and it's not until both Yoda and Obi-Wan confirm it in the next movie that he accepts it fully.
    • YMMV, but I took it that realizing Vader was probably telling the truth is what (rather literally) pushed Luke over the edge.
    • I took it that he finally accepted it when he had the later telepathic conversation with Vader while on the Falcon. That's when he says, "Ben, why didn't you tell me?"—indicating he was mostly convinced by that point, though he still wasn't willing to be 100% sure until he got confirmation from Yoda in the next film.
  • He sensed it in the force. You can see it on his face midway through their conversation. Vader told him where to look (so to speak), and now he's looking and he senses a force connection between the two of them that can only be explained as a familial bond. That's why his whispers "Ben, why didn't you tell me?" later on. At that point he only had a little bit of doubt remaining, until Yoda confirmed it for him.
  • Luke's belief in Darth Vader's claim is partly due to his deep connection to the Force. He has a strong connection to the Force, which allows him to sense things that others may not, including the truth of Vader's claim. Additionally, Luke has spent time with Yoda, who has given him wisdom and insight into the nature of the Force and the Jedi. Yoda's teachings have prepared Luke to understand the truth of Vader's claim, and to see past the deception and manipulation that Vader has used in the past. Finally, Luke has a deep-seated desire to believe that there is still good in his father, which makes him more willing to believe Vader's claim than he may otherwise be. Ultimately, Luke's connection to the Force, his training with Yoda, and his desire for redemption come together to allow him to believe Vader's claim and begin the process of trying to redeem him.

Turn Off Threepio

• The Falcon is hiding on top of a Star Destroyer, Threepio is terrified beyond words and Leia's response is to reach over and TURN HIM OFF. Not cool. He's supposedly your friend, but when he annoys you even a little, you just shut him down. This scene made me lose all sympathy for Leia.
  • Why? It's not like it hurts him or anything.
    • No it doesn't, and on top of that it prevents the massive argument brewing between the droid and Han, and on top of that he was suggesting surrender.
  • What's wrong with turning him off? And how else was she going to shut him up after he starts ranting and panicking? In real life, you would likely have smacked or otherwise subdued a comrade who was acting that irrational.
  • Also, remember earlier in either the first movie or Empire, 3P0 offers to turn himself off if they won't be needing him for a while. Turning a droid off is clearly not a big deal. All Leia did was give him an enforced nap instead of having him panic and screw something up.
    • If 3PO turning himself off is akin to him taking a nap, then Leia turning him off is essentially like knocking him out. Still, I believe that droids are often treated like second class citizens in the Star Wars universe. Even kind and compassionate Obi-Wan isn't particularly disturbed when R4 is destroyed (and in the novel, he often tells Anakin to refer to R2 as "it", not "him"). I think Luke and Anakin are unusual in that they consider droids to be more equal that others do.
    • That's because in the Star Wars 'verse, Droids aren't citizens. They're tools and properties. Leia turning off C-3P0 is, to them, exactly the same as you turning off your computer when you're done with it or it's acting up, regardless of how ridiculously human he is.
    • Droids aren't sapient. They do a pretty good impression of sapience, but they are not sapient. Everything about them is built to serve their master, they exist only to please. They are programmed with fear to avoid being damaged. They kinda have personalities, but then so do The Sims.
    • In that case why does Padme have a ceremony to honor and acknowledge R2-D2 at the end of EP 1 ? That would be like President giving a metal to a Predator Drone for taking out a terrorist.
    • There have been a 'few' independent droid in the franchise, among them HK-01, HK-47 (in the Rebellion era), G0-T0, IG-88 (and IG-72) and 8t88. It's also to be noted that most droids tend to develop personalities if they go without memory wipes for a few years (like R2-D2 and C-3PO).
    • I actually thought Leia was being compassionate in a way: if he's shut down he won't be terrified anymore.
    • Exactly. It's like if a dog is on a road trip with family and they're driving through a thunderstorm. The dog is crying and making lots of noises. What do you do? You give them a sleeping sedative so they'll drift off to sleep. That's what Leia basically did.
  • Yeah, Leia can seem callous at times. She's constantly under immense pressure and is struggling to lead a Rebellion, so sometimes she doesn't have the time or energy to deal with Threepio's constant whining. She might not want to hear Threepio's panicked ramblings while she's trying to focus on keeping the ship from being destroyed or found by the Empire. It's not necessarily fair to Threepio, but it's not uncommon for people to lose their patience with others when they're under extreme stress. And hey, at least she didn't space him like Han wanted to.

Asteroid Search

• Why don't the Imperials manage to locate the Falcon while its in the asteroid, I mean it flew down a hole a good 50 freakin' meters across, are you trying to tell me that none of the pilots even saw the thing?
  • They probably did find the hole, eventually, but by that point that space slug was likely already there, and their sensors showed it (keep in mind that Imperial war machines likely have more consistently reliable tech than the cobbled-together Falcon). The idea that the Falcon was inside the slug as anything other than digested dinner likely didn't occur to them.
    • Except that Star Destroyers can detect life-signs (it's seen within the first like 5 minutes), so why not put a couple of fighters down to check on them (they have no trouble with wasting the things in other situations).
    • You mean the asteroid they flew into after all the fighters following them were destroyed? The Imperials didn't know they were in that specific asteroid, they were bombing everything to scare the Falcon out.
    • Except that like 95% of the other asteroids weren't even big enough to contain the Falcon, let alone having handy caves.
    • Yeah, no. There were a lot of big asteroids.
    • Oh lots of big ones, yes, but very few 'big enough' to hide in (certainly not to obscure a SD's sensors). Besides, it doesn't change the fact that none of the convenient caves were actually investigated.
    • How do you know how many asteroids were large enough to hide the Falcon? It's not like we are given a full analysis of the asteroid field, we just see the one that they fly to. There could be thousands of other suitable rocks out there which aren't shown because they are irrelevant to the plot. And even assuming that the TIE fighters can detect life-signs, there is a giant space worm down there which presumably has life signs of its own.
    • Well going from the movie, the asteroid can't be less than several km across (seen here◊ that worm has a diameter of at least 200m based on the size of the Falcon), which would make it kind of noticeable against a background of <1km objects, rather like a cement truck in a carpark. As for detecting them, the Imperials don't seem to be concerned about wasting fighters, so why not just fly a couple into the cave? No, the way they play it, it's all too obvious that they just didn't want the Imperials to find the Falcon just yet, regardless of whether or not it actually makes sense.
    • So they fly a couple of fighters into the cave, see that there's a giant space worm there and nowhere for a ship to hide, and then fly out. As someone said above, the idea that the Falcon would hide inside the worm probably didn't occur to them (or to anyone on board the Falcon for that matter, as soon as they realize where they are they decide to take their chances in the asteroid field). Also, it's difficult to judge the size of all the asteroids given that all we have to compare them to are other asteroids - a giant rock a long way off looks a lot like a small rock close up. Plus we only saw a small part of the asteroid field during the chase sequence, it's not like every large asteroid needs to appear in the background somewhere. I'll grant that most of the rocks were probably too small, but we simply have no way of knowing exactly how many suitable hiding places there were.
    • Except that they'd pick up the Falcon in an instant because they be flying into the mouth of the worm the same way it did. On the size of the asteroids, only passive sensors could be fooled by size and distance variations, active sensors couldn't (they work on time delays), and a SD definitely has active sensors. And as for having too many asteroids choose from, bull, they've been chasing them up to then, the moment they disappear off sensors the SD will get their last recorded position and find the nearest big asteroid in the vicinity (which would just happen to be the one they're hiding in).
    • The only way that the Falcon would be visible from outside of the worm's mouth is if the worm was lying perfectly straight and has a perfectly straight digestive system, and even then the pilots would be looking for something a long way off, in a place they would never expect to see it, in near-total darkness. As for the size of the asteroids, I wasn't saying that the Imperials wouldn't be able to tell what size they are, I was saying that you don't know what size they all are. This whole argument rests on your claim that none of the other asteroids were big enough to hide the Falcon. Note that Han talks about "going in closer to one of the big ones", not "the big one" so clearly there were other options, and he is not shown as having any problem finding one so they presumably aren't that rare.
  • You're all forgetting that a number of asteroids also have metals that make sensors useless (in EU Canon—makes sense, too). And being inside a life form will obscure sensors even more, if it were passible. The fact is that the asteroid field has probably a number of large asteroids, and a significant number of large asteroids that can host a ship inside of them—if you assume that the asteroid field is composed of asteroids that fit a distribution that we are familiar with, then yes, there are very definitely many asteroids that the Falcon can hide in.
  • There's a few reasons why the Imperials might not have been able to locate the Falcon:
    • The asteroid field may have provided a lot of cover for the Falcon. It's possible that the asteroids made it difficult for the Imperial pilots to spot the ship.
    • The Imperial pilots may have been focused on targeting other members of the Rebel fleet, rather than keeping an eye out for an escaping vessel.
    • The Rebels may have been able to fly the Falcon deeper into the asteroid field, making it even harder for the Imperials to find it.
  • Overall, it's worth noting that the Imperials were heavily outnumbered and outgunned by the Rebel fleet, and they may have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of ships and fighters they were trying to track and engage. With that in mind, it's possible that the Falcon simply slipped through their grasp due to the chaos and confusion of the battle.

You Are NOT Reckless

• When Luke first goes to Yoda for training Obi-wan urges Yoda to help Luke by pointing out that he, Obi-wan, was also reckless in his youth. So where exactly is that ever shown in the prequel movies? In the first movie he's practically the moderate voice to Qui-Gon's attitude of clashing with the rules. Admittedly by this point Obi-wan has been training for quite some time, but if he was studying with Qui-Gon shouldn't that have made him more reckless?
  • Remember that jump through the window to catch a droid in AOtC?
    • Plus Obi-Wan's probably referring more to his time before he was a Padawan, just a student at the academy. Considering in ESB he mentions that Yoda taught him, I imagine Obi-Wan was more reckless as a child and then lesson from Yoda, maybe even personal one to one lessons, turned him into the straight laced, by the book character we see in TPM.
  • How about Obi-Wan defying the Jedi council to train Anakin even though everyone except Qui-Gon thought it was a bad idea? Promise or not, that was a big leap for him. He might have been punted out of the Order for it. There was also the time in the bar in Clones when they were chasing the assassin where he allows her a free shot at his back in order to draw her out.
    • Obi-Wan did not defy the council. While Yoda stated that he did not approve of the idea of Obi-Wan training Anakin, the council gives their approval.
  • In the prequel movies, Obi-Wan does not show the same level of recklessness as his younger self in the original trilogy. However, it's worth noting the differences in their circumstances: In the prequels, Obi-Wan is a young Jedi Apprentice, while in the original trilogy, he's a seasoned Master and leader of the Rebel Alliance. He has grown wiser and more mature over the years, and is now responsible for the lives of many people, as well as the fate of the galaxy. Additionally, in the original trilogy, Obi-Wan is on a mission to save the galaxy from the Empire, and he is often forced to take drastic actions and make tough decisions to accomplish this goal. This includes taking risks and acting impulsively in order to outmaneuver the Empire and preserve the Rebel Alliance. While in the prequels, he is still learning the ways of the Jedi and doesn't yet have the experience or responsibility that he has in the original trilogy. Therefore, his behavior is more restrained and cautious in the prequel movies.
  • I remember an EU/Legends book that took place right after Qui-Gon had a bad experience with his first Padawan and accepted Obi-Wan as his new ward. Obi-Wan was either a preteen or in his early teens, and he was fairly angsty. He thought Qui-Gon was cool, though, because he was a maverick. They were on a mission against the Hutts, and Qui-Gon could sense Obi-Wan get very angry at one point. (He wanted to draw his lightsaber and kill whichever Hutt was the antagonist.) Qui-Gon admonished him, and he was able to calm down. Anyway, before all that happened—if you respect the Legends lore, at least—Yoda would have been babysitting Obi-Wan as a youngling, and little Ben was apparently rambunctious until Qui-Gon took over his training.

Mind Over Matter

• Regarding Yoda's "mind over matter" philosophy that he preaches to Luke. The way that he tells Luke that if you can envision it with your mind and eliminate all mental barriers in your mind saying, "I can't do this.", then you will be able to do it, bugs me.
  • First off no amount of telling yourself that you can do something is going to make it so, Luke for example can't tell his mind, "I can destroy the Emperor and I can kill him in so and so manner." and then the Emperor drops dead. Of course you can argue that Yoda was saying that he was talking about tapping into the Force and the only way you can access levels of the Force thought impossible is if you open up your mind to the will of the Force, it isn't your mind that does the work but the Force working through you. However the problem with that is that Yoda has been practicing the Force for literally hundreds of years, the amount of time he has had to quiet his mind, meditate and concentrate himself to listen to the will of the Force should make him some sort of Force wielding God that could destroy entire armies with a thought. Clearly there has to be some sort of barriers when it comes to accessing the Force.
    • Yoda never tells Luke that by imagining something he can do literally anything, it was more along the lines of "if you're convinced that you're going to fail, then you're going to fail". The main scene involving this idea was when Luke tried to pick his X-Wing out of the swamp - Luke decides that it's impossible and thus fails, but Yoda knows it can be done and so succeeds. This doesn't rule out the possibility that there would be tasks for which Luke would be right to conclude that it would be impossible, but in this case it clearly was possible and Luke needs to learn the right mindset rather than giving up right away. This kind of thinking is important to some extent in real life tasks, and when dealing with magic powers controlled through mental abilities it's likely to be even more important.
    • Yeah, but that is only one part of Yoda's lesson. The other part of the argument that he tells Luke is that size matters not, that you need to eliminate the restrictions in your mind that tell you that just because whatever you are facing is bigger than you that you can't do it, that Luke shouldn't judge Yoda's power by his physical size. This applies to using the Force in that you need to remove the restrictions in your mind that there are things that are unmovable, there is no object that is totally unmovable if you allow the Force to flow through you and that if you do that the Force will allow you to overcome those natural limits since while we can't do everything the Force is an energy that binds the galaxy together and thus can. This is clearly showcased by Jedi like Galen Marek who reaches out in the Force to rip a Star Destroyer, which is a mile long battleship, out of the sky, by Yoda himself who throws star ships around like they are nothing, and Luke himself at the pinnacle of his power in the Force was able to manipulate the gravity of a freaking BLACK HOLE, which need I remind everyone is a gravitational hole in the fabric of space-time that can suck up entire worlds and stars alike. Clearly when he said size matters not, Yoda meant it.
    • The "throwing around starships" and "manipulating black holes" bit might play into the whole "is EU canon" debate here, as the movies don't indicate things can get that insane. As was mentioned in a previous IJBM, the Force still follows Newtonian law (which is why Jedi can't fly under their own power), so while size matters not when lifting an X-Wing or bringing down a Star Destroyer, it's still physically impossible for Jedi to throw planets around, for example.
  • And secondly the concept of the midiclorians throws a wrench in Yoda's theory. It is established that these micro-organisms in every living being is what allows them to hear the will of the Force, so the more of them you have the easier it should be for you to hear the will of the Force and tap into its power. This explains why the Skywalker clan is so gifted in using the Force, Anakin and his descendants have the midiclorians in such abundance that they are able to hear, understand, and wield the Force at a faster pace than a normal Force user. This doesn't necessarily mean that your average peon couldn't reach the level that the Skywalkers are at but not having as many midiclorians means that they would have a harder time reaching that pinnacle. On this note this aspect of the Force upsets me when I hear people say Vader can't become stronger than Darth Sidious due to his lack of organic mass due to his injuries, sure he can he would just have to work all that much harder to reach the potential that he once had of becoming twice as powerful as Emperor Palpatine.
    • Can't speak for everything there, but how I understood it was that Darth Vader was less powerful not because he didn't have as much body mass, but rather because his injuries literally capped his power. Heck, Palpatine could've seen to it that his suit acted as a Power Limiter (I'm not sure if I picked that idea up somewhere else or not), but that's more a WMG.
  • That's understandable - Yoda's philosophy of "mind over matter" can seem simplistic and overly romanticized. It's true that a positive outlook and believing in yourself can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your goals, but it's also important to acknowledge and respect your limitations. Certain skills and abilities require not only a belief in yourself but also hard work, dedication, and patience. Additionally, there may be factors outside of our control that limit our abilities, and simply willing those factors away is not always possible or realistic. It's important to find a balance between determination and humility, and to recognize when our talents and abilities are not enough to overcome a particular obstacle.

Between one part and the other

• This film more than any in the series really shows how Sci-Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale. The entire story starts on Hoth and ends on Bespin, and it doesn't say how much time elapses during the second act when Luke is on Dagobah and everyone else is on the way to Bespin in the Falcon. If the ship's hyperdrive didn't work, it would take an incredibly long time to get to another planet, even though Bespin is close to Hoth in canon. (Remember, a light-year is a long distance.) But officially, Return of the Jedi takes place the year after this movie, so the most time that could have elapsed during the movie is several months. How did the Falcon travel that far without a hyperdrive in that length of time? And wouldn't the ship have run out of food or oxygen at some point? The only way it makes any sense is if maybe the hyperdrive worked enough to travel relatively short distances at a time, but the film implies it doesn't work at all.
  • One could argue that the Star Wars galaxy is relatively young, and its stars are closer together. That would cut down on travel time.
  • Additionally, the Star Destroyer the Falcon was hitching a ride on may have jumped out of the Hoth system before Han detached his ship from it. This is supported by how Han checks in the ship's computer where they are before checking which systems are nearby—if they were still in the Hoth system he wouldn't have had to do that. Hiding on the back of the Star Destroyer wasn't just useful for hiding, it was also useful for getting closer to a possibly safer system.
  • The Falcon is equipped with a backup hyperdrive, which is much slower and has a more limited range compared to the main hyperdrive. That allowed them to jump to Bespin for repairs, but not much further.
  • That said, the entire plan would have failed if any of the Star Destroyer's numerous fighters or small craft noticed the ship clinging to the hull. Either those pilots Failed a Spot Check, or the Star Destroyer was somehow attempting to conduct a search without deploying it's embarked compliment of spacecraft, which seems unlikely.
  • The Empire cares little for quality or versatility of its fighters and shuttles; they tend to have one job, the bare minimum to do the job, and little else. TIE fighters, for example, have virtually no use in a search unless the target is known to be very close and likely to reveal itself; they engines, guns, and a power supply for the engines and guns. Their sensors are likely much less powerful or useful than a Star Destroyer's, which makes sense, given that one is a massive, self-sufficient capital ship with plenty of space for large sensor arrays (and probably designed to be capable of operating independently of any support fleet for an extended period of time), and the other is a basic bare-bones fighter not even equipped with a life-support system, ejector seat, or hyperdrive. And the lack of a hyperdrive on any mass-produced TIE craft adds another reason not to deploy them unless the target is confirmed to be within sublight range: the time taken to scramble, launch, patrol, and eventually return to the Star Destroyer is valuable time that could have been spent conducting general sensor sweeps before immediately traveling elsewhere.
  • You're correct that the travel time between Hoth and Bespin is never specified in the movie, and the official timeline puts it shortly before the events of Return of the Jedi. However, it's possible that the Falcon was able to make the journey in a more reasonable amount of time by using a slower backup hyperdrive, or by making multiple short jumps along the way. Additionally, it's also possible that, as you mentioned, the hyperdrive was partially functional and able to make shorter jumps with a longer recharge time. Even though the film implies that the hyperdrive is not working at all, it's not beyond the realm of possibility that the Falcon had some level of hyperdrive function available to them. Finally, it's important to remember that this is a work of science fiction, and while the filmmakers strive for accuracy and realism, ultimately, it's up to the viewers to suspend their disbelief in order to enjoy the story.
    • This. Star Wars, in general, throws Einstein's relativity theory out the window about time being perceived and experienced differently depending on an object's velocity, mass, position in space, and so forth. The plot is very linear and doesn't necessarily factor in the cosmology and astrophysics at play in our universe.

Gravity

• The gravity on the asteroid they land on should be incredibly low. When they are in the Falcon, it can be explained as Artificial Gravity, but later they go outside to investigate and the gravity is still normal. Even if it were a large asteroid, for example, Ceres only has 1/36 the gravity of earth. Gravity aside, another problem is that they go out into the cave without any space suits or protective gear other than oxygen masks. Unless that asteroid has an atmosphere of some kind, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
  • You make a valid point about the gravity and lack of protective gear in The Empire Strikes Back. However, it's important to remember that Star Wars is a fictional universe, and the movies often take creative liberties with science and physics for the sake of storytelling. Additionally, the Star Wars franchise is known for its use of advanced technologies and futuristic elements, which may explain some of the discrepancies. In the end, it's up to the viewers to decide for themselves what level of realism they are willing to accept in the Star Wars universe. It's a matter of personal perspective and the level of suspension of disbelief one is willing and able to have.

Boba Fett's Learn From Experience

• This is perhaps bordering on Fridge Horror (or maybe it should be "Fridge Pragmatism"?), but Boba Fett knew what trick Han pulled to escape Imperial pursuit because Obi-Wan Kenobi pulled substantially the same trick on his father (as seen in "Attack of the Clones"), enabling him to track the Millennium Falcon to Bespin. With like a word to Vader or an Imperial officer he could have tipped them off to the Falcon's presence, leading to Han and Co.'s capture much earlier. Fett obviously wanted sole credit for capturing Solo and friends, so screw that. But seeing as how Fett's silence pretty much led to Captain Needa's subsequent Death By Force Choke, it comes off as pretty cold, and right in line with Boba Fett's canny, mercenary character.
  • Yes and no. As mentioned above, Captain Needa absolutely Failed a Spot Check for finding the Falcon. Whether he was killed for losing the Falcon or for some no–account, shoddy mercenary in a homebuilt starship was the one to find it, he was dead either way.
  • It's completely in-character for Boba Fett to act this way. He doesn't care about anyone but himself, and he's more than willing to let his own greed get in the way of doing what's right. His silence might have indirectly led to Captain Needa's death, but in his mind, he's the one who will get all the credit for capturing Han Solo, and that's all that matters to him. As for why he didn't tip off the Imperials, it's probably because he wanted to keep the reward for capturing Solo all to himself. After all, who wants to share the spoils with a bunch of Imperials who didn't do any of the work?

False Advice

• When Luke decides to leave Dagobah, Yoda tells him it'd be better to sacrifice their friends and honor their cause than risk the cause to save his friends. Except... this isn't remotely true. By this point in the original trilogy, it's clear Leia's one of the Rebellion's last leaders, and she becomes even more important when it's clear she's the only other force user that Yoda and Obi-Wan feel can challenge Vader and Palpatine. For all intents and purposes, Leia's death would be a serious, likely fatal blow to the Rebellion.
  • Yoda and Obi-Wan are thinking more in terms of Luke's soul/Force affiliation than the Rebellion as a fighting force. In particular, they remember what drove Anakin to become Vader, and in their minds, it's still very much rooted in the idea that Anakin made a fatal error in going against Jedi traditions and letting his attachments to those he loved drive him to actions that put him until the influence of the Dark Side; this is not helped that Anakin was driven by Force visions of a future he was trying to avoid. They're worried that by Luke rushing off to try and save his friends, he will once again be in a situation where a Dark Side act appears to be his only way forward. (That Luke would later repeat this mistake to devastating effect in Star Wars: The Last Jedi would seem to indicate they weren't entirely successful.) As is pointed out by Yoda, the constant motion of the Force means those visions aren't guaranteed to come to pass, and much like Anakin before him, acting impulsively to prevent those visions from coming true may instead just result in guaranteeing that they do.
  • That's a good point. While Luke's desire to rescue his friends can potentially compromise the Rebel Alliance's cause, it's important to remember that Leia is one of the rebellion's most valuable assets. Losing her would be a significant loss for the rebellion, and it's understandable why Luke would want to do everything in his power to prevent it. Yoda's advice can be seen as a harsh reminder that the ends don't always justify the means, and that there are sometimes consequences to putting personal desires before the greater good. Ultimately, it's up to Luke to find the balance between his devotion to the rebellion and his commitment to his friends, and it's clear that this is a struggle he's grappling with throughout the trilogy, as he learns to become a more compassionate and selfless leader.

As regards Leia being "the other hope," that can come from either Yoda continuing to believe that her fate was not yet sealed and could yet have a part to play in the Force's will, or (an idea bordering on WMG but not out of the realm of possibility) Yoda may have had an epiphany that one of their biggest threats (Vader) may have been a hope not yet considered (in the form of his redemption). It would certainly give another flavor to the line "There is another Skywalker" in RotJ, at least.

Hard To Spot

• Why does no one in the other ships notice that the Millennium Falcon is hiding on the back of the star destroyer's bridge? Even given that it's partially in shadow it is darker in color than the star destroyer so shouldn't be impossible to spot unless all the other ships just happened to be "below" or in front of that star destroyer the whole time.
  • Because they weren't looking for it. They expected it to be in the debris field and not doing something as ballsy and outright insane as latching onto their back. We get a nice, clear close-up, but nobody else in-universe is going to have anything like that view.
    • Surely Tie Fighter pilots ought to have seen it when they were reconnoitring?
    • They're looking in the debris field and they dock with the Star Destroyers in the front and sides, not the back.
    • The Falcon suddenly disappeared from their scopes, so the only explanations they could think of were likely (a) the Falcon has a high-tech small-scale cloaking device that's never been seen before, or (b) the Falcon somehow jumped to hyperspace and it's already long gone. In either case there's no reason to check the back of the star destroyer.
  • The Millennium Falcon was likely not easily spotted because the Imperial ships were heavily engaged in the battle and focused on attacking the Rebel fleet. With so much going on around them, it's understandable that they might not have noticed the small ship hiding in the shadow of a much larger one. Additionally, Luke and Han might have used the Millennium Falcon's sensor jamming gear to further conceal the ship from enemy sensors and make it more difficult to detect.

Slug Harm

• A minor quibble but when they are in the asteroid "cave" and Han suspects it's more than just a cave he shoots the ground and we hear the space slug roar in pain. Considering how huge the thing is (almost 1 km long according to legends) would it really even feel anything? I would think it would be like if a single eyelash mite bit you.
  • The inside of the mouth is some of the most sensitive tissue in most living things' bodies. I submit as evidence every child who's kicked their dentist when they got poked in the gums too hard.
  • The space slug is indeed massive, and it's possible that its skin is too thick for a single blaster shot to cause much pain. However, Han is a skilled smuggler and likely knows how to hurt the space slug in order to get its attention. Additionally, even a small amount of pain can be enough to deter a creature from attacking. So while the space slug may not have felt the shot as a human would, it still may have been enough to discourage it from pursuing the Millennium Falcon.

Imperial Attacks on Luke

• Maybe a dumb question but when Luke goes from Hoth to Dagobah why do no Imperial ships attack him? Are they just to busy with the transports and Falcon?
  • Short answer: Yes, they are. Longer answer: In one of the Rogue Squadron games, you play Hoth (yet again), only with an added bit where Luke trades in his snowspeeder for an X-Wing and flies up to help escort the transports through the blockade by taking down Imperial fighters.
  • Luke's X-Wing had a working primary Hyper Drive unlike the Falcon. Nigh impossible to track and he could have activated as soon as he was clear of the planet unlike Han and crew having to fight through the Destroyer's.
  • It's possible that the Imperials were focusing all of their efforts on attempting to locate and capture the remaining members of the Rebel Alliance, and that they simply didn't have enough resources or manpower to spare to search for a lone X-wing. Additionally, Luke was likely aware of this and took advantage of the chaos and confusion surrounding the battle to slip away unnoticed. He also took a less direct route to Dagobah, which may have further helped to hide his movements from the Imperials.

Ozzel In Charge

• Why is an arrogant blunderer like Ozzel the one in charge of the Imperial Death Squadron?
  • All Imperials (except the MIA Thrawn) are arrogant blunderers; that way, Palpatine never has to worry about a coup.
    • First of all, hiring incompetent officers does not seem like a particularly smart method of avoiding a coup while also maintaining a powerful defense, to put it mildly. Second, Gen. Veers, for one, is hardly an arrogant blunderer. And frankly, I wouldn't describe Captain Needa that way, either; just because Vader doesn't tolerate failure doesn't mean the men he kills are all idiots. Ozzel in fact seems like the only who's a bit of a doofus. Who knows why? Maybe he was hired by his cousin, Major Asshole.
  • Darth Vader handpicked Admiral Ozzel to command the Imperial Death Squadron based on his reputation for ruthless efficiency. Ozzel was known as a talented strategist who specialized in hunting down and destroying Rebel cells. However, Vader's trust in Ozzel was misplaced, as Ozzel failed to properly evaluate the situation at Hoth and allowed the Rebel forces to escape. The failure ultimately cost Ozzel his life, as Vader killed him on the spot for his incompetence. This was a testament to Darth Vader's ruthless and merciless nature, as well as a warning to other Imperial officers to never disappoint him.
  • Side point: in addition to natural ability, I think an Imperial officer's competence was partly the result of the military academy the one in question attended. Aside from the clone officers in the Grand Army of the Republic, there were others like Tarkin who had been trained during Old Republic times at academies around the galaxy. Since the Republic had been decentralized until the end and each planet mostly defended itself, it seems reasonable that officer training programs were not standardized. So while good academies produced officers like Thrawn and Veers, less reputable schools churned out knuckleheads like Ozzel.

Why Can't R 2 Tell?

• C-3P0 claims ignorance about the difference between a power socket and a computer terminal and fair enough since he's an interpreter. But shouldn't R2-D2, the mechanic whose job it is to interface with computer terminals, be able to tell the difference?
  • There are so many types of interface and sockets that even the best of mechanics is bound to screw up once in a while. Or maybe it socket got mislabeled when it was installed by the Cloud City maintenance crew.
  • Yes, it is reasonable to think that R2-D2, as a mechanic and an expert in interfacing with computer systems, would be able to distinguish between a power socket and a computer terminal. However, it's important to note that while R2-D2 is a talented mechanic and programmer, he is not exactly known for his communication skills. It's possible that he simply didn't think it was worth correcting C-3PO, as his primary function is to assist and support the human characters. Additionally, R2-D2 has been shown to have a bit of a mischievous streak, so it's possible that he was simply amused by C-3PO's mistake and chose not to correct him.

Hyperspace Problems

• When Han tries to jump to hyperspace, C-3PO is the one to break the news that the hyperdrive motivator is damaged. As far as we know C-3PO is not a starship mechanic, yet he is able to recognize that the hyperdrive is damaged. If the damage is that obvious, how did it escape the notice of Han and Chewie? And shouldn't obvious damage be pretty easy to fix?
  • Han and Chewie were in a hurry, so they didn't exactly do a full pre-flight checklist. Threepio just happened to look at a damaged component while they were busy with other things. And obvious damage is not necessarily easy to fix. If I smash a lightbulb, the damage is obvious, but it's not easy to fix.
  • It's established that Threepio's translation abilities allow him to "talk" to the Falcon in a way that even Han can't do on his own. So quite possibly the Falcon chirpped out some obscure error codes and Threepio knew what they meant.
  • C-3PO is programmed with extensive knowledge of droids and technology, including starship systems. While he does not have the ability to perform repairs on his own, he may be able to recognize when a system is not functioning properly. The extent of the damage to the hyperdrive motivator may not necessarily be obvious without specific diagnostic tools or a deeper understanding of starship mechanics. Additionally, Han and Chewie may have missed the damage due to distractions or their own overconfidence in their ability to navigate space. As for fixing the damage, while a hyperdrive motivator is a relatively simple part, it is still a critical component of the hyperdrive system. Depending on the nature of the damage, it could be a complicated process requiring specialized tools and expertise. Alternatively, it may be a relatively simple repair that could be performed with minimal resources, depending on the nature of the ship's repair kit and the skill level of the mechanic.
• Why do the good guys in the Millenium Falcon seemingly fly right "up" relative to where the base is (i.e right where all the star destroyers are currently waiting) rather than at least try flying to to opposite side of the planet before going into space? Even given Han doesn't know the hyperdrive doesn't work yet it still seems pretty risky.
  • Hyperspace doesn't work near planets. If you want to get to hyperspace as soon as possible, then you have to fly directly away from the planet in a straight line. Keeping a non-hyperspace altitude just gives the enemy more time to hunt you down.
  • That is a great question. The in-universe explanation is that the Millennium Falcon is attempting to use the debris field from the destroyed rebel base as cover from the Imperial fleet, hoping to slip away amidst the chaos. However, as you pointed out, it does seem like a risky plan, as it would bring them closer to the waiting Imperial ships. Another possible explanation is that, with the rebel base destroyed, there is nowhere to hide on the planet, and they must risk going into open space to escape. It could also be that Han and Luke are overconfident in their flying abilities and believe they can slip past the star destroyers without being noticed.

Lando's reception to Han

• Why'd id Lando pretend to be really mad at Han Solo when he arrived, the burst out laughing and started being nice? Was it just a dumb prank on his part? Or was he hoping to shoo them away (due to Vader secretly being there), without being too obvious?
  • It's possible that Lando's initial outburst of anger was simply a cover - he was expecting them, and knew the seriousness of the situation at hand. His abrupt change in demeanor to a friendlier one could have been a deliberate attempt to ease tension and create a more relaxed atmosphere for the upcoming discussions, rather than immediately revealing the true nature of Vader's presence. It could also have been a way to throw Han and Luke off guard, as they would not necessarily expect such a dramatic change in his attitude. Regardless, Lando's quick shift in demeanor was effective in creating an atmosphere of trust and camaraderie among the rebels on Bespin at a critical juncture in the battle.
• I can think of two reasons:

Number 1: Lando is just like that. He hasn't seen Han in years, has a contentious history with him, likely didn't even know himself until that moment how he'd react to a reunion between them, and decided on the spur of the moment to mess with him a little bit. I mean, what are friends for?

Number 2: Lando has an invisible gun to his head in this and every scene until the big reveal, he can neither say nor do anything to tip his hand until everyone knows exactly how high the stakes actually are: the best he can do is try to make sure Han doesn't completely drop his guard just because he thinks he's safe here- not that it does much good.

My feeling is that it's a combination of the two: Lando doesn't even know, he wants to screw over the guy who "stole" his ship and embrace the bro he's been through so many adventures with. The soil of a man's heart is stonier. . .

How did Luke know to go to Bespin?

• He has the vision so he knows it's a city in the clouds, but how did he know the world to go to? Did he do research after leaving? Did he know the planet's name from the vision and if so why didn't he say it at the time?
  • The film seems to imply that Cloud City is a pretty well-known tourist attraction, so he might have seen a postcard (or whatever the Star Wars equivalent is) of it as a kid. Also, according to Wookiepedia there seems to only be one other human-inhabitable gas giant in the galaxy (Taloraan), so he might have just guessed based on the vision and happened to be right since it's a 1/2 chance.
  • It's not explicitly stated in the film how Luke knew the location of Cloud City, but it's possible that he found out through his studies of the Force and through communicating with other Rebel leaders and agents. As a powerful Force-sensitive individual, Luke may have had information on different planets and their locations available to him through the Force. Additionally, Han and Leia may have had knowledge of Cloud City due to their involvement with criminal elements and underground networks, and may have shared this information with Luke before leaving Hoth. Overall, the exact mechanics of how Luke knew to go to Cloud City are not fully explained in the film, and it's open to interpretation and speculation.

Missing the Star Destroyer

• In the beginning of the movie, a Star Destroyer is shown sending probe droids out to look for the Rebels. The last one is tracked until it makes planet-fall on Hoth. At no point is it shown to enter lightspeed or hyperspace, meaning that the Star Destroyer had to be within the same planetary system as Hoth. Why didn't the Rebels detect the Star Destroyer itself?
  • It may have been cloaked, and only be visible to the audience so we know it's there.
  • It's feasible that the Star Destroyer entered the Hoth system shortly after the probe droid did, and that its presence went undetected due to its advanced stealth technology and the limited range of the Rebels' sensors. Additionally, the Rebel forces were likely focused on other tasks at the time and may have missed the warning signs of the Star Destroyer's approach. It's also possible that the Rebel leaders made a tactical error in not dedicating enough resources to monitoring the surrounding space for Imperial activity, which allowed the Star Destroyer to go unnoticed until it was too late to mount an effective defense.

"No Disintegrations!"

• When Vader is telling the bounty hunters I Want Them Alive!, why does he feel the need to tell Boba Fett "No Disintegrations!" If someone is disintegrated, they won't still be alive, so why did he feel the need to point this out specifically?
  • Not being familiar with the old Expanded Universe, I can't specifically say what's going on here, but my guess is that Boba Fett had been hired to do bounty hunting for the Empire before, but, either accidentally or intentionally, ended up disintegrating the target when the Empire wanted them brought in alive. So Darth Vader felt the need to clarify this time.
  • He's saying it for emphasis, with the possible subtext that Fett has a reputation for disintegrations. Compare it to a scene in The Godfather, where Vito Corleone tells the other Mafia bosses he wants Michael back alive, and then lists some ways he could be killed. Of course Michael won't be alive after being shot or hanged or struck by lightning; the Don is just hammering the point home. More prosaically, you might say "I want you to drive safely - buckle up, and no speeding" to a teenager who's borrowing your car.
  • It's possible that Vader was reminding Boba Fett about a previous mission where Fett's methods resulted in disintegrating the target, and this was an explicit instruction to use more conventional means to capture Han Solo and crew. Boba Fett was known for being ruthless and efficient in completing his missions, sometimes leading to him using extreme measures such as disintegration. Vader may have been warning him against this approach for this particular assignment, as Han Solo was a valuable target who needed to be brought back alive and in good condition. It's also possible that Vader's warning was more of a personal grudge he held against Boba Fett due to a previous encounter during the Clone Wars, where Fett had disobeyed orders and caused severe losses for the Empire. Vader may have been using his authority to remind Boba Fett that he was not above his command.

What would have happened if Luke followed Yoda's advice and didn't bring his lightsaber into the cave?

• Would he get a pleasant/happy vision instead?
  • First of all, it's all his weapons—including his gun, not just his light saber—that Yoda tells him not to bring in with him. That aside, in ignoring Yoda's advice Luke was showing a lack of trust in the Force (an echo of the theme from the first film where Obi-Wan keeps instructing Luke not to rely on technology and to trust his instincts instead—which ultimately leads to his successful attack on the Death Star) and gives in to his fear and, ultimately, anger and hate, all of which prove his undoing by the end of the film, and which are foreshadowed in his hallucinatory fight in the cave. While it's a pure WMG what he would have seen in the cave if he'd followed Yoda's instruction—assuming he'd have seen anything at all—he likely would have maintained better control of his emotions. The key line is when Luke asks Yoda what's in the cave and Yoda answers "Only what you take with you"—which does seem to suggest that his violent vision is, at least in part, brought on by his decision to take his weapons with him. In other words, he sees what he expects to see, based on how he prepares himself for the situation. The line also has a deeper meaning in that the Vader figure in the cave is really just a reflection of Luke himself. He goes in expecting a fight, and he gets one—with himself.
  • ** If Luke had followed Yoda's advice and refrained from bringing his lightsaber into the cave on Dagobah, it is possible that he would have had a different experience altogether. The vision he experienced was shaped by his own fears and emotions, and bringing his lightsaber into the cave may have contributed to making the vision darker and more menacing. Without a weapon to confront the vision, Luke may have been forced to confront his own fears and overcome them through inner growth and understanding, rather than relying on external tools or force. Ultimately, the vision may have been different, but the lesson of facing one's own flaws and insecurities would likely have remained the same.

Why did the Empire think to look on Hoth in the first place?

• Was it just really bad luck on the Rebel's part? Or is the planet somehow significant?
  • I think it’s implied they were sending out probe droids all across the galaxy, until they found something. It wasn’t so much luck they found them as trial and error, as eventually the Empire was likely to stumble on them.
  • The reason the Empire had reason to look for the Rebels on Hoth was likely due to a combination of factors. Hoth is an isolated and relatively inaccessible planet, making it a natural hiding place for rebels. The planet's icy surface would also make it difficult for the Empire to launch a land-based attack, which would force them to rely heavily on orbital bombardment, which could be detected and countered by the Rebels. Additionally, Hoth is known to have numerous ice caves and other naturally occurring hidden spaces where the Rebels could hide and establish a base of operations. Therefore, the Empire's focus on Hoth could be seen as a logical decision based on the information available at the time. However, it's also possible that the Empire's search on Hoth could simply be a case of pure luck, as the Rebellion's activities on Hoth were likely well-known and the Imperial forces could have easily pieced together the clues and reached the conclusion that Hoth was the most likely location for their base. Regardless of the reasoning, the Rebels on Hoth were ultimately unlucky in their choice of location, as the Imperium discovered their presence and launched a devastating attack.

How does Vader block blaster bolts with his bare hands?

• Namely, when Han first sees him on Bespin, he tries shooting him and he just blocks them, which we never see him or any other character do again. Wouldn't it make a lot more sense for him to just whip out his lightsaber and swat the bolts away (as characters in Star Wars video games sometimes do?)
  • Vader only pulls out his lightsaber when he means to fight. He's not trying to kill Han and the others here, and he's making it clear that he doesn't need his lightsaber to defend himself when he has the Force and a body full of robotics. Plus, he's in a dining room with other people; deflecting the bolts would risk accidentally injuring someone.
  • The Legends continuity explained this by establishing that Vader's glove was completely invincible. I don't know how he got an invincible glove in the first place, but I remember it was treated like a holy relic after his death.
  • It's possible that Vader blocking blaster bolts with his bare hands is a display of his incredible Force abilities. The Force allows Vader to sense attacks before they happen and move his body to intercept them. Additionally, Vader may also be using the Force to deflect or absorb the blaster energy, which would allow him to block the attacks without the use of a lightsaber. It's also worth noting that Vader's suit is highly durable and designed to protect him from physical harm, which may allow him to withstand the impact of blaster bolts. This is a unique ability shared by other Force-sensitive individuals such as Darth Maul, who was able to deflect blaster bolts using only their bare hands as well. Whether Vader chooses to use a lightsaber or his bare hands to block blaster bolts may simply be a personal preference or an attempt to showcase his abilities as a powerful Sith Lord.

C- 3 PO mistakes beeps for R2-D 2

• C-3PO hears an R2 unit, wanders off, and gets blasted by stormtroopers. But what on Hoth made him think that this R2 unit would be R2-D2? It's a big galaxy, with probably thousands or millions of these droids. To illustrate the point, C-3PO ran into a clone of himself mere seconds earlier. The odds that the beeps he heard were from R2-D2 are...infinitesimal.
  • First of all, he didn't think it was Artoo, he wondered if it was. And while it's a big galaxy, it's not totally implausible that Luke could somehow have found his way there; even though Threepio doesn't understand about the Force, there are scenarios in which Luke could have made contact with them through more normal means. All that said, I do agree it seems strange that after harping on the low "odds" of navigating asteroids, Threepio would consider such an unlikely scenario as Artoo suddenly appearing in Cloud City. Threepio doesn't always show the greatest common sense, and the common denominator in a lot of his behavior is anxiety more than logic; his reluctance to go through the asteroid field stemmed from a fear of taking risks, which isn't a contradiction to his desperately clinging to the hope he'll run into his droid companion by chance.
  • Remember that time in ANH where Artoo and Threepio went their separate ways but then coincidentally wound up on the same sandcrawler? He's hoping for a similar coincidence here.
  • C-3PO is a protocol droid, designed to be fluent in over 6 million languages. This makes him extremely good at identifying and translating various types of communication. Additionally, R2-D2 is a unique and well-known droid throughout the rebellion, as evidenced by his role in the destruction of the Death Star in Episode IV. It's possible that C-3PO is simply very good at identifying individual droids by their unique sound patterns, or that he has some form of built-in "friend/foe" identifier that allows him to quickly identify members of the rebellion. Regardless, it's clear that C-3PO has a special place in his memory banks for R2-D2, and as a protocol droid, he may automatically prioritize finding and communicating with familiar droids in order to serve his function as a translator. It's also worth noting that C-3PO may have simply been desperate to find any signs of the other members of the rebellion at that point, as he was on his own in an unfamiliar environment with no clear idea of what was happening. This may have led him to become overly hopeful in his assumption that the beeps he heard were from R2-D2. Ultimately, the exact reasoning for C-3PO's assumption is not entirely clear, but his skill and familiarity with droids in general and his desperation to find any signs of the rebellion in that moment are likely both contributing factors.
    • Not sure what R2-D2 being unique means, there are other R2 droids and other R droids.

"Shields Up!"

• Why does Captain Needa have to give the order to turn the shields on? Why not just have them always on by default? Particularly if they were just going through an asteroid field?
  • Certain media, such as Star Wars: Squadrons, show that the energy output of a ship has to be divided amongst its major components so as to prioritise according to the mission parameters, and dynamically at that given that the conditions you’re facing can change very quickly. Bear in mind that according to this, the shields are indeed always up (except for when the emitters suffer critical damage, at which point you only have the armour of the ship to protect its integrity), it's just a question of how strong they are at any given time. You can either have engine speed maxed out at the expense of shields and firepower, one or the other of the other two aspects maxed out, or settle for an equal but low share for each. Accordingly, the Avenger may have initially had its energy output equalised so that it could do all of a) chase the Falcon at a pace b) shoot down larger asteroids with decent firepower before they could impact it and the rest of Death Squadron c) tank the smaller asteroids and fragments which did manage to impact it. But then Needa, with his prerogative as Captain in charge of the ship, the prosecution of its mission and the safety of its crew, decided to prioritise the shields, reasoning that the Falcon was merely limping away and that they could take a more leisurely approach to apprehending it while being able to shrug off larger asteroid impacts (perhaps the shields being stronger also means they could literally be repulsed to an extent, like magnets).

Why does Vader's pod open before his helmet is all the way on?

• The whole reason he has the pod is because he needs a sterile environment to safely take his helmet off, right? Doesn't opening it without his helmet all the way on defeat the purpose of this? While the meta reason is obviously to give the audience a clue as to what he really looks like, it doesn't make much sense In-Universe.
  • There are sophisticated air-scrubbers in the Star Wars universe and the ones in and around Vader's medical pods are likely particularly advanced. They can probably briefly allow the pod to remain open until the helmet is put back on, which allows Vader to expose his ghastly injuries and such to further intimidate his underlings if he sees fit to do so.
  • Looking closely, as Vader's helmet is being lowered, another circular device is being raised up, which might be another breathing apparatus when when he's unmasked.

How did Boba Fett and the Empire get to Bespin before the Millenium Falcon did?

• Fett got there by following the Millenium Falcon, so how did the Empire apparently not only get there first, but have enough time to set up an ambush and hold Cloud City hostage before the good guys could do anything? Unless the good guys decided to take a break for about a week before actually landing on Bespin, it doesn't make sense.
  • It seems likely there are multiple ways of getting to the same destination in this galaxy, and furthermore, as we well know, the Millennium Falcon hasn't got a functioning hyperdrive, whereas the Empire's ships do.
  • The Falcon was using the backup hyperdrive, so the trip actually took weeks. Plenty of time for Fett to signal the Empire. And we don't actually know if Fett got to Bespin before the Falcon; we only know that the Empire got to Bespin before the Falcon. Fett might have showed up an hour after the Falcon arrived, which still gives him enough time to be at Vader's side when the trap is sprung.

"I'll see you in Hell"

• Now, I'm not the first person to point this out, but - when Han Solo leaves the rebel base on Hoth to go and look for Luke, he is told that his tauntaun will freeze before he reaches first marker, to which he responds, "I'll see you in hell!" How the fuck would characters in the Star Wars galaxy have any idea what Hell is? It goes without saying that Christianity does not exist in the Star Wars universe. The closest thing they have to a religion is, well, the Jedi. So how would Han Solo, or any character in Star Wars for that matter, have any concept of Hell? I mean, even if they did have some kind of an afterlife myth, it definitely wouldn't be called hell. Anybody have answers?
  • Given that there are other cases of Orphaned Etymology in the franchise, it's entirely possible that "hell" has some mythological meaning somewhere in the Star Wars galaxy.
    • On top of that, we know for certain that the concept of religion does exist in the Star Wars universe, as Admiral Motti explicitly refers to Vader's belief in the Force as "devotion to an ancient religion". With how many real world religions have a defined concept of hell, or some form of punishing afterlife, it's pretty unlikely that the Star Wars universe, having a much larger range of sapient populations than our one planet, doesn't have at least one religion that has an afterlife called "hell".
  • “Hell” is not strictly a Christian term, it’s used to refer to underworlds in various religions and mythologies. Also, keep in mind that languages often retain references to beliefs that are no longer commonly held, like the way the names of the days of the week in English come from the names of old Germanic deities.
  • In Legends at least there was a bad afterlife called "Chaos", which was called "Hell" in Corellian mythology (and that's where Han is from).

Why the rush to get out of the space slug?

• As soon as Han figures out that the "cave" they're in is really a giant space slug he has everyone get in the Millenium Falcon and flies out. Except they've been inside the creature for what's implied to be at least a few days by this point, and nothing bad has happened, so there's obviously no immediate danger. Why not wait another day or two and hope the Empire assumes they got crushed by an asteroid and gives up before flying out?
  • Space slugs, specifically called Exogorths, sustain themselves on metal and high energy materials, which space ships have both of in abundance. Han likely flew into it when it was sleeping with its mouth open and once his blaster fire woke it up he realized they would be forced to leave before it closed its mouth and trapped them. And, well, started digesting the Falcon.