Editing Lando Calrissian (section)

==Reception==
Author Adilufu Nama wrote in 2008 that Lando "offered a new benchmark in the status of black representation in science fiction cinema".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Greenberg|first=Grenn|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1104605810|title=Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Heroes|publisher=Marvel Comics|year=2019|isbn=978-1-302-91708-1|location=New York|oclc=1104605810}}</ref> According to Alyssa Rosenberg of ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Lando is a "fascinating and fraught part of the {{'}}''Star Wars''{{'}} legacy and the conversation around race in science fiction". She added that "Lando's the only character in {{'}}''Star Wars''{{'}} with a truly comfortable sense of style." On his portrayal, she wrote, "One of Williams's accomplishments in {{'}}''Empire''{{'}} and {{'}}''Return of the Jedi''{{'}} is how much he [feels] like an old-fashioned movie star in a futuristic setting without making the performance seem incongruous."<ref>{{cite web|first=Alyssa|last=Rosenberg|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/11/13/star-wars-and-the-enduring-appeal-of-lando-calrissian/|title='Star Wars' and the enduring appeal of Lando Calrissian|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|publisher=Nash Holdings LLC|location=Washington DC|date=13 November 2015|access-date=21 October 2018|archive-date=29 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829230712/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/11/13/star-wars-and-the-enduring-appeal-of-lando-calrissian/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, Billy Dee Williams publicly admitted that he received backlash from children who were angered by Lando's betrayal of Han in ''The Empire Strikes Back''.<ref name="backlash">{{cite episode|title=Billy Dee Williams|series=Unsung Hollywood|series-link=Unsung Hollywood|network=[[TV One (U.S. TV network)|TV One]]|date=12 August 2015}}</ref> Williams felt that the situation would have been different if Lando had been played by a white actor.<ref name="backlash" /> Williams wrote that "Lando is not black or white, he's just Lando. Above and beyond the arguments or discussions of bygone eras, he is of the future."<ref name="comic">{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Billy Dee|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/898924803|title=Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back|publisher=Marvel Comics|year=2015|isbn=978-0-7851-9367-8|location=New York|pages=4|oclc=898924803|access-date=27 July 2020|archive-date=27 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727062516/https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/898924803|url-status=live}}</ref> He further stated,

{{Blockquote|text=The one thing I always find myself explaining is that Lando didn't betray Han and his friends. He was dealing, as best he could, with a situation that was presented to him by the Empire upon their arrival. One of the most amusing moments for me was that Lando decided to challenge Darth Vader (for about three seconds) until he realized that maybe he'd better back down and figure out another way to save his friends.<ref name="comic" />}}

Writing for ''The Verge'', Megan Farokhmanesh criticized Jonathan Kasdan's assertion that Lando is pansexual as "a piss-poor shot at representation", and argued that Kasdan was conflating pansexuality with [[promiscuity]].<ref name=panpan>{{cite web|first=Megan|last=Farokhmanesh|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/17/17366002/lando-calrissian-solo-a-star-wars-story|title=Lando Calrissian's newfound 'pansexuality' is bullshit|website=[[The Verge]]|date=17 May 2018|access-date=12 August 2018|archive-date=2 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802225148/https://www.theverge.com/2018/5/17/17366002/lando-calrissian-solo-a-star-wars-story|url-status=live}}</ref> Farokhmanesh compared the assertion to [[J.&nbsp;K. Rowling]]'s statement that her character [[Albus Dumbledore]] is gay, despite no ''[[Harry Potter]]'' media depicting this.<ref name=panpan/> In 2019, Billy Dee Williams criticized the decision as well, blaming ''Solo''<nowiki/>'s underperformance at the box office on its focus on this "topical" issue.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lang|first=Nico|date=2019-12-09|title=Billy Dee Williams Is Not Here For Pansexual Lando Calrissian|url=https://www.out.com/film/2019/12/09/billy-dee-williams-not-here-pansexual-lando-calrissian|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Out|language=en|archive-date=10 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010143646/https://www.out.com/film/2019/12/09/billy-dee-williams-not-here-pansexual-lando-calrissian|url-status=live}}</ref>