This is brilliant, a great look at the deeper ramifications of the Star Wars prequels:
The Millenium Falcon may look like a beat-up old freighter but it can outrun any Imperial ship in normal space or hyperspace, hang in a firefight with a Star Destroyer or outmaneouvre a dozen top-of-the-line TIE fighters. It's a remarkable feat of engineering and must have cost a colossal fortune to build. How does Han come to own a ship like that? He only thinks he does, actually it's Chewie's. Half-way through RotS, we see the Falcon landing at the Senate building on Coruscant. If it's the same ship (which of course it is) then it was the personal transport of one of the senatorial delegations — a much more likely source to commission its design.
This neatly sums up one of my main beefs with Lucas' expanded Star Wars vision, or at least the root of many of my issues: that all his work only contracts this Universe. Everyone important was already important 30 years ago, Anakin made C-3PO, Boba Fett is a clone of the guy Clone Troopers are based on, R2-D2 was Anakin's co-pilot like he would later be Luke's, etc. Makes for a whole lot of coincidence and over-familiarity.
Nothing is new or surprising. Freshness is replaced by the quick-to-wear-off flash of recognition. Boring.
Imagine if, instead of Lando, it was Jar Jar Binks in Cloud City. Same effect.
Side note for nit-pickers: Yes, I know that according to extra-cinematic sources, Chewie was a prisoner/slave, and Han rescued him. But we don't see any of that in the films, so really, just forget all about that.
[c/o Kottke]
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