Line #41 Heartwarming/TheEmpireStrikesBack


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/neninqjnv9eaqo_3_b.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:You need more scoundrels in your life.]]
3	* Han facing the odds of a hideous death by freezing on Hoth in order to find Luke.
4	** Honestly, ''everyone's'' desperate concern for Luke when he's lost is this. Leia immediately puts aside her tiff with Han to get his help, Han immediately sets about making sure Luke didn't come through any other entrences to the base, and Artoo stays out scanning for signs of his master and friend. Even Threepio tries his best to reassure everyone that Han and Luke will be alright.
5	* A minor one, but the droid that was watching over Luke's recovery tells him to take care of himself as he's gearing up to go.
6	* Luke's hug with Chewbacca, Chewie follows this by giving Luke a BearHug from behind.
7	** Likewise, the farewell between Han and Luke. If you (like many) are marathoning the Original Trilogy, then not very long ago you saw Han selfishly packing up his reward before the Battle of Yavin and Luke seeing him off with ill-concealed scorn. Today, these FireForgedFriends say goodbye with real affection.
8	*** And they're sparse with words. Luke doesn't thank Han for saving his life (risking Han's own life in the process), Han doesn't mention it and doesn't give Luke any great last words. They just smile at each other and tell each other to be careful. They don't need to state how they feel, they both know it.
9	** And of course C-3PO's farewell to R2-D2, telling him to take care of [[UndyingLoyalty Master Luke]], then quietly adding, "...[[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther and do take care of yourself.]]"
10	*** It's probably safe to assume that if R2's beeps were translated, he answered back with something along the lines of, "Of course I'll take care. [[MeaningfulEcho I wouldn't want your life to get boring, would I?]]"
11	* The scene where Leia is briefing some RedShirts at the beginning of the Battle Of Hoth. Even when one of them expresses doubt she doesn't get mad or tell him to shut up, but instead reassures him it will work. Which just shows [[AMotherToHerMen how much she cares about even the low-ranking people]].
12	* Dak asking Luke "Feeling alright, sir?" before they both take off for the battle on Hoth. It's a short, but sweet moment to see them bond like this, especially considering that Luke has just recently recovered from his Wampa attack.
13	* A retroactive one: Film/RogueOne's sacrifice was not forgotten, as a squadron of elite badasses led by no less than Luke Skywalker and Wedge Antilles themselves are continuing the fight in their name.
14	** Also noteworthy: even though Luke occupies the first position in the squadron, nobody calls him Rogue One - they call him Rogue Leader. There can only be one Rogue One.
15	* When the first transport gets away, all the Rebels in Echo Base cheer. These aren't just RedShirts, the Rebellion cares about each other genuinely and profoundly.
16	* Again, on Hoth with an AT-AT approaching Luke took a second to check if his copilot Dak was still alive before bailing out to avoid getting crushed. Of course, ideally you want to bring the dead back for burial, but war doesn't always allow for that. Even with a very nasty death on the line, though, Luke did the right thing and made sure that Dak was definitely dead before leaving him behind.
17	* Han making his way through the collapsing Echo Base to find Leia, because he had heard the command center had been hit and he knew she'd be there.
18	-->'''Leia''': You've got your clearance to leave!\
19	'''Han''': ''[crawling over rubble to her]'' Don't worry, I'll leave. First I'm gonna get you to your ship!
20	* Seeing Yoda laughing, goofing around, and offering to take Luke in and feed him, even if the foolish persona was only an act to test his patience. [[HeartwarmingInHindsight After you've seen]] how stoic and detached the Jedi could be in the prequels, it's nice to watch the biggest curmudgeon of them all show a little playfulness and simple generosity.
21	** Yoda's lecture to Luke about the true strength of the Force. Though Luke, frustrated at the slow pace of his progress, doesn't take Yoda's words especially seriously, it was meant to empower and embolden him.
22	-->'''Yoda:''' Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not. [[YouAreNotAlone For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is.]] Life creates it, makes it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter.]]
23	* This one moment in the Millennium Falcon: 3PO points out the power coupling on the negative axis must be replaced, [[KnewItAllAlong Han]] aggressively retorts, basically, "Duh," but as he goes to Chewie, he whispers 3PO's info; indicating he wasn't wrong. This makes it one of the moments where he's actually useful.
24	* TheBigDamnKiss. Yes, Leia, you really ''do'' like him because he's a scoundrel.
25	** Another interpretation is equally heartwarming -- when Han said that line to Leia, she said that she "happen[s] to like nice men." Now Han is growing out of the [[LovableRogue charming but amoral]] guy he was at first, so this could be Leia acknowledging that he ''[[JerkWithAHeartOfGold is]]'' a "nice man."
26	** Also notice despite calling himself a "scoundrel", he's actually being nice (i.e he notices she's scared and is [[PetTheDog trying to make her feel better.]])
27	** All of these are made even more heartwarming in the French dub, which has changed Han's "I am a nice man" line into "I am a nice scoundrel".
28	* Captain Needa volunteering to take the blame for their failure, so his men may live. Even an organization as sinister as [[EvilEmpire The Galactic Empire]] was not without at least one stand-up guy. Although Needa still falls victim to YouHaveFailedMe, Vader does seem to respect Needa's courage to take the blame single-handedly. Comparatively when Ozzel is executed Vader doesn't even acknowledge him.
29	** General Veers also makes a small nervous attempt to defend Admiral Ozzel after his unstealthy blunder, seemingly knowing [[YouHaveFailedMe Vader's plans for him]].
30	* After they escape from the Star Destroyer's radar when it dumps its trash, Leia remarks: "You have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them," to Han, and kisses him on the cheek. His tiny smile says it all.
31	* After the release of ''Film/{{Solo}}'', Lando encountering the Millennium Falcon again after so many years is given new levels of heartwarming context. His comments to Han of "What have you done to my ship?", followed up by "That ship's saved my life quite a few times! She's the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy!" are especially poignant, when you consider that the consciousness of his trusted first mate, L3-37, had been integrated into the Falcon's systems after her destruction. And at the end, when the Rebels escape, Lando, despite the dire circumstances, has to feel elated to finally be reunited with his beloved ship and, by extension, L3.
32	* Lando didn't hold it against Han even when he punched him, understanding what Han's feeling, so he let it slide. He even stopped his guards from retaliating.
33	** What gets Han so riled up to the point of attacking Lando was the revelation that his and Leia's capture was all just a set-up to lure Luke into a trap. Never mind the torture and the seeming betrayal that he was just put through, Han's biggest concern and cause of anger is the fact that he and Leia are being used as bait by the bad guys to hurt Luke.
34	* Vader allows Chewbacca to rebuild C-3PO. It's really HeartwarmingInHindsight considering that he [[Film/ThePhantomMenace built C-3PO in the first place]]. Clearly, Anakin Skywalker isn't as [[ThatManIsDead dead]] as Vader believed.
35	** Later, when Boba Fett readies his blaster to take a shot at Chewbacca, Vader actually stops the bounty hunter from taking the shot.
36	** Even more heartwarming when you see [[http://i.stack.imgur.com/R1dGS.jpg this]], even though the comic is possibly no longer canon. Someone please add this scene into the next [[GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion Re-release]].
37	* Han Solo and Princess Leia.
38	--> '''Leia''': I love you!
39	--> '''Han''': I know.
40	** Han has been upfront about his feelings the whole movie, and he's been pestering Leia to admit she reciprocates, but when she finally does, he isn't exultant or loving. He is serious and sincere, reassuring her that he ''knows.'' She lost everyone she knew and loved in the last movie, and it must be difficult for her to move on and admit she loves other people now. Validating Leia's feelings is more important to Han in his (presumed) last moments than any romantic declaration.
41	*** It could be taken another way: considering nobody, not even Lando or Vader, knows if Han will survive the carbon-freezing process, it could be seen that Han wants to spare Leia's feelings in case he dies. If he says 'I love you too' and then dies, she'll be left heartbroken. If he smugly says 'Yeah, I know, whatever' and then dies, well who cares? He was a jackass anyway, and Leia can find someone who actually appreciates her instead. He might have been trying to spare her in case he didn't make it out, playing it off as no big deal because he knew he might not survive the process.
42	** Just before he's put into carbon freeze, Han stops Chewbacca from fighting (and dying) in his defense, and orders him [[TakeCareOfTheKids to take care of Leia for him]], giving him a purpose to live for. Had Han really died then and there, he couldn't have planned better LastWords to two of the most important people in his life.
43	* Leia warns Luke about the impending trap, even after being captured and tortured, while being used as a HumanShield in the middle of a gunfight.
44	* A minor one, but Vader persuading The Emperor to try to get Luke to join them. Seems like a minor task for the Sith, but he was doing everything he can to make sure his son was safe. When Palpatine implied he might try to have him killed as a threat to The Empire, you could tell by a slight change in tone, that Vader had some concern over Luke, just by this line.
45	--> '''Vader:''' He's just a boy; Obi-Wan can no longer help him.
46	** Related is Vader's plea to Luke: DontMakeMeDestroyYou. In his own distorted way, he wants to be a family again. A family that rules a galaxy with an iron fist and brutally crushes any threats to their despotic regime, but nonetheless a family. Similarly, his talk about "ending this destructive conflict" gives the impression that he feels some regret for the loss of life, on both sides, that the war has caused.
47	*** FridgeBrilliance kicks in when you realise, of course Vader has some measure of regret for the cost of war. It's his second one, after all. And how many friends and brothers and fellow soldiers did Anakin see die during the Clone Wars? He doesn't just know of the cost of war, he's LIVED it. It's buried deep, but he's still in there, somewhere.
48	* After TheReveal in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' Vader's actions take on a [[OnceMoreWithClarity different light]]; he's not the EvilOverlord trying to destroy TheHero, but a [[PapaWolf father desperate to get his son back.]]
49	** Especially after you factor in ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'', Vader's spent the last twenty years believing he killed Luke along with Padme.
50	** "Only your hatred can destroy me". Well, no father wants his son hating him, is it?
51	** His entire demeanour during his battle with Luke in the carbon freezing chamber. Almost everything he says to Luke is a compliment, the biggest example being his "Impressive. Most impressive" when he's InstantlyProvenWrong by Luke escaping the carbon freezing pit after Vader had dubbed catching him "all too easy". Contrast this to how he treats literally anyone else he battles across the franchise.
52	* Not believing Lando's HeelFaceTurn, Chewie proceeds to strangle him, with Leia's approval; C-3PO is the one to shout, "Trust him! Trust him!"
53	** When Chewbacca attacked Lando, had he wanted to, he could've broken his neck with considerable ease. He was angry and hurt at the betrayal, but had no intention of actually killing his old friend over it.
54	* The BitterSweetEnding: After the heroes have been put through the wringer and Han has been taken, we see that our heroes are not beaten yet. Luke has been given a new prosthetic hand, Lando and Chewie set off to find Han, and we see that the Rebels were successful in escaping and regrouping, with Luke, Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 looking out a viewport at the massed Rebel Fleet, the biggest force of good guys we've seen in the franchise up to this point.
55	** From his hospital bed, Luke tells Lando, "I'll meet you on Tatooine." It's very clear that, even after getting beaten, Luke will not turn away from his friends. As soon as he's recovered from his injuries, rescuing Han is Priority One. Reportedly, the original script had Luke decide to let others save Han, while he went back to his Jedi training. Director Irvin Kershner, however, felt audiences would hate Luke for not going to Han's aid, so the script was changed so Luke would go to Han's rescue first.

Context Heartwarming / TheEmpireStrikesBack