Part II: The Empire Strikes Back Leia is still as icy as ever but Han’s feelings have heated up by the beginning of Empire Strikes back. In part I, Han Solo Doesn’t Pedestalize the Princess , we saw how Han didn’t immediately fawn over Leia because of her beauty and status. But what’s a man to do when he does have feelings and those feelings aren’t reciprocated? We’ll see how Han deals with rejection and how he ultimately breaks through to her heart. If you’re rushed for time, go to the “Best Kiss Ever” section since that is the most instructive and meaningful part of the post.
Han Solo Walks Away When a woman is cold and not interested, sometimes you just gotta walk away. Sometimes we think we can come up with some magic line that will make her realize how much she cares and once in while that’s possible but usually not.
This is one of my favorite scenes. Han just told General Rieekan that he has to pay off Jabba the Hutt. He then comes to say goodbye to Leia. Watch from the beginning to 0:57.
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Here’s the dialogue with my comments in [ ] .
HAN: (with feeling) Well, Your Highness, I guess this is it. [Is Han showing butt hurt here? Perhaps he should have remembered the same nonchalant laugh we saw in A New Hope but sometimes a sarcastic line and then just walking away is in order when dealing with ice queens. Clearly he now likes her and is emotionally invested in her. The ways of the charming rogue are harder to always follow when you have a galactic crush on someone. In contrast, the needy Rebel beta (NABALT) would have tried to soften the situation and said, “Hey, you should add me on ForceBook.”] [He always negs/teases her with this.] [Irrational self confidence? Delusion? Or does Han have some insight into her true feelings that she’s trying to repress because in her mind he’s not good enough for her and she’s too busy with her (admittedly worthy and noble) career?]
[These following lines are classic.]
We can debate about whether Han was too butt hurt here but if you’re going to attempt a low-likelihood “conquest” (like going for a beautiful princess) and it’s not going anywhere, sometimes showing some passion is what’s needed to break through the icy barriers.
In the prelude to my best girlfriend ever, and some would say she was a bit out of my league, she dropped a tactical-sized nuke on me and told me I needed to learn from Clint Eastwood on how to be more of a man! lol (Talk about a woman basically confirming that masculinity and game are attractive. And in all honesty, she was right. I was too needy and had too much antigame.) Splendid and indifferent isolation probably wouldn’t have gotten through to her in that moment and I unleashed a passionate discourse on how too many women loved substanceless assholes that treated them like shit and that I had a lot of substance and even if I wasn’t as flashy as some other guys she was a damn fool for not seeing it in me. The words may or may not have been beta but at least I spoke my mind and was fighting for what I wanted–her. We were in bed at the time (we’d made out before a few times but no sex yet) and I laid down on my back after this, kind of shaking my head, inwardly realizing that everything was probably over with her. I felt totally emasculated, disappointed and numb. Then, after a couple minutes of us each just lying there, she pulled an utter mind fuck on me and asked me if I had a condom. It may surprise women but there are certain emotional states where men just simply have no desire to have sex. Usually, after being emasculated is one of them. For a split second I debated whether I should be proud and say that I wasn’t going to or realize that I had made a breakthrough and that she was finally opening up to me a lot more. I steeled myself, grabbed a condom out of my backpack and numbly began to fuck her. It really felt weird for the first few minutes…gradually the feeling of numb emasculation melted away and my deeper feelings for her, and hers for me, took over.
Han Avoids Contact Returning to Empire Strikes Back, Han does what every self-respecting man should do after having spilled his heart to a woman only to be rejected, he turned off his “cell phone” so that Leia couldn’t contact him. Threepio had to come deliver the message that Luke was missing.
THREEPIO: Well, it’s Princess Leia, sir. She’s been trying to get you on the communicator.
Back to his Roguish Ways After rescuing Luke from freezing on Hoth’s frigid plains, Han has recovered his irrational self confidence and is back to smugly telling Leia what she feels about him. See 0:57-1:19 in the video above.
Han turns as Leia enters the room. He looks at her with a
HAN: Well your Worship, looks like you managed to keep me around for a little while longer. [Frame everything as her liking you.]
LEIA: (haughtily) I had nothing to do with it. General Rieekan thinks it’s dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we’ve activated the energy shield.
HAN: That’s a good story. I think you just can’t bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight. [His facial expression is awesome here.]
LEIA: I don’t know where you get you delusions, laser brain.
Chewie is amused.
HAN: Laugh it up, fuzz ball. But you didn’t see us alone in the south passage.
HAN: She expressed her true feelings for me.
Leia is flushed, eyes darting between Luke and Han.
LEIA: My…! Why, you stuck up,…half-witted,…scruffy-looking…nerf-herder!
HAN: Who’s scruffy-looking? (to Luke) I must have hit her pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that, huh, kid?
Leia looks vulnerable for a moment, then the mask falls
LEIA: Why, I guess you don’t know everything about women yet?
With that she leans over and kisses Luke on the lips. … With some smugness, Luke puts his hands behind his head and [beta] grins.
Serendipity and The Falcon After the Empire invades, Han attempts to get Leia to her transport but the way is blocked off by an explosion that collapses the ice tunnel. He’ll get her out on the Falcon. See 1:20-2:50 in the video above as they take off and head into the asteroid field. (After that the audio doesn’t match the video so you can stop watching the video.)
They find an asteroid cave to hide in. We’ll switch over to a new video here. Watch 2:47-3:07 and notice the lustfully-sly look on his face when he says, “Sorry, sweetheart. We haven’t got time for anything else.” He kept his butt hurt under control by switching from the annoyance of being rejection to the suave “we haven’t got time for anything else.”
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The Best Kiss Ever Now we arrive at the best romantic scene in the whole Star Wars universe. You have to watch this clip!!! Pay close attention to the facial expressions and tone of voice.
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Here’s the script:
Leia finishes welding the valves she has been working on
HAN: Hey, Your Worship, I’m only trying to help. [Han constantly negs/teases her with “your worship” and “your highnessness.” I once called a girl Kathleen instead of her real name, Katherine, and when she told me her real name I told her to stop trying to trick me and make me look like a fool. lol She loved it.]
LEIA: (still struggling) Would you please stop calling me that?
Han hears a new tone in her voice.
HAN: Sure, Leia.
LEIA: Oh, you make it so difficult sometimes.
HAN: I do, I really do. [Agree and amplify. Now that Leia is letting down her bitch shield a bit Han is also creating a bit of comfort by admitting he sometimes acts like a cocky jerk.] You could be a little nicer, though. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I’m all[A needy beta would be abjectly apologizing, “I never meant to hurt your feelings! Please don’t be mad.”]
She lets go of the lever and rubs her sore hand.
LEIA: Occasionally (a little smile, haltingly) maybe…when you aren’t acting like a scoundrel.
HAN: (laughs) Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that. [Especially notice his facial expression and tone of voice. He’s greatly enjoying this. This is perfect agree and amplify, with more of the amplify coming later. The needy beta would protest too much, “I’m not a scoundrel. I’m a nice guy. I just want to make you happy.”]
With that, Han takes her hand and starts to massage it. [Han escalates.]
LEIA: Stop that.
HAN: Stop what?
Leia flushes, confused.
LEIA: Stop that! My hands are dirty. [The needy beta would recoil and mewl out an apology, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”]
HAN: My hands are dirty, too. What are you afraid of?
LEIA: (looking right into his eyes) Afraid?
Han looks at her with a piercing look. He’s never looked
HAN: You’re trembling.
LEIA: I’m not trembling.
HAN: You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life. [More agree and amplify from before, owning the term ‘scoundrel.’]
Leia is now very close to Han and as she speaks, her voice
LEIA: I happen to like nice men.
HAN: I’m a nice man.
LEIA: No, you’re not. You’re…
He kisses her now…. He takes his time, as though he had forever, bending her body backward. She has never been kissed like this before….
I absolutely love this scene. And notice how her hand is holding his head at the end. She’s definitely into Han in that moment.
When did she start to have feelings for him? Was it sooner or only once they were in the asteroid field? Was Han delusional or irrationally self confident before or could he sense she liked him too and was simply denying her feelings?
And of course that golden cock block of a droid, C-3PO had to come in at just the wrong moment and ruin it!
I know We’ll end now with a favorite Han Solo line and a great one at the very end by Vader. Watch the whole clip and go forth and add some Han Solo inner and outer game to your repertoire:
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Read More At:
Is The Ratcheted Life Worth Living? Living Contradictions And Their Consequences
What the Greeks and Plato Thought About ALPHA
Why The Other Guys Always Get The Girls
The Dating Game Vs Girl Game
I Don’t Kiss On The First Date
How To Handle A Nuclear Rejection In The Age Of Social Media
The Complex Nature of Sexiness and Its Impact On The Dating Game
How Women Can Stay Visible And Attractive As They Age
What Radical Honesty In Modern Dating Would Really Look Like
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