Luke Skywalker and his friends narrowly escaped the clutches of Darth Vader at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, and one unexpected character was key to their escape. Although Darth Vader forced Lando Calrissian to betray Han Solo and the rest of the Rebels of Cloud City, Calrissian turned on the Empire and ᴀssisted the Alliance when the time was right. Not only did Lando become an ally to the Rebellion, but his right-hand man Lobot and the Bespin Wing Guard did as well.

In a tense chase sequence, the Millennium Falcon flees Vader’s Star Destroyer and a squadron of TIE Fighters, with the ship’s capture seemingly imminent when Darth Vader reveals that his troops sabotaged the Falcon’s hyperdrive. While Chewbacca tries to repair the ship to no avail, R2-D2 manages to reactivate the hyperdrive at the last moment, allowing the Millennium Falcon to escape. The original Star Wars Legends continuity reveals that R2-D2’s ability to repair the Falcon’s hyperdrive is owed to a minor character in The Empire Strikes Back.

Artoo Fixed The Millennium Falcon…But Secretly Needed Lobot’s Help To Do So

R2-D2 provides invaluable help to Princess Leia and the rest of the Rebels in Cloud City, unlocking a door to the Millennium Falcon’s landing platform and covering them from blasterfire with a smokescreen. During this sequence, R2-D2 briefly connects to Cloud City’s central computer, which informs him that the Empire sabotaged the Millennium Falcon’s hyperdrive. According to the 1995 sourcebook The Essential Guide to Characters, by Andy Mangels, Lobot – via the central computer – notified R2-D2 about the sabotage and told him how to fix it.

In the original Star Wars Legends continuity, Lobot’s implanted AJ^6 cyborg construct not only connected him to Cloud City’s central computer, it also functionally made him the personification of it. Under Lando Calrissian’s leadership, Lobot remotely monitored and controlled Cloud City’s security, maintenance, and many other essential systems, naturally making him privy to the Empire’s sabotage of the Millennium Falcon. Sadly, Lobot would not escape the Empire’s takeover of Cloud City and would be forced to work for the city’s de facto governor Hugo Treece.

Without Lobot, The Rebel Alliance Would’ve Died At Cloud City

While Lobot’s role in the Millennium Falcon’s escape was obviously not shown in The Empire Strikes Back itself, he is nevertheless invaluable to the survival of the Rebellion. Had he not informed R2-D2 of the Empire’s sabotage, the Falcon would have been captured by the Executor and six key members of the Alliance would be in Vader’s clutches. Luke Skywalker would have been turned over to Emperor Palpatine and the Rebel Alliance likely would not have prevailed against the Empire.