Lobot

"Yeah. The implants tell me the chances of that working were something like one in ten thousand. At best."

- Lobot, to Lando Calrissian after hearing the tale of how the latter manipulated Moff Ssaria

Lobot, also known by the nickname Lo, was a human male who, with the assistance of his AJ^6 cyborg construct, was paid to run battlefield calculations for the Galactic Empire. However, he eventually began working with the smuggler Lando Calrissian, and served as his aide when Calrissian became Baron Administrator of Cloud City over the planet Bespin. As the city's computer-liaison officer, his implants enabled him to communicate with the city's central network.

During the Empire's takeover of Cloud City, Lando ordered Lobot to gather their security forces to outflank the stormtroopers. Although they successfully helped evacuate the city by rounding up the stormtroopers, the city soon fell to the Empire and Lobot was captured.

Deal of a lifetime
"I looked over Toren's plan. It's a quick job. The payoff is huge, and we'll be able to keep a good chunk of it. It won't just get us back to the level&mdash;we'll be ahead. We can start thinking about new opportunities." "How many times are we going to do this, Lando?" "Just once more, my friend. Just once."

- Calrissian persuades Lobot to participate in Toren's plan

Some time after the Battle of Yavin, Lobot and Calrissian found themselves in deep debt to Papa Toren, a crime boss who operated off of the Imperial world Castell, in the Colonies region of the galaxy. Calrissian, in order to pay off the debt, went to steal a valuable "trinket" from the Imperial Governor of the sector: Moff Ssaria, the "fiend of Castell". However, instead of just stealing the "trinket" and running, Calrissian suavely manipulated the Moff into giving it to him; and Calrissian told Lobot the story when they met in Toren's cantina a short time later. Lobot was shocked at the risks her partner took, adding that his implants gleaned that the odds of that working were about one in ten-thousand. To which the gambler replied was why he did not like to know the odds, and explained that he had done what he did because he didn't want the Moff hunting them. Lobot was assured by his partner that they were debt free after he traded the "trinket" to Toren, and went to speak with Toren. He returned a few minutes later with news: ten percent of their debt had been wiped away, and he had a chance at one "hell of a score." Lobot was appalled that only ten percent of their debt had been cleared and demanded to know what had gone wrong. Calrissian explained that things had not gone as planned, but still had gone well, given the new job. Lobot, however, did not share Calrissian's optimism and believed they should fight Toren. Calrissian did not, adding that Lobot had gotten the cyborg constructed implanted so he wouldn't have to fight; just analyze battlefront movements from afar. Lobot gave in, so they began preparations for the job.

The duo first recruited the cloned hand-to-hand combat experts Alsekin and Pavol, in case they did need to fight, and next, the Ugnaught antiquities expert Korin Pers, who they met in her office. Pers pulled a blaster on Calrissian when he entered; the last time they had worked together, Pers lost an eye. Pers eventually accepted to assist in the job after seeing the ease and the payoff. Soon, the team of five made their way to Sienar Fleet Systems Orbital Shipyard CC-24 in orbit over Castell, which the team infiltrated using stealth suits. They quickly secured a portion of the shipyard, hijacked an Imperial pleasure craft that they believed had belonged to an Imperial art collector, and blasted away from the station. Calrissian piloted the ship, the Imperialis, while Lobot acted as his co-pilot. Lobot was unsure of Calrissian's rejoicing in escaping so easily, believing there was still trouble to come.

The Imperial Invasion
Lobot was present when his employer Lando Calrissian greeted his old friend Han Solo and his rebel companions Princess Leia Organa, the Wookiee Chewbacca, and the protocol droid C-3PO. In the past, Solo had obtained Calrissian's ship, the Millennium Falcon, after beating him in a game of Sabacc. Unknown to Solo and his companions, Calrissian had already made a secret agreement with Darth Vader to hand Han Solo over to the bounty hunter Boba Fett, who was working for the Hutt crime lord Jabba. While the Empire agreed not to arrest Solo's rebel companions, they would not be allowed to leave Cloud City.

Lobot was later present when Vader, Fett, and several Imperial stormtroopers apprehended Han and his companions at a banquet hall. After the Imperials froze Han in carbonite and handed him over to Fett, Darth Vader "altered" the terms of the deal by arresting Leia, Chewie, and C-3PO. Unhappy about Vader's unilateral changes and feeling guilty for his role in betraying Han, Calrissian ordered Lobot and several Cloud City security guards to detain Vader's troops and to free Leia, Chewbacca, and Threepio. Prior to fleeing Cloud City with his rebel friends, Calrissian ordered Lobot and the others guards to take the Imperial troops to somewhere "quiet and secure." During the Empire's takeover of Cloud City, Lando ordered Lobot to gather their security forces to outflank the stormtroopers. Although they successfully helped evacuate the city by rounding up the stormtroopers, the city soon fell to the Empire and Lobot was captured.

Behind the scenes
"If you've got a part where you're walking around with lights flashing on your head, you can't really fail, can you?"

- John Hollis

Lobot's only appearance in the Star Wars movies is in Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back, where he is portrayed by John Hollis.

A character serving as Lando Calrissian's assistant was present in most of the original screenplays of The Empire Strikes Back, and many production paintings depicted this character as a tall, regal dark-skinned woman. One of the later drafts of the script established this character as a cyborg, and it was then that actor John Hollis was selected for the role by the filmmakers. Hollis was originally only hired for a week's worth of work, but because of the film's extended shooting schedule, he remained on the Bespin set at Elstree Studios for ten weeks.

Throughout most of the film's production, Lobot was only referred to as "Lando's aide" and is referred to as such in the credits. He was to have a great deal of dialogue, mostly with Calrissian. However, the filmmakers decided that the character had been lobotomized as a result of the installation of his cybernetic implant, causing him to become a mute. This decision reportedly did not concern Hollis. As a reference to this change, the character was named "Lobot," a corruption of the word "lobotomy." The cybernetic implant prop Hollis wore on his head was completely battery-powered and was connected to a spring clip that was fit around the actor's head. However, the prop was quite heavy and uncomfortable for Hollis to wear.

A scene cut from The Empire Strikes Back depicted a critically injured Lobot being carried away by several men wearing white masks. This was meant to serve as Lobot's death scene, but it was ultimately removed by the filmmakers because there was a possibility that the character would appear in the following film, Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi.

In The Empire Strikes Back, Lobot mouths a soundless reply to Lando before taking captured Stormtroopers to the security tower. The French dub (from the 2004 European release) adds an audible answer.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Lando, Part I
 * Star Wars: Lando, Part II
 * Star Wars: Lando, Part III
 * Star Wars: Lando, Part V
 * Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
 * Aftermath