Occupation of Bespin

"Attention. The Empire has taken control of the city. I advise everyone to leave before more Imperial troops arrive."

- Lando Calrissian

The Subjugation of Bespin was a conflict in the Galactic Civil War between the Cloud City police under Lando Calrissian (who turned to the side of the Rebel Alliance) and the Imperial stormtroopers under Darth Vader.

Imperial trap
"They arrived here just before you did. I'm sorry."

- Lando Calrissian

It started out as an initial agreement between the Baron Administrator Lando Calrissian and Lord Vader. Calrissian would aid Vader in capturing several Rebel commanders, in exchange for the continued freedom of his colony.

As the famous Rebel ship, the Millennium Falcon, landed in Cloud City, its crew was greeted as welcomed guests by the Baron Administrator. After being given apartments to dwell in while their ship was being repaired, Calrissian invited them to a dinner arrangement, which turned out to be a trap.

Lord Vader wanted to use Leia Organa, Han Solo and Chewbacca's capture as a lure to capture his primary objective, the Force-sensitive Rebel commander Luke Skywalker. Indeed, Han Solo was tortured but not asked questions in order so that Luke would sense his pain through the Force and so learn of Han's capture.

Change in plans
"I am altering the deal. Pray I don't alter it any further."

- Darth Vader

Having no further use for Solo, Vader had him frozen in carbonite and had him shipped to the gangster Jabba the Hutt, a violation of his agreement with Calrissian. Shortly afterwards, Vader's hopes were realized as Skywalker's ship was detected heading towards the city. As Vader left to prepare for his confrontation with the young Rebel, he gave clear instructions to Calrissian to send Organa and Chewbacca to his shuttle, thus once again breaking their previous agreement.

Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker had landed in the city and caught a glimpse of his friends being taken away by Imperial troops. Though Princess Leia managed to shout a warning to him, Skywalker continued further into the city, ending up in a carbonite processing chamber where he faced the Dark Lord of the Sith in lightsaber combat.



Realizing that the situation was deteriorating, Lando Calrissian arranged for his Wing Guard to free Leia Organa and Chewbacca from their Imperial escorts, and while escaping, alerted the populace to the Empire's takeover of the city, thus causing a mass-panic that aided the group in slipping past most Imperial patrols.

The duel between Vader and Skywalker continued out onto an enormous wind tunnel, where Luke would lose his right hand to Vader's lightsaber and have his true parentage revealed. Even as Vader beckoned him to join his side and thus help end the Galactic Civil War, Luke stood defiant and chose to take his own life by falling from the platform they were on. As he plummeted towards the ground, his body was thrust into one of the side-openings and emerged below the city, grabbing onto a weather-vane.

Getting out
In a final attempt at survival, Skywalker contacted Princess Leia through the Force, who having escaped in the Falcon, now ordered the ship around to look for him. As they were rescuing Skywalker and taking off again, a patrol of TIE fighters appeared and gave chase.

Having escaped the planet, the Falcon now headed out into space, where it encountered the Executor in orbit. Attempting to flee into hyperspace, the crew found that Imperial agents had disabled their hyperdrive in the event of them escaping the city.

As the Executor prepared to take the ship by tractor beam, the astromech droid R2-D2 managed to activate the hyperdrive and the Millennium Falcon escaped once again.

Aftermath
Even though his prey had escaped, Darth Vader let his forces descend on Bespin and seize all gas mining facilities, effectively ending the autonomous position of the system.

Bespin and its remaining population would have to endure the presence of an Imperial garrison for many months, until the Battle of Bespin, which would see the Empire driven out of the colony.

Appearances

 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * The Lost Lightsaber