Editing 469: Improvised

{{comic
| number    = 469
| date      = August 29, 2008
| title     = Improvised
| image     = improvised.png
| titletext = Oh, your brother is Luke. Sorry, should've mentioned that first.
}}

==Explanation==
In the second of the original ''{{w|Star Wars}}'' film ''{{w|The Empire Strikes Back|Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back}}'' (abreviated "ESB" in the comic), just before {{w|Han Solo}}, portrayed by {{w|Harrison Ford}}, is frozen in carbonite, the following conversation occurs:
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I know.

The original script had Han Solo respond to {{w|Leia}} with "I love you, too," but Harrison Ford felt that the character would not give such a cliched response, even in the face of likely death. He and the director {{w|Irvin Kershner}} changed the line to "I know" before filming. They did, however, also film the scripted version, but it was the "I know" version that was actually used in the finished film. 

This line is generally thought to be better than the original would have been. It was long thought that Harrison Ford ad-libed the line. Others have even suggested it was because they had filmed the scene so many times, that Ford in exasperation at some point just blurted out the "I know" after hearing "I love you" so many times. But it has later been revealed that it was not ad-lib on the spot, although Harrison did suggest the I know line to the director. This has been described here: [https://uk.news.yahoo.com/the-empire-strikes-back-i-love-you-i-know-119550611107.html How the Famous 'I Love You/I Know' Scene From 'The Empire Strikes Back' Really Came Together].

The comic presents several alternative ad-libs that Ford could have made in that conversation, as well as at various points throughout the original trilogy. So in this situation, it is the actor Ford and not Han Solo who speaks the lines. 

{| class="wikitable"
! Row
! Col
! Ad-Lib
! Further Detail
|-
| 1
| 1
| '''Well, duh.'''
| Here, Han ruins the mood [a dramatic confession] with a flippant statement.
|-
| 1
| 2
| '''Seriously? ...Christ.'''
| Another example of an out-of-tone ad-lib. The original line is "never tell me the odds," a nod to Solo's daredevil persona. In this ad-lib, however, he is hesitant to try anything dangerous. Additionally, Ford's use of "Christ" would be unfitting, as ''Star Wars'' takes place a long time ao, in a galaxy far, far away, where Christianity is completely unknown. (Still, considering that Solo [[890:_Etymology|named his ship after an Earth bird of prey...]])
|-
| 1
| 3
| '''Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.'''
| Another absurd, out-of-character answer to a serious remark, this time with Solo acting romantically oblivious [rather than forward, as he is usually].
|-
| 2
| 1
| '''I'm nailing your brother.'''
| So far, Leia doesn't know she has a brother (Luke). Also, since ''to nail'' means to penetrate, she may be surprised to learn that Han is currently engaged in a same-sex relationship (or at least an ongoing arrangement). This panel is referenced in the title text.
|-
| 2
| 2
| '''Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.'''
| The original line is "Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid," a reference to Luke's {{w|The Force|Force}} training and {{w|lightsaber}} use. In this ad-lib, Han turns a discussion about weapons into a [unusually formal] discussion about the game {{w|Rock-paper-scissors}}. 
|-
| 2
| 3
| '''Cool. Listen, this thing is really, REALLY cold.'''
| Han is in a freezing chamber in this scene, which are often rather cold.{{Citation needed}} This remark indicates that he is not very interested in Leia's feeling at this moment since he is so cold.
|-
| 3
| 1
| '''Wowzers.'''
| ''Wowzers'' is an expression used by {{w|Inspector Gadget}}; another amusingly out-of-character ad-lib.
|-
| 3
| 2
| '''Barely. They're pretty drunk.'''
| The original response (from the sequel, ''{{w|Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi}}'') here is "Uh, my team's ready. I don't have a command crew for the shuttle." In this ad-lib, Han responds to a serious situation [preparations for an important mission to bring down the Galactic Empire] with an un-serious response and an admission that he's allowing his crew to drink while on duty.
|-
| 3
| 3
| '''Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.'''
| The original response was "I can arrange that!  You could ''use'' a good kiss!"  In the original film, Leia's remark "I'd just as soon kiss a {{w|wookiee}}" is meant as an insult to Han, implying that he's no more attractive than a great hairy monster. In this ad-lib, though, Han takes her statement literally, and suggests that he is also interested in kissing a wookiee. Chewbacca is Han's wookiee copilot and fellow smuggler. Han's suggestion that he's interested in kissing Chewbacca is unexpected on many levels: firstly, Han's shown interest in Leia, secondly, Chewbacca is an entirely different species, and thirdly, Chewbacca is also male, and Han Solo is presumed by Leia to be straight.
|}

Note: although it's spelled "wookie" in the comic, the canonical spelling of Chewbacca's species is "{{w|Wookiee}}".

The title text continues the ad-lib in panel four. It refers to the plot twist that {{w|Luke Skywalker}} is Princess {{w|Princess Leia|Leia's}} brother, which would not be revealed until the next film in the series. How Harrison Ford knows this twist at this point in the story is unknown.

==Transcript==
:[Caption above the panels:]
:Harrison Ford famously improvised his "I know" line in E.S.B. Here are a few of his less-successful ad-libs:

:[Harrison Ford as Han Solo (in all the panels) stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Well, duh.

:[Han Solo in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon.]
:C-3P0: Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3720 to 1!
:Han: Seriously? ...Christ.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Oh! Hey, that explains the kissing earlier.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: I'm nailing your brother.

:[Han Solo standing in front of Luke Skywalker, who is holding a blast shield helmet and a lightsaber. The training droid hovers between them.]

:Han: Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for scissors, though they do beat paper and rock.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Cool. Listen, this thing is really, <u>really</u> cold.

:[Han Solo stands in front of Princess Leia on the Cloud City Carbon Freezing Chamber.]
:Leia: I love you.
:Han: Wowzers.

:[Han Solo sits with two others. General Madine approaches.]
:Madine: General Solo, is your strike team assembled?
:Han: Barely. They're pretty drunk.

:[Han Solo and Princess Leia stand in an Ice Tunnel of Hoth.]
:Leia: I'd just as soon kiss a wookie.
:Han: Man, me too but Chewie never seems interested. Maybe I should grow my hair out.

{{comic discussion}}
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