Landophiles Unite! Join The Fight For Justice

Soeren Kamper May the schwartz be with you, PAX Prime 2011

This year’s PAX (that’s the Penny Arcade Expo for the uninitiated) was overrun by a gaggle of devotees, hell-bent on highlighting a cause that they feel warrants world-wide, if not galaxy-wide coverage. These people, who are traditionally seen wearing blue capes and moustaches march under the banner of The Lando Society, and expouse better living by the teachings of Lando Calrissian, the coolest cat in the entire Star Wars universe.

At PAX their devotion reared its head in a different way to usual, with the Society uniting to march on the Expo in order to protest that their hero – their swarthy, moustachioed messiah – has been cruelly left out of the SWTOR character list.

Okay, so that’s not the whole truth, because Lando wasn’t born until 3500 years after the time of STWOR’s setting, but you can’t fault their commitment as they’re pushing to convince Bioware to include a Calrissian ancestor in the game.

They even have a petition.
Here’s the Society’s manifesto:

What We Do

The Society promotes the old world values of interstellar commerce and good looks that the Republic exemplified. Following Lando’s example, we strive to show others the light and hope of our galaxy, through better understanding of his underlying beliefs and values.Spreading His Word and Deeds
Like Lando, we ask that enlightened souls look to the greater good. Embody his glamour and spread the word and deeds of this singular and elegant man.
His Life, As We Praise ItThough details of his early life are vague, his constant dedication and sacrifice later in life are well documented, and his actions always executed with panache.Proving his caring nature and foresight, Lando came in second in the Cloud City sabacc card game tournament, knowing his friend Han would need the battered YT-1300 freighter called the Millennium Falcon. He later risked his life assisting Han in an attack on the Hutt spice and slavery operations on Ylesia, freeing the Princess Leia, a boon both for fashion and grace.

With only a single ship, Lando single-handedly destroyed nineteen ships during the Norulac pirate raid using only style and cunning.

To better the lives of millions, he bet his personal fortune and his lot on Nar Shaddaa against Raynor’s administratorship, and won the game, becoming the new Baron Administrator of Cloud City. Under his baronial ministrations, he enacted enlightened security procedures, after rogue droid EV-9D9 dismantled a quarter of the city’s droid population. Lando repealed restrictive anti-alien immigration laws, and increased Tibanna gas profits by over 35%.

Seeing the winds of change, and our future, Lando became a high-profile member of the Rebellion, rising to the rank of general, and eventually leading the assault into the Death Star II that destroyed the battle station and effectively sealed the Empire’s fate. Only through his special assistance did we see the destruction of the evil Palpatine’s superweapons: the Galaxy Gun and the Eclipse II.

During the Caamas Document crisis, he continued to serve the New Republic to forestall turmoil. With short term stability ensured, he finally looked to his own life, marrying the fortunate Tendra Risant. Together, they ran a mining operation on Dubrillion and Destrillion.

Unsatisfied with merely his own happiness, Lando built the Shelter, a space station inside the Maw, which housed Jedi children and apprentices, and was responsible for establishing Tendrando Arms, which manufactured deadly YVH 1 Droids.

Little is known of his life after that, but we’re confident he continued with his drive to improve all of us by spreading his glowing presence.

For more information on the Lando Society, visit their official site.