Question: Why does Han irritate Leia so much?
Answer: Because Leia is trying to bring down an evil empire while Han keeps trying to charm her. Also she sees potential in him as a leader and fighter instead of just a mercenary smuggler.
Question: What happened to Luke's hand after Vader cut it off?
Answer: It fell into the reactor shaft alongside his lightsaber, unrecoverable. It probably fell outside like Luke did and dropped into the clouds of the gas giant Bespin.
Well, what about the thing that fell after Luke landed on the satellite dish outside? Was that Luke's hand?
No, nothing as macabre as that. Probably a piece of cloth or something that fell out of his pocket. Or, possibly, his lightsaber. But I doubt they would have him watch his own hand fall.
I always assumed that was his blaster, falling out of the holster.
In the Legends continuity someone found Luke's severed hand and used it to create Luke's evil clone, known as Luuke.
Answer: In the books before Disney, the hand was recovered by an Ugnaught (the pig-like people in Cloud City) and was taken with his lightsaber to the Emperor's secret storehouse on the planet Wayland. It was later used (in the Thrawn trilogy) to create a clone of Luke.
Question: How did Vader know Han and the others would go to Lando?
Answer: The Falcon had a damaged hyperdrive (hence why it needed to go to Cloud City). As they fled the Star Destroyer, Boba Fett managed to determine the trajectory and deduce the destination. The Star Destroyer and Slave I were then able to set a course for Cloud City and arrive there first.
Question: When Han goes out searching for Luke at the beginning of the movie, why does Han's tauntaun (which is native to Hoth) freeze to death, but Han remains largely unaffected by the cold?
Answer: Anything can freeze to death, regardless of whether it's endemic to the area or not if it is exposed long enough to the elements. The tauntaun had adapted, yes, but it still had a limit to how long it could survive in a particularly bad blizzard before it succumbed. Left to its own devices, the tauntaun surely would have stayed in the cave to preserve its body heat and not take unnecessary risks. Unfortunately, it didn't have much choice in the matter. Han, on the other hand, adapted to the cold the human way, which was to add layers and take extra precautions afforded us by our intelligence and ability to plan ahead. He was still affected, but he (unlike the tauntaun) knew exactly what he was getting into and was able to put on enough layers to survive the frigid conditions.
Question: What happened to Dack to take him out of commission during the assault on Hoth? He was rendered unconscious or dead before being able to fire the tow cable.
Answer: The back of their ship was struck by a laser-blast, which killed Dak. You hear the sound of a laser blast, see it for a split-second through the window, and then Dak's console explodes and he slumps over. (It's slightly unclear what exactly killed him, but it appears that either some of the energy from the blast hit him and/or he was killed by his equipment shorting out).
Question: Why is Han still wanted by Jabba in this movie? I'd got the impression that at the end of the first movie he'd been paid adequately by the Rebel Alliance for delivering Princess Leia and the Death Star plans and that he was going to use it to pay Jabba back. Why didn't Han pay Jabba back after the destruction of the Death Star?
Answer: He may have got his reward, but he never went back to pay off Jabba. If you recall everyone referred to him as General Solo, which means he stayed with them, especially for Princess Leia. Being gone for so long, Jabba put the bounty on him. If you recall, in Return of the Jedi, after he was thawed, Solo said, "I was on my way to pay you Jabba, but got sidetracked."
Answer: It could just be that he was irresponsible. I know people who will owe a debt or bill, but when they somehow get money that could pay it off, they spend the money on other things instead. Maybe he felt more secure by being with the Rebels, and became careless.
Answer: Han was paid by the Rebel Alliance, so he had the money. Why he never paid off Jabba is never explained in the movie. There's much Internet discussion about this, such as he became dedicated to the rebellion, didn't want to leave Leia, somehow lost the money, and so on, but it's mere speculation. This is a plot hole.
Question: The Emperor informs Vader that Luke is Anakin's son. How did the Emperor find out? And is Vader actually surprised during their conversation, or did he secretly know this already?
Answer: In the original release of Empire, the Emperor actually says, "we have a new enemy, Luke Skywalker." In the re-release the lines are changed to, "the young rebel who destroyed the Death Star, I have no doubt he is the son of Anakin Skywalker." Hope that helps.
Adding on to this comment, the Emperor has spies, agents, lackeys. Someone could have found out the name of the "young Rebel." If a young man's last name is Skywalker and he is Force-strong, it's enough for the Emperor to guess.
Question: Is it really possible to keep a person warm by putting him inside the body of a large animal? That's what Han does with Luke in the movie.
Answer: There are real life stories of people using horse carcasses for warmth and shelter. There were even old stories of shepherds using their camels in the exact manner as Han does for Luke, although I can't attest to their validity. (DiCaprio does a similar thing in "The Revenant" with a horse). There is residual heat in these animals. Most large animals have an normal temperature over 100°F (a camel's temperature can rise to 104°F during the day). However, what is most likely keeping them relatively warm is using the carcass as a heavy blanket while at the same time blocking the cold winds (creating a small tent) and not using the guts to warm themselves up.
Question: What would have been the correct thing for Luke to do in the cave?
Answer: I'm sure there will be many interpretations about this, and I can't wait to read them. My take was, Luke's mistake was ignoring Yoda's instructions to leave his weapons behind before entering the cave. Rather than using calm reason and logic, he confronted his fears with force and attacked an enemy that turned out to be something else entirely.
Answer: I wonder if Luke was supposed to allow the illusion of Darth Vader to "kill" him, similar to how Obi-Wan allowed himself to be killed. A lesson about how you can still lose in the long run, even if you win a fight with weapons. Obi-Wan trusted the Force and did not need to win the last duel with Vader. Vader won, but was still trapped by his choices and his obligations to the Emperor.
Question: Chewbacca says something to Han about Lando, and Han says, "That was a long time ago. I'm sure he's forgotten about that." Has it ever been revealed what Chewbacca mentioned?
Answer: At the time of the film, it was suggested that Lando was upset because he lost the Falcon to Han in a game of Sabaac. Later (now) non-canon materials offer up other reasons Lando would hold a grudge (Such as the time Han set Lando up with the Tonnika Sisters, twin siblings that conned Lando into thinking they were a single person).
Question: Vader tortured Han to lure Luke into a trap because he knows Luke will sense they are in danger and will come try to rescue them since they are his friends. How did Vader know Han, Leia, and Chewbacca were Luke's friends?
Answer: Vader would be able to piece together information from the time Luke, Leia, Han, Chewbacca, and Ben Kenobi were on the Death Star in Episode IV. Luke was Ben's apprentice, Luke escaped with Princess Leia and Han, so it's logical Vader would make the connection that they are friends and allies. Spies would also be feeding him information.
Question: I know that Jeremy Bulloch played both Boba Fett and Sheckil, but I read that someone else was supposed to play Sheckil before Bulloch replaced him. Who was initially supposed to play Sheckil before Bulloch took his place?
Answer: There doesn't seem to be any info on who the actor was that was cast to play Sheckil. The only information I could find was that the original actor didn't show up on the day of shooting, and Bulloch replaced him at the last minute. He was probably a minor actor who mostly worked in bit parts and as an extra.
Question: I read somewhere that Boba Fett's actor, Jeremy Bulloch, got his line wrong and instead of saying "Put captain Solo in the cargo hold" he said "Put captain cargo in the Solo hold." Is this true?
Answer: Star Wars being for the young and the young at heart, Han and Leia's relationship unfolds in a deliberately childish manner that kids can relate to and adults will find comedic. Leia is irritated at herself for her attraction to Han, and certainly unamused that Han teases her over it, while at the same time he is not brave enough to admit his own feelings, either.
TonyPH