brucebanners:

Han is obviously not being killed in the scene, but at the same time, if he remains encased in Carbonite forever, that’s basically death, so one of the major things that Kershner had to deal with was determining just how hopeful the scene should be. For instance, the original lines were Han and Leia kiss and Leia says, “I love you. I couldn’t tell you before, but it’s true.” And Han replies, “Just remember that, ‘cause I’ll be back.” Kershner originally felt that the “I’ll be back” part was integral to the scene, because he felt that it was necessary to set the fans up for the next film. He joked that it was almost “contractual” to include the “I’ll be back” part. But the problem is that Han doesn’t know that he will ever be back. - The origin of the iconic Star Wars line.

If she says “I love you,” and I say “I know,” that’s beautiful and acceptable and funny. - Harrison Ford on changing his line in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.