We’re smack dab in the throes of summer movie season (helloooo Mad Max: Fury Road), but that doesn’t mean we haven’t kept our eye on the prize. Yeah, we’re talking about Star Wars: The Force Awakens! (Insert air horn here.) Though it’s been a hot minute since we’ve heard some news from the galaxy far far away (hey, a week or two is eons in internet-time), we do have confirmation on one tragic fact: Lando Calrissian, the coolest cat this side of Cloud City, will not be in Episode VII.

Ok, let’s calm down for a minute and listen to the men behind the curtain. Screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan shared that both he and JJ Abrams agreed that they didn’t want The Force Awakens to turn into a “long, bloated blockbuster,” and thus, trimmed some of the fat and avoided some welcome but ultimately unnecessary cameos. While we’d love to see more Lando, we completely understand where these dudes are coming from — and there’s still hope we’ll see him down the line.

Jessica Chobot is off making the Kessel run, but you can catch all the details about Lando’s potential return to the franchise and Dan Casey breaks down the rumors, speculation, and other ways you can get more Lando in your life on today’s Nerdist News.

What do you think Lando’s been up to all this time? How would you like to see him return to the Star Wars universe? Let us know in the comments below.