Just rewatched A New Hope and I have to say the energy between the main trio is absolutely bonkers; like they switch between "you are the most annoying person I know" to "omg bestie hugs!" at the drop of a hat.
- Han and Luke are arguing the whole way from the cantina to the detention center.
- Then Leia comes in and she's yelling at both of them.
- Then they get stuck in the trash compactor and Han desperately tries to save Luke from the tentacles, and then when the compactor goes on and they're all panicking he's trying to help Leia get to higher ground.
- Trash compactor goes off, they all celebrate, Han and Leia freaking HUG...and next scene we're right back to the Sass.
- Leia kisses Luke on the cheek for luck right before they swing across a gap.
- Han and Luke bond over shooting tie fighters away.
- Han admits he kinda likes Leia even though they've basically done nothing but bicker (when not in immediate danger).
- Luke gets upset when Han wants to take his money and leave even though he's know him for like a day. Han pretends he doesn't care but then leaves Luke with a completely sincere "May the force be with you." Despite thr fact that he doesn't believe in that stuff.
- Luke continues to be upset so much that he complains to Leia about Han leaving and she kisses him on the cheek AGAIN as comfort.
- Han comes back and must have been tapping into the comms the whole time because he swoops in specifically to save Luke.
- When they return to the base Leia runs to hug Luke, and then Luke runs to hug Han, and then they all just end up in an excited group hug.
And maybe it's because Leia just lost her planet and Luke just lost all his parental figures and Han is just lost but they absolutely speedrun found family in a way that critics nowadays would find completely unrealistic, and yet the energy between them is something neither the prequels or the sequels were able to match. Just "nope, these idiots are mine now".
Anyway the point is Star Wars is good when it's good.
(Luke doesn't get a braincell until RotJ, Han has no braincells but is very good at making it seem like he does, Leia has braincells but they are angry.)