Who is frozen in carbonite in The Empire Strikes Back?

The story behind the answer

In Cloud City, Darth Vader uses the carbon-freezing chamber to encase the Corellian smuggler as a test to determine if the process would be safe for Luke. Boba Fett insists his quarry remain alive to deliver to Jabba the Hutt. Luke is never frozen—he arrives later and duels Vader; Princess Leia is detained but not frozen; and Vader orchestrates the process, not a victim of it.

The carbonite slab became an iconic image, setting up the rescue mission that opens Return of the Jedi. Behind the scenes, this cliffhanger also addressed uncertainty about Harrison Ford’s return, keeping audiences in suspense. The moment features one of the saga’s most famous exchanges—“I love you.” “I know.”—just before the freezing.