Ilya Somin at volokh.com has an interesting analysis – via a Freakonomics post – of why it made sense for Han Solo to join the Rebellion against the Empire, but why it rarely makes sense for citizens of real totalitarian states to do the same. The important difference? "Marrying a princess and becoming a general are not likely outcomes for your average potential North Korean or Iranian dissident."
I generally agree with his analysis of real-world situations, but my own view of the Star Wars situtation, which I offered in a comment on Ilya's post, is that the entire analysis is moot. Han has already become a member of the Rebellion as far as the Empire is concerned, so his dilemma is not whether he should fight – to ensure that the Rebellion will protect him from the Empire, he really has no choice but to fight with them – but how to do so in a way that maximizes his value to the Rebellion.
(While reading the original posts, please remember that any comments that refer to Episodes I - III should be ignored, as those movies don't really exist.)
